Exposing your child to classic music and scintillating images is only part of what Baby Einstein: Baby Beethoven is all about. The DVD works on several levels. The images of toys are neat, sometimes so macro as to be almost abstract. Flashing and floating lights, moving parts of toys that spin and bob and fly around the screen... Kids are pretty transfixed during a session of Baby Einstein: Baby Beethoven and parents can feel good knowing that the relatively short duration of the show means it isn't committing them or their child to two hours in front of the tube, like a feature-length movie. The genesis for the Baby Einstein products was Julie Clark making a home movie to showcase exciting or neat toys, including images of things that her young children loved. These images include real-world objects like animals and other children, interacting with toys and puppets. There's no real story, other than discovery and imagination. Parents might at first find the whole thing a bit surreal, but that's because our brains are wired to think about narrative. This is more of a stream-of-consciousness type thing, dialed into what fascinates young children.
While I am the first person to sing the praises of Baby Einstein: Baby Beethoven, I do support the recommendations made for year by doctors and the American Association of Pediatrics. Parents should discourage television viewing for children younger than 2 years, and encourage activities that will promote proper brain development, such as talking, playing, singing, and reading together. Baby Einstein: Baby Beethoven includes features that show parents using this DVD as the basis for activity with children. Approaching the show as a learning tool is a bit of a stretch when the majority of parents who are honest will admit to using it as part babysitter and part sedative for their child. If the endorsements were more honest, you'd see parents saying things like, "This is a great DVD for keeping my Little Johnny quiet and happy while I cook dinner, make a phone call, take a shower, catch my breath, etc. If you can get past the need to justify this as an educational tool, you can just relax and appreciate it as great entertainment for toddlers.
Special features are included here that did not make it onto the DVD I purchased five years ago. Multiple language tracks are featured, in both French and Spanish. The toys are now showcased in their own interactive feature that allows parents to flip through and see the company that made the toy, and their Web site. Call it shameless commercialism, but any parent that is honest will tell you that there are some toys in Baby Einstein: Baby Beethoven that are well worth hunting down. Other features include some interaction with Baby Einstein founder Julie Clark and her now grown-up children. Some good interactive games are available through a Discovery Cards Mode, mainly a sequence of objects that children can guess and then hear the answers. All the special features seem to be built around a short cut from the show that is packaged to suit a particular activity like dancing, playing, and being quiet. The entire package is nicely produced and worth the investment for any parents that have young children. Especially if your child doesn't love riding in the car or hits those grumpy periods between naps, Baby Einstein: Baby Beethoven is a panacea that cures all kiddie woes.
