Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in pittsburgh, PA

Baby Einstein World Music

by Jennifer Signore

April 27, 2009

On March 31, Baby Einstein released the latest additions to their video and music collection for kids, the World Music DVD and World Music CD.  I was asked to be one of a group of moms to host a premiere party for the new DVD and CD and was happy to participate.  Our family has a few other Baby Einstein products, both CD and DVD, and the kids always seem to enjoy them.

A small, but mighty, group of our friends and their children gathered to experience the World Music collection, and the overall impression was very positive.  The DVD has a lot of classic Baby Einstein features like the animal puppets and short, funny scenes where two of the puppets interact.  The kids all got a kick out of the puppets acting silly, getting rained upon, chasing each other, and generally acting like, well, children.  Actually, the adults seemed to crack a smile more than once, too.

The DVD included some other features that caught my attention.  One is called "Grow with Me" and allows the program to play with video and music alone or with video and music paired with spoken and written words corresponding to items in the scene.  This way, as your child becomes more interested in language, the video can provide a new connection.  The "Select a Segment" feature is one that our house will definitely appreciate.  What it does is allow you to select a five or ten-minute segment for those times when you don't want to see the entire 37 minute video.  My kids are quite good at identifying when the video has actually ended, so if I try to turn it off sooner (and claim that it's the end), I will get an earful from the peanuts.  Loudly.  If I know that we only have a few minutes for video time, I can choose a shorter segment and everyone wins.

The World Music CD is a lovely mix of world music performed in the Baby Einstein style, and it makes my kids dance around every time they hear it.  What I like about the song collection is the nice mix of soothing and vibrant musical selections.  When you pop the CD into your computer, you also have access to song lyrics as well as discovery cards to help your children learn even more from their world music experience. 

Overall, I would give the Baby Einstein World Music CD and DVD a definite thumbs up both for the quality of the program and the improved use of the DVD and computer interfaces to customize the viewing (and listening) experience.  If you already have the World Music collection, or plan to get it, make sure to stop by the Baby Einstein DVD or CD Web pages to share your experiences under the "Customer Stories" link.   

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a copy of the DVD and CD as well as party supplies (plates, cups, napkins) in exchange for my review.  Two families that attended the party will each receive the DVD or CD (I wanted to keep them until my review for reference).