I love good music. I started playing violin at the age of 5, and have been surrounded by music all of my life.
Unfortunately, that has made it hard to find good children’s CDs that are tolerable for more than a song or two. A lot of the CDs that we tried from the library had sub-par singers, boring keyboard tracks layered with synthesized strings or wind instruments, and sometimes they were downright out of tune. Many were terribly off-beat, or were so repetitive I wanted to scream. This started me on my quest to find high-quality children’s CDs that entertained my toddler while still not making me want to tear my ears off.
Here is a list of the Cincinnati Moms Blog team’s favorite tried-&-true children’s CDs:
At Last: Love Songs & Lullabies by Beth McDonald
“This CD has some classic lullabies, including “La La Lu” from Lady & the Tramp and “Baby Mine” from Dumbo. Beth’s voice is soft and pretty, and the CD is full of soothing and jazzy piano tracks”. -Chrissy
Children’s Songs – A Collection of Childhood Favorites by Susie Tallman & Friends
“This is our favorite CD. The musicianship is great – there are lots of different instruments, and there are even some fiddle solos, which I of course love. Our favorite tracks are I’ve Been Working On the Railroad, Five Little Speckled Frogs, She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain, and If You’re Happy and You Know It”. – Chrissy
Here I Am to Worship by VeggieTales
“This is my three-year-old’s favorite worship CD as it has a mixture of the cartoon voices and well-known artists singing the songs. He asks “Mama, we listen to my music peas (please)?” All the songs are “adult” worship songs, and they offer some good conversation topics, like “I Can Only Imagine” is great for starting the conversation about what Heaven will be like”. -Casey
Jazz for Kids
“My kid is obsessed with Guided by Voices. We also are into Jazz for Kids”. -Kelli
Singin’ in the Bathtub by John Lithgow
“We love Singin’ in the Bathtub by John Lithgow. The songs are perfectly silly for kids and fun for parents to listen to as well. There are a couple of songs that are really interactive for kids and will make parents smile”. -Jesika
Dance in the Rain by Meredith Rae
“It’s not the typical kids CD so it’s fun for parents to listen to as well. Plus, it is fun to dance to which is very important”. -Sarah
Here Come the 123s by They Might Be Giants
“They Might Be Giants have a few kids’ albums, and they are all quite excellent. The songs themselves are a lot of fun and they’re really catchy. While meant for kids, the songs aren’t overly simplistic or stupid. They’re really quite intelligent and clever. Not only does this album help foster familiarity with numbers, but it is jam packed with different concepts and ideas. It’s the sort of album that I can put on without my kid around, and I don’t feel weird about it. Their albums on science and the ABCs are just as good, but this one is a great place to start”. -David