The Parent Bloggers Network

The supply of kids’ DVDs out there is endless. Take it from this mom: “We may have a bit of a DVD problem at our house. I think we have about 100 DVDs at our disposal. And these are just the kids’ shows.”

So it’s especially meaningful when we’ve got a slew of parent bloggers - and their kids too! - who are so enthusiastic about an independently created and produced DVD for kids: My Baby A to Z - Come Explore Shapes with Me.

Parents can be a little wary of indie-prod media: “I have my doubts that my two year old could give a flying flip about a DVD looking homemade since she routinely plays with straws and rocks, but it matters to me if I have to watch the thing over and over and over.” If a DVD makes our ears and eyes bleed, it doesn’t matter how much our kids love it, so appealing to parents is key.

My Baby A to Z definitely fits the bill. One mother commented, “While My Baby A to Z obviously didn’t have a billion dollar budget, it was cute and kind of endearing,” and a father, who is tired of the [insert big studio name here] indoctrination that seems to start at birth, added, “Put simply, non-licensed characters are a huge plus.”

The parents also appreciated the content of the DVD and how it drew in their young viewers, especially multimedia emphasis of shapes: “I really liked how each shape was repeated several times and drawn with different media. First, each shape was drawn with a marker; second it was painted, and last drawn in the sand. Then the characters tried to search for and point out shapes like that in the objects around them, which again reinforced the shape.” Another noted: “I liked the way they first defined a shape and then showed it in so many forms. Juliette was particularly enamored with the red dinosaur wielding a paint brush.”

Two other mothers agreed that the variety kept their kids interested: “I liked that this DVD actually engaged [my daughter]. She didn’t just sit like a bump on a log and stare at the TV,” and “I liked how it encouraged her to draw shapes or repeat them – a valuable learning tool.”

But the parents were split on whether the exhortations to get up and move were worthwhile. One mother, who enjoyed the DVD otherwise, was skeptical: “I don’t think that dedicating a few seconds here and there in a video is going to make a difference. If anything, it’s distracting to a young child who already has trouble sitting down. It’s more effective in videos that are all about movement.”

Other parents and kids liked the movement-focused interludes, once they got used to them: “There were several get up and move break during the 23-minute program, which I liked. However, [my son] didn’t actually get up and move until about the third break. I don’t think he understood that he should actually get up and move like the puppets said to do. The second time we watched the show, [he] was up and moving with every break.”

And the kids just loved the DVD, especially the younger ones: “With six little ones at home, the youngest kids don’t usually get to pick the movie they watch…So when the video arrived and I explained that it was for [my two year old daughter], she was so excited…She proceeded to yell, “my video, my video!” as soon as it started.” Another mother added, “When I am doing school with the big kids, [my youngest son] will often ask if he can watch My Baby A to Z so I can learn too!”

But even the big kids were enthusiastic: “I think the thing that surprised me the most was simply how much [my sons] liked the video - it seemed a little advanced for [my younger son] and a little simplistic for [my older son], and yet they both were totally enthralled and [my younger son] even got up to dance for most of the music bits.” I can vouch for that personally - my own six year old and three year old gave My Baby A to Z their rapt attention, viewing after viewing.

Definitely a winner - for parents and kids alike.

Thanks to everyone who left comments! Several copies of the DVD have been shipped out already, and I’ve got more copies to ship out to all of the commenters on the mid-campaign post. If you aren’t one of the lucky ones here, check out all the bloggers’ reviews - they’ve got copies to give away too. And if their giveaways are closed, you can always use the 20% off coupon codes they’ve all got. So there’s no excuse for not having a copy of My Baby A to Z if you really want one!

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 at 5:00 am and is filed under Baby, Giveaways, Kids, Media, Pre-school, Toddler. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.