Price Tag: $24.95/DVD $14.95/CD
Official URL: thatbabydvd.com
Save 20%!: * Use coupon code PROCRASTINATE at checkout for a savings.
Rating:

This CD/DVD set from “That Baby” is unique and has become a favorite of mine and my kids. The music is uniquely gorgeous for a kid’s production, and the video offers a diverse mix of visuals. My two year old son loves the “kids dancing” sequence and numbers/alphabet sequence the most, and my daughter is enamored with the opening video that shows butterflies and a paper bird. 

THE VIDEO

The 35-minute DVD opens up with some of the most beautiful children’s video footage that we have had the pleasure of seeing. Unfortunately this is not continued throughout the video, and the rest of the video ranges from “really good” to “average”. The children on this video are engaged in a variety of activities that one would expect to see home schoolers involved in: Visiting the office, hiking through an outdoor garden with rakes.. Awesome! At one point the video shows the kids singing and dancing and it’s absolutely adorable. These kids are charming and come across as very bright. Great role models for the little ones.

The only “complaint” is that the different video sequences feel as if they were done by many different people which gives the video a bit of an erratic feeling, but you could easily call it “diverse” instead. We would have loved to see the whole DVD produced with the same visuals used on the opening song and sporadically throughout. 

THE MUSIC

The music is absolutely beautiful, both the singing and the instrumentation. All of the songs are popular songs that parents will remember well. The music is what makes this product a true stand-out. It is not poor quality synthesized music like many video products or children’s music CDs. The production quality of the music is very, very good and the artists that performed the songs were an excellent choice. 

The songs include: 

Happiness Runs: Made popular by Donovan Lietch and performed by The Schneiderman Sisters
Circle Game: Made popular by Joni Mitchell and performed by The Schneiderman Sisters
Sunday Sun: Made popular by Neil Diamond and performed by Stephanie Schneiderman and Lara Mitchell
When We Grow up: Made popular by Free To Be… You and Me and performed by Stephanie Schneiderman and and Pete Krebbs
Pony Boy: Made popular by Bruce Springsteen and performed by Jaycob Van Auken
Brass In Pocket: Made popular by The Pretenders and performed by Tarshene Daugherty
Get Together: Made popular by The Youngbloods and performed by Tom Grant
Garden Song (Inch by Inch): Made popular by Peter, Paul and Mary and performed by The Schneiderman Sisters
Anything Is Possible: Made popular by Jonny Lang and performed by Michkael Baker
Songbird: Made popular by Fleetwood Mac and performed by Stephanie Schneiderman
These Are Days: Made popular by 10,000 Maniacs and performed by Stephanie Schneiderman
* Three Little Birds: Made popular by Bob Marley and performed by Stephanie Schneiderman and Emma Snyder
* I Will: Made popular by The Beatles and performed by The Schneiderman Sisters
* St. Judy’s Comet: Made popular by Paul Simon and performed by Stephanie Schneiderman and Pete Krebbs

(* Available exclusively on That Baby CD)

PACKAGING 

The CD and DVD are both packaged in cardboard cases, super-easy to open without the usual three million pieces of tape to get past, and more eco-friendly than plastic. The CD, DVD, packaging materials and website all look alike, and all take their style from that opening song whose visuals I love so much. Good choice! 

FACTOIDS

Created by the husband-wife team Rob and Lisi Wolf of Mercer Island, Washington. Rob does the Filming, editing, motion graphics, animation, package design, and website design. He even does the gift wrapping! Versatile guy. I can’t even get my husband to wrap the kid’s gifts! No fair! 

In addition to the multi-tasking husband.. Their “no questions asked” return policy and free replacement of discs that are scratched, fingerprinted or smeared with peanut butter makes it obvious that Rob and Lissi should be beloved to parents everywhere. Now if only every other manufacturer would offer that policy!

MINOR NITPICK

One of the songs might feel a bit inappropriate to parents. The song “Brass in Pocket”, while sung innocently enough, has lyrics that go: “GONNA USE MY ARMS/GONNA USE MY LEGS/GONNA USE MY STYLE/GONNA USE MY SIDESTEP/GONNA USE MY FINGERS/GONNA USE MY, MY, MY IMAGINATION… GOT SOMETHING I’M WINKING AT YOU/GONNA MAKE YOU, MAKE YOU, MAKE YOU NOTICE” And if you have an imagination as lacking in innocence as that of my husband, you might question the nature of this song and find it more “seductive” than is appropriate for children.. Personally? I found it cute.  But then, I wasn’t as familiar with the original song as my husband was.

BOTTOM LINE

Both the DVD and CD are great additions to your library. The music is gorgeous and the video is fun and imaginative. I can play it again and again and again and AGAIN! as my son frequently requests that I do, and not lose my mind or resort to wearing headphones to cancel out the music and save my sanity. 

In fact, with this DVD and CD I frequently dance and sing along. It’s that good.

But don’t take my word for it. Go to their website right now and watch the trailer video, listen to the music, and make use of that ultra-special procrastinator’s code that we gave you at the top of this review. Your ears and your kids will thank you.