BABY EINSTEIN:BABY NEPTUNE REFRESH - DVD Movie

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This feature of the video is confusing to many parents of potential viewers. Will the video teach junior to speak one of the foreign languages on the tape? Not exactly. Will it make junior a little Einstein? Not exactly. What good is it, then?

What the video DOES do is help the mind preserve many of the nerve synapses in the brain which would otherwise be destroyed as the infant matures into a toddler.

Imagine a Bonsai tree, of which some of its miniature limbs and branches are trimmed because they are not useful to the tree as a whole. The body does the same thing to unused mental synapses sometime around the first and second years of life. And they don't grow back.

Now think about all the funny comedy scenarios you've seen where a Japanese tourist says something like, "Herro, I'm rooking for Horrywood, Carifornia." Why do his Ls sound like Rs? Because there is NO "R" sound (phoneme) in the Japanese language. And because our tourist never heard that sound in his infancy, he cannot now, as an adult, discern it from the phonemically-similar "L" sound.

Infants hearing a variety of phonemes foreign to English-speaking people at this young age will preserve the synapses that are sensitized (from birth) to these sounds. And this video does just that.

So while the video will not teach junior the foreign language, if he tries to learn the language later, he will have an easier time of it, because he will be sensitized to that language's sounds. And while junior perhaps will not be an Einstein for watching, he will come away from the experience with more synapses in his brain than had he not watched.

Also be aware that none of this is pop psychology -- it is well-researched and tested fact, taught in most undergraduate and graduate psychology, speech and linguistics classes today (See the producer's Web site for details).

Finally, as other reviewers have said better than I have, the video is a lot of fun for you and junior to watch together! And perhaps THAT is the selling point for prospective parents who want the best for their little ones.

49 of 52 found the following review helpful:

Good...but not Julie's greatest accomplishment.Apr 07, 2003

Okay...I must admit that my son is a Baby Einstein junkie! He was very fussy until he was three-months-old and Baby Bach was literally the only thing that saved my sanity on some days. Now that he is past the one-year milestone, he has the entire Baby Einstein library. He particularly loves the Baby Dolittle tapes and will watch them again and again.

We were happy to see a new title to add to our collection and waited patiently for the release date. I must say, I am a bit disappointed overall.

First, the video seems a lot shorter than the other ones. Maybe it's because I bought the DVD this time and am used to the "commercial" at the end of the tapes. My son insists on watching through to the "commercial" on the tapes, as even they hold his attention.

Second, the fast editing is more MTV than Baby Einstein. Our children have dwindling attention spans as it is. Disney's hands are ALL OVER this video. If you watch the Disney Channel, it's the same feeling. More substance and less flash would do this video good. Also, Baby Neptune lacks the panache of, say, Vincent Van Goat (Baby Van Gogh) or Jane (World Animals).

Last, it just didn't seem to hold my son's attention like other Baby Einstein titles. Starting with Baby Beethoven, the new voice at Disney seems to have disturbed the organic quality of the original tapes. To be honest, I miss Sierra and Aspen on this tape. It helped with the "from my house to yours" feel of previous titles. The puppets also seem to be lacking in this video. The interaction of the puppets with other puppets or the children is charming on previous videos.

On a positive note, I recommend the DVD for the repeat play feature if for nothing else. I don't stick my child in front of these tapes for hours at a time, but we often have them on in the background when we are playing together. Still, when you need a video babysitter to get the dishes done, having this option is a lifesaver!

I look forward to the Little Einstein series in the works for older children. I think these tapes will be a touchstone for my child's generation, much like "School House Rock" or "Free To Be You And Me" was for mine.

52 of 57 found the following review helpful:

An educated parent's $.02Aug 14, 2000

I had to add my input after reading all the reviews, positive and negative. This video does indeed appear "homemade." However, the creator (Julie Clark) and her husband, who does all the video, have gotten progressively more sophisticated with each video, although I would not recommend any of the Baby _____ videos for their video quality. Regardless, they are captivating to young babies. My six month old son has been watching all three, Einstein, Mozart and Bach since he was one month old. I was very dubious regarding the claims that they would interest a baby this young. He reacted with delight then, and continues to enjoy them all. He has just started watching Baby Shakespeare which seems to be his favorite, so don't be afraid to start your baby early on this one. I would suggest if your baby doesn't take to it the first time, give it a second try. You can get all the adult opinions you want, but really, it's how your baby reacts that counts! It's been designed to appeal to babies and their view of the world.

14 of 14 found the following review helpful:

Pleased with EinsteinAug 22, 2001

My son of 18 months has been watching these videos since he was 2 months old. At that young age, the music kept him content. We have the entire series and he has enjoyed every video. Now that he's a little older he especially likes the Shakespeare and Van Gogh videos. He laughs at the puppets and enjoys watching the children in the videos. These two videos are especially colorful and artistic. We recently purchased the newest Baby Dolittle video and found our last trip to the zoo to be even more enjoyable as he pointed out animals he recognized from the video.

We look forward to the next Baby Einstein video!!

14 of 14 found the following review helpful:

Neptune alot of funMar 19, 2003
By Jackie
Picked up Baby Neptune DVD on the March 18 "release date" - early 1st birthday present for my daughter (she was reaching for Enimem's '8 Mile' but a little too young for that). As she was having a fussy spell when we got home, we immediately put it in and watched her grin ear to ear when she saw/heard the Einstein bug coming! Definately for the 9+ month old child as Baby Einstein suggests ... but extremely cute. We are big fans of the new Baby Beethoven DVD - but Neptune is a great one too, also more educational. My husband and I previewed it with my daughter over dinner, and were totally amazed by the footage of the marine life (we are both scuba divers). Cute turtle and octopus puppets as usual and for those who don't like the videos with Julie Aigner's kids (why I am not sure), as far as I saw, they're not in Neptune. There are more chances than ever to teach toddlers things in this one too, its one that is enjoyable to watch with your baby - the marine life is fascinating - very clear photography. Only downside was the DVD menu that plays the same song over and over, which will drive a parent nuts. The bonus material has an "aquarium" of a white haired scuba diver feeding fish and closeups of marine life which was really cute too ... more teachable moments (lobster, underside of an octopus, sea horses, things I never get to see diving!!) and other great animal footage!! I have loved Baby Einstein products since my daughter first watched them at 4 weeks old, and I think toddlers will enjoy Neptune a lot. Great way to teach them to appreciate marine life they may not get to see until they are older.

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