Baby Babble

Baby Babble is a video created by two speech therapists in order to help babies and toddlers talk. It's a godsend for us, because the twins are a bit delayed in talking. They do talk, forming words, sometimes sentences (mostly Camille), but on the whole they should be talking more than they should be. Part of it is probably due to the fact that Mommy and Daddy are reserved themselves; but we'd rather they be like their grandparents, who are pretty outgoing.

At first glance I thought this was just another Baby Einstein wannabe, cashing in on the huge media craze; indeed, when I first watched it with the kids, it seemed like a cheap imitation, using obviously home-made sets, and public domain music. Not surprising, given that Baby Einstein is now owned by Disney, and thus has a budget that allows them to hire celebrities like Marlee Matlin; the folks who made Baby Babble probably just had a video cam and some editing software. Heck, I might be able to put together something like it, using something like Adobe Premiere.

However, all that doesn't matter if the content itself is good. And it is--the girls were entranced, repeating the syllables and words in the video. There's also a great guide for parents at the end, which tells you how to "speak" to your babies and toddlers to help them along in their quest to talk.

Baby Babble may not be as polished as the Baby Einstein series, but it's well worth the purchase.

BOTTOM LINE:
Rating: 4 out of 5. Production values are somewhat low, but the content well-worth it.
Bought at: Clever Shoppers (on-line)

Why?

There are a lot of toys, books, DVDs and other media out there that purport to help children learn and grow. I know; I've gone through so many of them, trying to help my kids along. I figured that I could share what I thought of these toys, books and DVDs, and possibly help others decide whether they're good buys or not. I know I've spent a lot of time researching things before I buy them; more often than not I get frustrated, not finding anything.

Also, this helps me (a) write, and (b) take photos. As much as possible I'll try to post actual photos of the toys being used, rather than just using stock pictures. If nobody else reads this, fine; at least I get practice.

I'll also try to let you know where I bought the item I'm reviewing. I don't get paid or anything--just want to let you know where the cheapest price is.