Up until a few years ago, I have been very against allowing my children to watch television. I never purchased movies for my oldest daughter who is now fourteen until she had reached age four. While television programs for children had come a long way from my childhood, I was still skeptical of so called ?educational television? and DVDs.

Today I had a chance to review a Baby Einstein DVD. Rather, I should say that my children had a chance to review it. I allowed this because thanks to advances in educational programming, children are learning more from DVDs and television than in years past. I must admit, I am glad I popped this into the player. Recipient of an American Baby Best of The Year Award, it has been voted as a product moms say they can?t live without. After viewing it with my children, I can agree!

Baby Einstein, Baby?s First Sounds-Discoveries for Little Ears is a fun, lighthearted DVD for babies aged 6 months and up. The program introduces little ones to sounds, the basic sounds of speech that we use everyday. ?Ah?, ?buh?, ?duh?, ?ee?, and ?mm?. Each sound is then connected to a simple word, easy for the child to understand especially if they are older than the 6 months stated as beginning age. My youngest child is eighteen months, but he loved every minute of this DVD. I was pleasantly surprised to watch and hear my little man imitating the sounds on this DVD. Unlike his sister who is 3 years old, he has not been using words strung together. He says one word at a time with some trouble on certain sounds. Key sounds being reinforced in a fun way with puppets, songs, and rhymes seemed to have a great impact on him.

His older sister, my 6 year old happens to be autistic and has some problems with certain sounds, much like her younger brother. She also enjoyed copying the sounds during the run of the DVD. For parents of children with special needs, I highly recommend the Baby Einstein, Baby?s First Sounds DVD. It appeals to children who love simple scenes and repetition.

The DVD is divided into 13 scenes, each accompanied by a song, sonata, or quartet. Most of the classical music is Mozart which has been suggested to help with intelligence development. Music is enjoyed by nearly all children, regardless of the impact on their I.Q. and this DVD has plenty of it for them.

Four bonus features are included, including a sneak peek at another DVD, Einstein Pals.