My Baby Loves ... His TV Friends!

I'll be completely honest, I have a love/hate relationship with "Children's Television Edu-tainment." I love that these programs teach numbers, the alphabet, and socialization skills like sharing and saying please and thank you. I love that my son gets so happy and excited when Blue's Clues or Elmo show up on the screen. And I REALLY love that I can sneak away for a few minutes to grab a bite to eat, clean up the kitchen, or start another load of laundry.

However, after the fifth straight day of Sesame Street and The Backyardigans, I'm ready to watch an action movie like The Bourne Identity or a few episodes of Bones or House. Pretty much anything that has a mildly complex plot line, and isn't full of primary colors makes me feel more like a person again.

Anyway, Mr. Baby is learning and singing along with his TV friends. He's talking more, and copying dance moves, and these are all good things. So here are Mr. Baby's Top Five Favorite TV Shows of the moment.

1) Elmo's World
This comes on in the second half of almost every Sesame Street episode. We also bought The Best of Elmo's World DVDs.

2) Blue's Clues
It's all reruns now, but whenever Steve or Joe starts singing the "Here's the mail" song, Mr. Baby's face lights up and he runs to the tv to copy the whole dance and sing along. We even bought him a Blue and Sprinkles hide and seek toy.

3) The Backyardigans
I have more tolerance for this show than any others, mostly because the music and choreography are so great. Mr. Baby copies the dance moves, and sometimes tries to sing along.

4) Sesame Street
The gold standard of quality edu-tainment, Mr. Baby loves the muppets and the animations. Elmo is still his favorite, but he focuses whenever any of the muppets are talking.

5) Choo Choo Soul
Could I be any happier about my little guy's love for music? Choo Choo Soul comes on, and he dances around the whole living room. Currently, it's on the Disney Channel weekday mornings after Handy Manny.

My Baby Loves ... Amusing Websites!

Seriously, what did our parents do without the internet? I have sung, danced, read stories, played, turned on the tv, made silly faces, and done practically everything short of juggling bowling balls to make my Mr. Baby smile. However, on some days, he is just an inconsolable baby! When my Mr. Baby turns into my Mr. Crankypants, due to teething, diaper rash, a runny nose, etc... these websites can distract, soothe, and calm him down like nothing else!







Badger Badger Badger
I don't know what power these repetitive cartoon badgers have over children, but we have spread this hypnotic and soothing site to many parents. We have also heard that we're not the only ones using it to calm our baby! This site gets a 5 Happy Babies rating for it's awesome and universal Baby Chill Out Power!

Mango
Another repetitive toon from Weebl's Stuff. This one really gets stuck in your head, but the dancing fruit seem to make our baby laugh and dance.




Giraffe in my Loft
A song from the days when giraffes roamed the UK. This one gets 4 Happy Babies for it's happy tune and cute visuals. Weebl's Stuff is truly a fount of addictive and funny toons.

Dugong
Also known as the manatee! Also from Weebl's Stuff, an ode to the sea cow. Not as cute as Giraffe in my Loft, but still a catchy tune. I caught myself singing it while changing Mr. Baby's diaper. Even with my poor voice, he smiled and recognized the song. It made him laugh, and kept him still long enough to get changed.

The Llama Song
Another repetitive song which may get stuck in your head. It's makes absolutely no sense, but that doesn't bother me. Mr. Baby was amused by the constant flow of llama pictures, but he waits for the duck to show up, then yells, "Duck!"

We Like the Moon
Ok, it's not cute, and it may even scare some children due to the freaky looks of the Spongmonkeys. But my boy likes it! What can I say? It's catchy! I sing it, too. It's just a crazy, silly song.




Pat & Stanley - The Lion Sleeps Tonight
This is a 5 Happy Babies trophy winner! It's a great, easily recognizable song that many people love. Now take that song and have a Hippo sing it while a Dog dances around. Even I can sit around and watch this repeatedly! The cuteness factor is through the roof, and this is my personal favorite Pat & Stanley clip. Not all of them have music, but many of the clips are fun and amusing - for me as well as Mr. Baby. Check them out!


This is by no means a comprehensive list of great sites for your crying babies. And it should be noted that these are not just for kids. I love all of these sites! They're fun and silly, and if you're having a blah day, one of these will probably bring a smile to your face. If you have a site that makes your child smile and calms them down, please share!