Baby Galileo

Rating:
Summary: My 17-month-old's absolute favorite
Review: First a brief note on the Baby Einstein series, and then my specific opinions about Baby Galileo. My wife and I are very careful about both the amount and the content of any television that my 17-month-old son views. Our Baby Einstein videos (we have around 8) are among only six or seven shows or videos that play on our TV sets when our son is awake. Other parents have already mentioned one benefit of the Baby Einstein videos: That they can give you 30 minutes of worry-free time to prepare meals or get dressed while your children remain glued to the set. However, I'd like to mention my own favorite benefit of the series: Quality time with my son. When I put on one of these videos, my son crawls up into my lap and remains there for the whole show. (Any of you with 17-month-old boys probably know how rare it is for your son to spend 30 whole minutes sitting in the same place.) During the program, he points to objects he recognizes (gesturing the signs for words he knows), laughs out loud during the puppet shows, and mimics the children he sees in the videos. Throughout the video he looks to me for acknowledgement and confirmation, and I try to teach him the signs and words for things he hasn't learned yet. These videos have proven to me that when used sparingly and wisely, television can be a powerful learning and family-building tool.

As for Baby Galileo, this one is clearly my son's favorite. Baby MacDonald and Neighborhood Animals are probably tied for second place, where Language Nursery and Baby Bach appear to appeal to him the least. The actual puppets of Baby Galileo and his mom are probably the best and most detailed puppets I have yet seen in the series. They both have moving limbs and are very expressive- and they're definitely my son's favorite part of the video. He also enjoys the little clips of other babies and the many images of the sun and moon. I must admit, this is MY favorite of the bunch too, not just because of the music selection, but yeah, I also dig the puppets. I have a single criticism of this particular video: The segment about the moon features a very odd rendition of Debussy's Claire De Lune. It was so different from the Claire De Lune that I know and love that I actually thought it was just a sound-a-like, perhaps for licensing reasons. Basically, the main melody of the piece is almost completely absent. However, the liner notes for the disc do in fact list Debussy as the composer. My wife believes it was an intentional adjustment, because the music in Baby Einstein videos is supposedly "designed for little ears." I don't buy it, but overall I think this is a great video.


Rating:
Summary: Still another good one
Review: This is a great video, for parent and children. I use it to help my 6 yo to learn about the galaxy.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: This is our favorite one so far. It contains beautiful footage of skyscapes, planets and galaxies. It also has just the right mixture of puppets, toy footage, and children. If you like Baby Neptune, you should like this one too. My 5 mo. old loves it.

Rating:
Summary: Great video
Review: My 5 month-old enjoys watching this DVD - I was worried it would be too fast or advanced. She really likes it. I think this is one of their better videos.

Rating:
Summary: Her new favorite B.E. DVD!
Review: We now have most of the B.E. collection on DVD, and our daughter, now almost two, has loved them from day one. Her faves progressed from Mozart to Neighborhood Animals to Van Gogh and Shakespeare - all of which are truly excellent. But since we got Baby Galileo, it's the only one she wants to see! She, as always, loves the cute puppets and their antics. And she simply adores all of the segments: moon, sun, clouds, stars, galaxies, planets - she's actually learning the names of the planets! The music is also excellent, especially the Schubert piece that has a carnival feel to it - great choice! Baby Galileo is one of the best in the series!

Rating:
Summary: My three month old likes this one best
Review: At my Mom's urging, I picked up a few of the baby Einstein DVDs. I was originally put off by the series title; in NYC we have lots of yuppie parents trying to breed super-babies and I thought with the title "Baby Einstein" this fed into that whole thing. But they are just really great, entertaining videos for babies. I bought Baby Mozart, Neighborhood Animals and Language Nursery. Of the 4, Baby Galileo is the one that my daughter definitely likes the best.

Rating:
Summary: Our Favorite of Them All!
Review: Baby Galileo was our first Baby Einstein DVD. It was given to us as a welcome gift for our daughter. I know the recommended age is 9 months and up. But I started watching this with her at 3 months, pointing out the images, talking to her about space and the objects, and humming the music. She has already become a lover of classical music and I think some credit is due to Baby Einstein for that.

We use Baby Galileo as part of our nightly bedtime ritual. My daughter and I sit together and watch this each evening, while she has a snack, just before her bath. It's so soothing and it really helps her wind down from the excitement of the day. Then she has a bath, we read a few books, and she is set for the night. She wakes up the next day and is ready for Baby Einstein again! I recommend just about all the DVDs. Kudos to the Baby Einstein company and Julie Clark!