That Thing You Sing

For a musician's daughter, I have done a woeful job of exposing my children to music. We have a few CDs that we play in the car on endless repeat and that is nearly it. Once in awhile we rock out in the laundry room or have an after-dinner dance party, but I confess we are just not a household where tunes are always spinning in the background.

So the new That Baby DVD I recently reviewed (along with its companion, That Baby CD) has been a welcome addition. These compilations feature acoustic covers of tunes made popular by stars of the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s--think Springsteen, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, even 10,000 Maniacs. It's an introduction to some truly beloved performers and songs (Bob Marley! The Beatles!), with artsy arrangements, indie singers, inspirational lyrics, and cool visuals to boot. We've been playing the CD in the car for weeks now and I keep the DVD in the playroom, where we can either listen, or watch, or both, as the mood strikes. I love having an alternative to turning on yet another episode of whatever flavor-of-the-moment kids' show my daughter is clamoring for.

My kids have each gravitated to a few tunes in particular that they love. My daughter could listen to "Garden Song" (aka "Inch By Inch," recorded previously by Peter, Paul, and Mary, John Denver, and Arlo Guthrie) about 100 times in a row and my son feels the same way about "Pony Boy" (Bruuuuuuuce!). They both love "When We Grow Up" which is from the all-time classic kids' album, Free to Be You and Me. In fact, I plan to buy them that CD for Christmas this year, which I think points out one of the big benefits to this compilation--introducing your kids (and their parents) to new or forgotten artists, and inspiring them to seek out more music from these new favorites.

As my husband pointed out, you could easily make your own CD (or playlist) of kid-friendly "grown-up" music from your own collection. But why bother when Rob and Lisi Wolf (the mom-and-pop team behind That Baby DVD and OyBaby, a line especially for Jewish kids) have already done the legwork? Plus, mix CDs are absolutely cool, but I also enjoy the coherence of this collections, with many of these songs sung by the same artist. (Her name, by the way, is Stephanie Schneiderman.)

The CD is, in my opinion, stronger than the DVD. The quality of the videos is uneven. Some are just lovely, such as the mesmerizing, nature-inspired illustrations on the medley "Happiness Runs/Circle Game" (see still) and the silhouettes trotting their way through "Pony Boy." Many feature adorable kids (of all colors and sizes) playing, especially outside. Others, though, had too much of an amateur feel for me. Still, my son, who is after all in the target age range (0 to 5) was charmed by almost all the videos. And believe me, any one of them is easier on the eyes than even a few seconds of Baby You-Know-Who dreck.

To get your own taste of the tunes, visit the That Baby DVD site. You can also listen to Kristen's podcast this Wednesday, 12/15, at 9 p.m. EST to hear an interview with creator Rob Wolf.

Ready to buy? Use the coupon code "PBN" for 20% off. Then rock around that Christmas tree!