mischellemabelle

My kids have been Baby Einstein fans for a while now and so when I heard about this new title I was curious to see how it would compare to the originals. To start with I must point out that a fellow mum (at nursery) had recommended it to me with a glowing report so at least I knew it wouldn't be a complete turkey like some of the ones we've watched!!! So what can I tell you? Well like a few of the other baby titles on the market, 'Oxbridge Baby – My First DVD' is a healthy mix of live action, puppets and animation all set to classical music. So far so normal I hear you shout but this has a few things that make it that little bit different.

First of all the animation is wonderful. There are about 5 little 'sketches' that follow a very cute frog as he hunts for food. He meets a number of animals along the way (a rabbit, a sheep, a mouse etc) and we see and hear the noises they make. These bits work really well and are very bright and colourful. Most babies won't follow the narrative and will simply enjoy it for the 'look' but it also helps me when I say to my daughter 'what noise does the sheep make?' and then I hear the cutest little 'baaaa' from her.

Also the music is great. It sounds like someone has taken a long time to listen to popular classical songs and then make them simpler (sounds better than I have described it!!!). Anyway this is also an excellent part.

So how does it compare to other titles on the market? Well in our house its right up there. At just under 30 minutes it is about the perfect length and we are all now all fans. Would I recommend it? Yes, without a hesitation.

Is there a subject that the Baby Einstein team have not covered? Well this is a good one as it helps to show us about the different parts of the boy. In regards to format it is pretty much the same as usual, but I do like the way this one is about a specific topic.

My little girl often points to her nose and screams 'nose' when she is watching, which is the kind of results I want. I also like the way that they use famous names to relate to the subject that they are dealing with, in this case Da Vinci.

I did find the extras section lacking a bit in this title and also found that my DVD jumped quite a bit (however I do not know if this was just a bad copy - unlucky I guess). The puppets are also OK, but they seem to have run out of amusing things to do.

If you have been through the basic collection of Einstein DVDs then this is another one I would add to your collection. There are good and bad points but overall it is a mostly enjoyable experience for your children.

I don't know what it is about water and babies but they can't seem to get enough of it. Well worry no more because this Baby Einstein DVD has enough water to keep even the loudest baby quite.

All of the Einstein DVDs follow themes and this one is a lovely title. You get to see a selection of real life images with great music. However be warned, for an adult this can get very very boring after a short while.

I have 2 children (3 & 2 years old) and at some point they both have watched it although I think it is better for the younger one. The extras on the DVD were not that brilliant. It can be a bit hit a miss with these titles in regards to what else you get.

However if you are looking for another one in the series to add to your collection you won't go too far wrong with this title.