When Audrey was born, I vowed that I wouldn’t succumb to the idea that you had to have a slew special “kid stuff"… Truth be told, I think most kid necessities are just ploys to get people to buy more things they don’t really need. But that's just me.Don’t get me wrong, we bought baby things -- a crib, a nice rocking chair, a lovely high chair. I buy toys and clothes for the girlies + loads of kid's books, trying to be mindful of quality and giving anything handmade bonus points... But there are entire categories of things that really don’t need “kid” versions in my opinion. Specifically I get irked about “kid food” -- Once the girlies started eating solids, they ate mostly (I do have some picky girlies) what we ate, just simplified and mashed up (but I have an whole entire other blog about this topic, so I won’t bore you with that here) and “kid décor” – I'm a big believer that you can decorate an entire nursery from Urban Outfitters to great effect and still have a useful room when your kiddo is five…
But perhaps my greatest peeve is “kid music.” In fact I once wrote an entire post about this topic on Design Mom, and I stand by my original statement that music was an ever-present aspect of my own childhood and “kid music” was never part of my parent’s MO. To them, all music was kid music. We listened to what they listened to and loved every minute of it.
There are a few exceptions -- the great Dan Zanes and Elizabeth Mitchell are examples of the kid music genre that manage to break through our otherwise air tight fortress of The Beatles, Vampire Weekend, Sondre Lerche and The Ting Tings (our girlies current faves.) And we’ve recently found another anomaly in Laughing Tree’s new collection of lullabies, which is totally mellow and lovely -- perfect for when we're gearing things down for bedtime.
Now for the giveaway...(were you wondering when that would come ;-)
Laughing Tree has kindly given me two CDs to give away to my readers. Just leave a comment on this post by Sunday, November 8th at 6pm CT and I’ll announce the winners on Monday!
p.s. -- Laughing Tree also donates 10% of the profits of the CD sales to the work of Sweet Sleep, an organization that build beds for some of the world's poorest children in places like Moldova, Uganda and Haiti. ) V. cool, no?
63 comments:
I loved this post and completely agree. I love hearing my 6 year old daughter sing songs by Cat Stevens, Feist, The Innocence Mission, etc.
Thanks for a great giveaway. I would love this CD.
I would love to give this to my sister/new nephew... he's only 3 weeks old, but loves the music his mobile plays and falls asleep easier and faster with it on... which is hard right now seeing that he is in NICU, but he gets his sleep in especially with some music in the background, so something like this would be prefect for when he comes home!
can't wait to hear this CD!
Oh lovely! What a fantastic giveaway! I completely agree with you on all the kid stuff although I do have an adorable childs eucalyptis coatrack siting in my hope chest. :)
How I wish my sister subscribed to your beliefs regarding "kid music". Her daughters, my four-year-old twin nieces, idolize The Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana and listen to kid CDs in the car. Thinking about it just makes me cringe.
Ooh I would love this.
I totally am with you. I swear Z loves Wilco because she is totally chill when I play anything. She's only 8-month-old, so who knows.
I agree - my children are going to grow up hearing opera - non of this raffi stuff.
I'm so with you on the kid music thing- my husband grew up on "wee sing silly songs" but I grew up on Jimi Hendrix, Chicago, The Beatles and all kinds of good stuff. Although High School Musical has infiltrated my 9 yr. old's world we still stick to the oldies but goodies.
Yay for good music!!
Well said! We've had a loose "no batteries" rule for years and as a result, my kids think toys are anything they can imagine into a good time.
Great philosophy regarding the music, as well. Something I could definitely pursue more.
Cheers!
How fabulous! I have a feeling my sister and my brand new nephew would love this album.
Sounds wonderful! We listen to lots of Elizabeth Mitchell at our house too... so wonderful.
I agree with you about "kid" music. Right now, the crumb's favorite cd is Gypsy Kings. Love it!
we've got our baby on a bob marley heavy rotation right now. although she is also quite a fan of amy winehouse, architecture in helsinki and any band that happens to be on 'yo gabba gabba.'
some nice lullabies that don't sound like the murder of classical music would be nice :-)
I mostly agree with you-- kid music can be so annoying! (I'm thinking of my nephew here, and his Wiggles obsession...) BUT, my boyfriend and I don't have kids and we both love (as in LOVE) the They Might Be Giants kids album-- Here Come the 123's. It's seriously genius!
my childhood too is largely defined by the music i listened to growing up... mainly my mom's and older sister's. yes, there is a time for lullabies, but also a time to learn about good music and to build memories linked with the era in which one is growing up.
sk -- yep there definitely are exceptions (and they usually occur with great musicians and "kids" music come together). they might be giants for sure rock.
ooh, you sold me. now can i have it for free?
xo
what a great gift!
I shall second your peeve on 'kid music'!! Love that your girls love the Tings Tings, that's super cute!! :)
thea.
xx
(www.forthevisionaries.tumblr.com)
Although I don't have kids, I'd have to say, I totally agree with you about the kids music thing! Big pet peeve of mine.
I totally agree with all you said. I haven't heard of Laughing Tree and would love to have on of their CDs.
Thanks for the give away and blog.
I love giveaways! My first tape was from when I was 5. The artist was Ralphie!
i didn't realize you had a whole nother blog!
oh how perfect! i feel the same way about "kid" things vs. adult things, but this music is just awesome. perfect for bedtime.
I would love to give it a listen!
I've been looking for something like this!
my kids go cuckoo for music...any kind.
I completely agree, though I loved Pete Seeger's songs for children as a kid, and play them for my baby now.
oh my goodness. this giveaway is sweet! i'd love to win!
This sounds great! My guys were picking up on some themes I would rather them not, so we swung back to some kid music but tried to stay with bands like They Might Be Giants (love them) and the Sippy Cups, so we're always up for more good kids' music that doesn't leave mommy to explain things she'd rather not!
We'd love this!
looking for a good lullaby.
oh i would SO love this cd - just discovered Elizabeth Mitchell last week and its been on the ipod continuosly ever since.. my 11 month old loves to dance to Hey Bo Diddley, and so does her mum!
my daughters would love this prize, they love to dance, whether the music is fast or slow.
Sign me up :)
My sweet girl would love new music!
what a great giveaway!
i'm totally on board with this idea. "kid" music growing up was Sweet Baby James, the Monkees and the Beatles, and in the 80's, a well-worn Footloose cassette. =)
I grew up the same way! We never had special kid music, we just listened to what was on the radio, and the radio was ALWAYS on in the kitchen. Any time I hear Fleetwood Mac or the Eagles, I totally think of times in the kitchen when I was a kid.
It's funny to hear my kids singing along to Maroon 5 but they also enjoy Laurie Berkner and Audra Rox. Oh, and they love Michael Buble.
I Agree w/ you 100%! earoman1011@gmail.com
I love your blog....it gives me great ideas. Thank you!
Thanks for the amazing giveaway! Beautiful music!
~Emily
I collect all kinds of music, but especially GOOD kid's music. I'd love to win that CD.
Agreed -- my son is partial to the Beatles, as are his parents!
I grew up listening to The Beatles, also and they continue to be my favorite.
Two of my best friends are having babies this month and this would be such a great gift for them!
Thanks for the giveaway
Before kids my husband and I vowed that listening to anything as simple as "kids music" is a crime to a childs development. We are both huge music people. BBBBBUT we just went to a birthday party and as a party favor we were given a "kids CD" {AAAHHH!}... So for a laugh we put it in on the way home. Within about 20 seconds of the song our 15 month old was singing, clapping & smiling with excitment. Needless to say we haven't backed down and still fill our {TV-less} home with Jeff Buckley, Iron & Wine and all my French goodies BUT we probably won't throw away our one and only "kid's CD" {WINK}... love the post.
Have been declining to consume "kid" stuff for 12+ years now, and am very much in line with your sensibility (though as my children get older and become exposed to music through their friends, it becomes more difficult to control, but at least they still know and love Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughn, and De La Soul and Eric B. and Rakim and of course the Beatles, etc. etc.!). That said, we do own a "kids" cd that I resisted buying for a number of years, even though I quite like their music. They are Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band. They are local to my area (Princeton, NJ), so we are fortunate to have them play at a number of community events. They've got 3 cd's out, but my favorite is the first -- "One". Be warned: this stuff really sticks in your head. We sometimes find ourselves singing or humming these tunes on our way to work, with no kids in sight.
Lovely! Count me in!
couldn't agree more! (:
i play everything but kids music for my babe and sing to her songs i enjoy with depth and range instead of songs that make me feel fake and 3.
great giveaway -- thanks for the lovely blog!
though having kids are a long way into my future, i have to agree with you!
I am so with you on the non-necessary kiddie versions of things. Our first little one is due in Feb 7th, but I would love to win this music! I need to get over and read your food blog b/c I am afraid of the chicken nuggets in my near future :)
Mostly agree Jos, but I do find the Putumayo Kids Dreamland - World Lullabies great for me (even sans kids) at the end of the day. Soothing songs from around the world. And the kids love to dance to some French "kids" music grandma gave them. (But they also like Sting!)
love your philosophy. expecting my first baby march 4th. will have to check this one out if i don't win!
kids are so much wiser than people give them credit for. my favourite book is le petit prince which is always in the children's book but is an absolute gem of philosophy & life.
music, words....
We agree with your sentiment, less is more in so many ways. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
I would love to win this for my daughter. She is only 6 weeks old now, and I play Coldplay & Beirut to settle her down. :)
I would love to give this CD to my 1 year-old niece, Olivia Grace, who lives far, far away from me.
Auntie - Baltimore
See?
Olivia - New Orleans
I wholeheartedly agree!
I know I'm too late for the giveaway, but I'm actually writing to ask about the highchair you mentioned. I'm having an awful time choosing one, and it sounds like you're still happy with the choice you made some time ago. Which one did you choose?
Thanks!
Hi Anna
We got a Sven high chair and we loved it for both girlies. it's now safely tucked away in the attic for future generations ;-)
Post a Comment