That Baby CD/DVD

Description: "That Baby DVD and That Baby CD are unique baby gifts unlike anything you’ve ever seen or heard. We’ve taken great songs—songs that you may have sung at camp or put on a mix tape when you were a kid—and reworked them with fantastic new acoustic and vocal arrangements. Enjoy kid-friendly covers of songs written by artists like Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant, The Beatles, The Pretenders, and more. We’re a parent-run company that knows the value of great children’s products and your need to buy with confidence. Our products are manufactured in the US using recycled materials. We offer a “no questions asked” money-back guarantee and free replacement of scratched or damaged discs. (We have kids too. We know how it is.)"

I have never been a fan of the music and videos marketed for children. Baby Einstein and Barney both make me cringe. We have not purchased any of the CD's designed specifically for babies, preferring to pop in our large collection of classical CD's and world music. Rather than 'Rock-a-bye-baby", Maya enjoys listening to Edith Piaf, Bruce Springsteen, Ella Fitzgerald, and classical Persian tunes. Which is exactly what attracted me to the 'That Baby' CD and DVD when a review offer came up through MotherTalk - a Baby/Kid's CD with the subtitle, 'Acoustic Rock classics for kids and the grownups who love them' sounds like my cup of tea. With cover songs of artists such as Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, and 10,000 Maniacs, it's hard to go wrong.

When the CD and DVD arrived, my original plans were to enjoy the CD together with Maya, but watch the video separately. Maya has not watched any TV in her short little life, and I was hesitant to plop her down in front of the TV to watch the DVD. Studies showing the detrimental effect TV-watching has on development screamed in my ear. Then one day we had a particularly hectic week. I was trying to start planning for our re-location to New Jersey (including buying our first home!), I hadn't had a shower in more than two days, and I was starving. Sensing my stress, Maya was particularly fussy. When my gaze landed on the That Baby DVD, I caved. With Maya snuggled into her swing, I turned it on, and went to prepare lunch for myself. Fifteen minutes later, she was enthralled...and so was I. 

The DVD pulls you right in with the beautiful 'Happiness Runs/Circle Games' - a tune which is now permanently stuck in my head. The graphics are beautiful, with a colorful butterfly gliding into a forest of trees. But our favorite DVD track is the lip-synching kids that sing along to the song 'Brass in Pocket'. Maya loves watching the antics of other kids, and I find them a delight to watch as well. For the first few years, it will only be pulled out on the rare occasion, but as she grows into her pre-school years, I'm hoping this will hopefully still be a family favorite.

The creators of That Baby also have a few Jewish-themed DVD's out, that I have seen at the shop in my local Jewish Community Center, called OyBaby.

For more information or to purchase the CD and/or DVD, you can check out the That Baby website. If you enter the coupon code "MotherTalk" when purchasing you can save 20% on your entire order!

From now until May 18th, all orders using the coupon code "MotherTalk" will be entered in a drawing to win a new iPod nano!

This review is part of the MotherTalk blog tour.