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It's Hip Hop Baby!
Toddler DVD Series Product Review

Hip Hop Baby makes learning fun.

While I try to avoid the developmental time line comparisons with other parents, I can't say I haven't wondered (more like worried) about whether my two-year old is picking up her words, numbers and letters at the "normal" pace. This was one of the reasons, that Candi Carter created It's Hip, Hop Baby!, a DVD series designed for toddler-aged children.

We had a chance to sample the It's Hip Hop Baby!: All Your Child's Favorites DVD and after one week, I have found it to be a fun way to help my daughter learn and cement her pre-school basics. I'm talking colors, numbers, ABC's, animal sounds, body parts and body movements.

I have to admit I was more excited about Hip Hop Baby! than she was in the beginning. During her first viewing, she stood back watching like a wallflower at a party.

However, after two or three viewings she was mimicking the dance moves and showing signs that she had grasped the important aspects of many of the songs. For example she chimes in with animal sounds, shouts out her colors and holds up her fingers during the counting segment. My little Video Jockey has now added this DVD to her daily request list.

Features to Love:

My husband says it has good music that moves.
We both like that children from diverse ethnic backgrounds are cast in the video. This video is for every baby and toddler.
I also like that I don't have to play it a million times in order to determine it's working.
The DVD also includes hip hop remixes of classic songs and games like Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes and Simon Says.

Room For Improvement:

From the parent perspective, the songs are pretty repetitive. I mean within the song and after a while the music starts to sound the same from song to song. This is good for the child's retention, but be prepared for your child to ask you to play it again and again. My two year old refers to it as "Hop, Hop" when she wants the DVD turned on.
My husband noticed the alphabet segment might be improved by adding the letters as pop up graphics on the screen when they are called out, like the numbers and colors segments.

The Bottom Line:

This DVD is perfect for the toddler who learns well with music and rhythm. I'd also recommend it if you're looking for ways to introduce the basics like numbers and letters and have them stick sooner.

As far as I'm concerned it's frustration-free teaching time. I say that because you can pop in the DVD to keep your child busy while cooking dinner or decide to dance around with your little one for a high energy, jam session. In addition, the nature of the series prevents me from bringing any stress or external pressures about her developmental milestones into the equation.

Therefore I'm glad to have this as part of my pre-school arsenal and recommend this DVD as a valuable tool for parents who need to replace anxiety with fun when it comes to their toddler's learning.

More about It's Hip Hop Baby!:

I asked Candi Carter what inspired her to create It's Hip Hop Baby. Here's her story.

My son at the time was 3. He has a severe speech delay. He's 6 now and still doesn't have language. To help him transition and settle down I started singing songs he knew and putting hip hop beats to them. I would use my mouth and beat box out the beats.
Instantly, he'd pay attention and stop screaming or fighting me to do something and he'd fall in line. I made up more and more songs that fit our world. During a trip to visit my cousin and her three kids I decided to test the songs out on them-- typical children. To my surprise...they loved them!
So that's how it was born. I am a television producer by trade...so I took all the songs I made up for my son, had a children choir record them and then gathered neighborhood children to shoot the first video."

In addition to It's Hip Hop Baby!: All Your Child's Favorites our affiliate partner, Amazon, carries three other DVD titles available for children aged 2 - 6: Get Healthy Get Fit!, Things We Do Every Day!, Rockin' Dance Party! and a CD entitled Fruit!