BABYFIRST TV, THE LEADING PROVIDER OF AWARD WINNING PROGRAMMING FOR BABIES, TODDLERS AND PARENTS, AVAILABLE IN AN EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINING LINEUP OF DVDS FROM MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT (Review)

Mill Creek Will Released an Assortment of DVDs Based on BabyFirst‘s Award-Winning, Innovative, Inspiring and Interactive Programming Including “Harry the Bunny” and “Shushybye Baby” on January 8, 2013

"Starting off the year right, Mill Creek entertainment recently released BabyFirstTV’s  award-winning programming through innovative, inspiring and interactive DVDs for babies, toddlers and parents including Harry The Bunny - Come Along and Play, Shushybye Baby – Bedtime Stories and Songs, Sweet Dreams – Soothing Sights and Sounds, Baby Class – Building Blocks of Learning, Art and Music – Sensory Wonderland, Best of BabyFirst – An Educational Adventure, Color Crew – All About Color and Numbers Around the Globe – Adventures in Counting.  BabyFirstTV is the leading provider of TV, online and mobile programming dedicated to babies and toddlers with programming in over 35 million households in the US and 2 million downloads of their 40 mobile/tablet apps.  Mill Creek Entertainment, a recognized leader in value entertainment, released this dynamic assortment of DVDs on January 8, 2013 for only $9.98 each.

Launched in 2006, BabyFirstTV is dedicated to providing rich, positive edutainment content for babies, toddlers and their parents and is available on TV to over 80 million households across four continents as well as through online and mobile channels.  The content is created by leading experts in child development and education, and provides interactive opportunities for parents and baby to bond, learn and explore together.  In the U.S., BabyFirstTV is broadcast on DIRECTV, Dish Network and Comcast.   

Currently, BabyFirstTV is #3 in ratings for households with children 0-3 years old and #1 in daily viewing time, ahead of Hallmark, Litime, Oxygen, Brave, E!, etc.  They have 95% customer satisfaction with the average family watching 96 minutes daily and 75% of parents actively watching BabyFirstTV with their children.

BabyFirst is the recipient of two iParenting Media Awards for one of the “Greatest Products of the Year”, the Parents’ Choice Award, and the Creative Child Magazine Award for Media of the Year category. The network also received the US International Film and Video “Gold Camera” award for outstanding educational programming for children.

Each DVD contains over two hours of fun and educational content to help babies blossom. The following is the full product descriptions on the eight DVD new releases now available from Mill Creek Entertainment. 

Harry The Bunny - Come Along and Play
Harry is a curious 3-year-old bunny who loves exploring new things!  Harry invites his friends to go on exciting adventures as he learns and senses the world around him. Through playful and entertaining repetition your little ones will grasp new words, sounds, shapes and numerous other developmental concepts by inspecting the environment around them.  During these episodes, Harry explores all kinds of things in and around his house noticing everyday objects and learning concepts like near and far.



Shushybye Baby – Bedtime Stories and Songs
Join Snoozles, Dozie, Zeez and the rest of the Shushies as they enter the wondrous world of Shushybe!  Shushybye Baby takes little ones and their parents into dream lands that encourage children to look forward to bedtime! Through positive value-based bedtime stories and award-winning original songs your child will learn the importance of sleep in a friendly and fun way. The Shushybe Dream Band performs and encourages musical hearing and memory all while teaching healthy sleeping habits



Sweet Dreams – Soothing Sights and Sounds
BabyFirst’s evening programs are designed to soothe babies’ senses as they unwind for nap or bedtime. This tender series combines soft classical music and a variety of calming imagery to offer a relaxing atmosphere for you and your little one.  Each episode features engaging motions and pictures that are ideal for calming down after a busy day or before naptime. These trusted tools will aid and encourage healthy bedtime habits for future years to come.



Baby Class – Building Blocks of Learning, Art and Music – Sensory Wonderland
Laugh and learn through a variety of programs designed to stimulate and entertain your young ones!  Follow different animals from around the globe on a counting adventure in Numbers Around the Globe. Play along with Maddie and Zeke as they identify shapes and objects in Shape A Majigs. Get wacky with Widget And His Wonder Machine as he makes counting exciting and fun! Increase your toddlers’ vocabulary with three fun-loving creature friends, The Wordies who explore new words every day! Teach reasoning and planning skills all while using your imagination in Ready Dress Go! Number Time and The Numbers Farm introduce the magic of numbers through repetition and recognition. Follow Sammy and Eva, two young squirrels, who invite viewers to play their favorite game Hide And Seek!




 

Best of BabyFirst – An Educational Adventure
Transform knowledge and development into a creative world of fun, right in your own home! Sensory Wonderland combines parent/child bonding and imagination to stimulate senses that are crucial for positive childhood development. Through a rich assortment of colors and creations, young viewers’ imaginations will come alive as they watch art and music being constructed and played right before their eyes! An endless array of unique visual experiences showcasing recognizable stories, sounds and pictures make common toys and objects come to life through visual exploration. 



Color Crew – All About Colors
Meet the Color Crew, a lively bunch of crayons that explore and identify color in the world around us! All About Colors encourages young viewers to play along as they introduce basic colors in their very own special way! Join colors like yellow, blue, green, red and brown as they decide what color apples, trees, ducks, and other objects in everyday life should be. Let the rainbow of knowledge and creativity fly high with the Color Crew and their coloring adventures! "


 

Numbers Around the Globe - Adventures in Counting!

BabyFirst is fun-filled programming created specifically for tots and their parents. Join adorable characters from around the globe while they explore numbers in Adventures in Counting! Follow all kinds of animals like polar bears, tigers and monkeys around the globe to learn numbers through rhythm, repetition, humor and movement. The high energy brought to the show by its furry friends helps young viewers learn number recognition from one all the way to five. So come with us on an adventure around the globe!

 

Baby Class - The Building Blocks of Learning!

Laugh and learn through a variety of programs designed to stimulate and entertain your young ones! Follow different animals from around the globe on a counting adventure in Numbers Around the Globe. Play along with Maddie and Zeke as they identify shapes and objects in Shape A Majigs. Get wacky with Widget and His Wonder Machine as he makes counting exciting and fun! Increase your toddlers' vocabulary with three fun-loving creature friends, The Wordies who explore new words every day! Teach reasoning and planning skills all while using your imagination in Ready Dress Go! Numbers come to life in two theatrical and engaging programs. Number Time and Numbers Farm introduce the magic of numbers through repetition and recognition. Follow Sammy and Eva, two young squirrels, who invite viewers to play their favorite game Hide And Seek!

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My Thoughts:

We have spent the past few weeks watching these recent DVD releases from Mill Creek Entertainment, of some of BabyFirst TV's popular programming.  Here are my thoughts on the DVDs, based on how the girls' have reacted to them:


The Best of the BabyFirst: An Educational Adventure -- This is a collection of some of BabyFirst's popular programming.  It includes such characters as Harry the Bunny, Friendly Jack, Tillie Knock Knock and Fred and Fiona.  Both my daughters love Harry the Bunny and Tillie Knock Knock.  Savannah especially loves Tillie, who tries to figure out who is knocking at her door.  Tillie asks her friends, who stop by and knock at their doors, about themselves, in order to guess who is knocking.  When Savannah is not giggling along with Tillie, she is learning about the different animals and their sounds.  And, who doesn't love Harry the Bunny.  He is a cute, cuddly bunny who loves to explore.  Through his fun adventures, young viewers learn new words, concepts  and more.  Each and every time I put Harry the Bunny on, the girls stop what they are doing, say "hello" to Harry and stand around to watch him.  Arabella loves when Harry shows off his toys in his toy chest, and she will usually run around the house picking up similiar toys to show Harry.  When Harry asks what a certain toy is, Savannah gets excited when she can call it out and name it for Harry.  Definitely a program from BabyFirst worth watching with toddlers, who love adventure. :-)

Color Crew -- Crayons that come alive right from the crayon box and fill in coloring sheets.  Out of all the BabyFirst programs, this is by far Savannah's favorite.  Whenever I ask her what she wants to watch on television, she will say, "Green and Red."  At first I didn't know what she meant, but then she showed me the DVD case and pointed to the crayons.  Her favorite colors are green and red, so you can only imagine how excited she gets when these colors are chosen to fill in the colorless pcitures.  Savannah can't help but giggle when the eraser comes out when the crayons make a mistake and color in the wrong image.  She then follows up and says, "No, no, no" before yelling out the correct color that should have been used.  As a parent, I can see how far she has come in being able to both identify colors, and decide what colors things like apples, trees, grass, the sky, etc. should be, thanks to the Color Crew.  Savannah has even begun coloring more, as she is excited about colors and using her imagination and what she has learned from this DVD, in coloring in pictures in her coloring books.

Sweet Dream: Calming Music and Imagery -- I use this DVD to help get the girls ready for their afternoon naps.  Prior to receiving this DVD, I had not seen this program on BabyFirstTV, but wish I had sooner, as it has really helped with getting the girls to nap.  I used to play this video from YouTube that had balls and bubbles floating around the television screen, as I found that if the girls focused on one image, they would relax and be able to fall asleep.  This DVD  follows suit and makes young child focus their eye movement on one shape, while identifying and repeating colors.  Truly a calming DVD that all parents of infants and toddlers should own.

Shushabye Baby: Bedtime Stories and Songs -- The Shushies help the girls unwind at the end of the day.  Even if they are wired and don't look like they will be going to bed anytime soon, as soon as I put on this DVD, they grab their blankies, crawl into bed, and begin to relax, as they watch their favorite Shushies share bedtime stories and songs.  I even find the songs relaxing after a crazy day. :-)  There have been a few occasions I have tried to put the girls to bed without playing this DVD, but then they remind me about the Shushies.  We now have a routine with the Shushies, which I love, as the girls associate these cute characters with bedtime.

Numbers Around the Globe -- So catchy, that Savannah's counting ability has grown as a result of this DVD.  She went from counting in jumbled sequence to now counting 1-5 in order.  And, she can now point out numbers on the television and in print and tell me what they are.  In addition to learning how to count, both Savannah and Arabella were introduced to animals and now can point them out when we read some of their favorite storybooks with animals in them.  Through repetition, rhyming and humor, Numbers Around the Globe makes learning how to count fun for both infants and toddlers.

Art and Music -- A sensory wonderland with a magic paintbrush.  Combined with the Color Crew DVD, the girls are now able to identify the primary colors, while enjoying the visual journey this DVD takes them on.  This is one of the most stimulating DVDs I have found that really does keep my almost 15 month old daughter's attention.  Paired with music, the art seems to come alive right before their lives.  I have to say that this is one of my favorite of the 8 recent DVD releases to watch with the girls.


All these DVDS really do a great job in stimulating my daughters, while providing them with hours of entertaining programming.  And, they will grow with your child, as many are geared towards children ages 3 months through 4 years old.  If you have an iPad or phone that can download apps, make sure you check out the BabyFirst TV app.  We don't get the BabyFirst TV channel on our cable lineup, but I have signed up through a subscription with the online website, and the girls can watch their favorite BabyFirst TV programs on the go with our phones or iPad. :-)

About Mill Creek Entertainment

Mill Creek Entertainment is the leading provider of value home video content to the retail and specialty marketplaces.  With over 50 million DVDs and Blu-ray discs sold annually the company has established a powerful distribution network that encompasses over 30,000 storefronts and millions of online customers. The company is relentless in its quest to always provide outstanding content and packaging with amazing value propositions to ensure consumer demand and customer satisfaction. Mill Creek offers a tremendous range of content including contemporary and classic feature film and television, kids’ animation, documentary, special interest and fitness.  Compilations range from double-features to 100-movie collections as well as 10 to 600 episode TV collections.   Driven by its immense library of over 12,000 hours of owned and licensed content and licensing partnerships with major studios and production companies world-wide, the company continues to redefine the value marketplace.  For more information: www.millcreekent.com.

Disclosure: I was sent copies of the above DVDs in order to write up an honest review.  The views above are mine and mine alone.