DVDs, CDs, and Software
April 30, 2012
There is a reason some movies are timeless and most of them are made by Disney. The classic movie Cinderella is coming out of the Disney vault for the first time. If you do movie night in your house, you must have this movie. You can relive and share your own childhood memories with your little girls as you enjoy this movie together. After the movie, you can create new memories for yourself while you are entertained by the Tangled Ever After short that is also included. In just one night, you can create memories that will be passed down for generations.
See Cinderella, $8 coupon.
April 17, 2012
You might be thinking, "Why is a CD featured on a parenting website?" Because Mother's Day will be here before you know it and it's best NOT to leave this stuff to the last minute. By now, you have surely heard of the amazing singer Adele. She is to CD sales, what Oprah is to publishing. Her amazing voice is bringing back old fashioned CD sales like crazy. Hits like "Rumor has it" and "Someone like you" are playing virtually non stop. If you want to make sure your mom is listening to the latest and greatest music, be sure to pick up Adele 21.
See Mother's Day gifts.
November 24, 2011
I'm thankful for great classics like Winnie The Pooh. Children can still learn important lessons from this lovable bear and his furry friends. Winnie the Pooh is one of the last characters to maintain his low key simple pleasures. The world outside the Hundred Acre Wood has not tainted this little bear one bit. We should all be so lucky.
See Disney movies.
November 10, 2011
If there is a toddler on your holiday list, than you better be sure to pick up a Cars 2 DVD or Blue Ray. Everyone loves Lightening McQueen, the super competitive, but friendly race car and his loyal friends. This time around he has an entire new crew of friends to help him. Don't let your little one be the only one without this Disney classic. You will be glad you added it to your collection.
See Disney classic movies.
September 15, 2011
No DVD collection is complete without a few Disney classics in the mix. Lightening McQueen, Mater, and Sally have quickly become the favorite characters to many American children. Cars 2 is available for pre order for its release on November 1. I say this is a perfect holiday gift to tuck away. If, that is, you can resist the urge to watch it yourself on the day it arrives.
See toddler movies, Disney, Cars.
September 7, 2011
If your idea of a lullaby includes happy dancing bears, then you are in luck. This CD transforms several of the Grateful Dead's classics into a soothing lullaby format. There's no need to subject yourself to endless renditions of "Old McDonald" when you can teach your little one "Sugar Magnolia" or "Casey Jones." It's never too soon to teach your child about good music.
See infant CDs, Grateful Dead.
March 25, 2010
When my first child was born, I was inundated with gifts. There were tiny outfits, little piggy banks and photo albums. Of all the gifts my new little family received, I have to say one of my favorites was this CD, All You Need Is Love: Beatles Songs for Kids. I still have it many years (and kids) later. I guess you have to be a Beatles fan to fully appreciate it, but for a parent who has just spent their day listening to the same children's music all day long, this CD provides some welcome relief. It puts a little bit of "you" back in your day and keeps your little one from losing it. All you need is love? Who knows if that's true, but when you are holding your little baby and humming these great tunes. It sure seems that way.
July 21, 2009
Every parent needs to know CPR and safe choking maneuvers. But it can hard to find the time to make it to a class when you are juggling a job, new baby, and other daily life stresses. Check out this instructional DVD for a full course on life saving techniques. Real children are used during the demonstrations, not dummies which makes the lesson much more realistic.
See also: Infant CPR DVD.
April 23, 2009
You found out you were pregnant; you were thrilled. You took your vitamins, ate the right foods and got plenty of rest. Now you have a precious baby. Now what? You feel tired and you're lucky to grab a sandwich between diaper changes and there's a few extra pounds around the middle. It may seem impossible, but the best thing for you and your baby is for you to stay strong. But you'll need help. Fabulously Fit Moms can help you get there. Get started with exercises like "Kiss the Baby" and "Baby Sit-ups" you'll be back in shape before you know it.
See also: Postnatal fitness
March 17, 2009
Anderson loves listening to the Laurie Berkner Band in the car. I think he'd really like this DVD: We are . . . The Laurie Berkner Band. It features 11 original songs, and a couple of DVD extras: behind the scenes, a choreography tutorial, etc. The best part about Laurie Berkner is that her songs are so accessible. We love singing right along with Andy in the car. That accessibility is also present on this DVD. From the playful rhymes that declare Tuesday "snooze day" in "I'm Gonna Catch You" to the absurd image of fish taking showers and brushing their teeth in "The Goldfish," Laurie Berkner's songs celebrate a child's love of the ridiculous. The uninhibited trio performs live onstage or within simply animated scenes.
February 17, 2009
We've covered a few iPhone and iPod Touch applications in the past. I recently discovered an application that is great for toddlers: Peekaboo Barn. The concept behind this application is simple: click the barn, and it opens to reveal a different farm animal: horse, dog, rooster, etc. The animal makes its noise and then the animal's name is said outloud. Andy has been obsessed with our phones lately, and this is a great way to keep him entertained for a few minutes.
Peekaboo barn costs $2.99 at the time of writing, and it also comes in a free version: Peekaboo Barn Lite.
February 5, 2009
We received a copy of Animal Tales: Raccoon, Bear and Coyote the other day. The 48 minute CD contains 3 stories about Hazard the coyote, Lotor the raccoon, and Osa the brown bear. The stories are read aloud by Tavia Gilbert and Stephen McLaughlin, and contain lots of rich details about real animal behaviors. This kind of CD is a great alternative to listening to kids music in the car. Music can be nice, but listening to the same thing over and over again gets old pretty fast (especially if you don't appreciate the music yourself). If you like this CD, be sure to check out the entire PlainTales series.
December 12, 2008
Have you been having a frustrating time finding games for your little one to play online? We've tried a few sites with Anderson, but the games always seem to be geared for kids who are a lot older than him. Then we discovered KneeBouncers. KneeBouncers is a site full of free toddler games. The games are full of vivid colors, interesting noises, lively characters, and none of the games require the skillful use of a computer mouse. All you have to do is be able to bang some keys on the keyboard. In addition, there are downloadable coloring sheets and you can even embed the games on your own website (or MySpace page, etc). Next time your toddler wants to sit down at the computer, I definitely recommend heading over to KneeBouncers to check it out.
November 18, 2008
For those of you with iPhones (or perhaps contemplating a new one this holiday season), there are lots of different applications available that are made just for us parents. First there is Baby Monitor. Start this app up and place the iPhone near your sleeping child. Once she wakes up and cries, it will place a phone call to the number of your choice. With this app, you won't need to pack a monitor for an overnight trip. At $0.99, there's really no reason not to have something this useful.
Another useful app is White Noise. This $0.99 app (also available as a free Lite version) does just what you think: plays white noise. We all know how useful this can be when putting a newborn to sleep.
Finally, parents with newborns might find Baby Tracker: Nursing extremely useful. It keeps track of your nursing schedule for up to six children (I hate to be the family that needs that kind of capability!). With just a few clicks your nursing sessions are recorded: the length of time and the side you nursed on (or both), and best of all, it keeps track of which side you nursed on last.
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