Baby's First Steps in Italian [With 64 Pg Book and 16 Pg Lyric Sheet]

I purchased this for my son after he was born and he loves it! Whether in the car or the house, he always listens to it contently. I enjoy the fact that the speakers are native Italian. Since I listen to the CD a lot I have picked up several of the songs and rhymes. I chose one song that I have been singing to my baby since he was 2 months old (he's now 8 months) and it has become our "special" song. I don't expect my child to become fluent in Italian by only listening to this CD, but it is a fun way to expose him to a foreign language.

As a native Italian speaker I wanted to teach my son Italian but had difficulty finding music and books to support me. I was delighted to find that the CD had not only spoken words but songs and rhymes, many which I remember from my childhood. The book is wonderful because it gives tips on how to use the CD as well as a great deal of information about bilingual education. If you only buy one book or CD to teach your baby Italian, this is the one to get!!

This CD is a great way to introduce a baby to another language! I was really happy with it. You get a lot for your money. It is broken down into age groups newborn-6 mos, 6-12 mos, 12-18 mos, and 18-24 mos. Within each age group there is a mix of songs, rhymes, and parentese (kind of like when parents talk to their children in baby talk). They also have all different ages of people talking on the tape...older people, parents, and children...so baby gets to hear a mix of different voices. There is also segments to expose babies to consonant and double consonant sounds. It comes with lyrics in English and Italian. And it comes with a booklet to explain how babies learn a language. My son started listening to this CD a little later than the CD reccommends, at 13 mos, but he enjoys it. He dances to some of the songs.

My mother bought this for my 1 month old this past Christmas sort of as a joke because we are going on a family trip to Italy in May. I started playing it in the car and found that it really calms her when she gets antsy on our outings. I swear, she will be crying with no stopping in sight and I turn on this CD and she calms down and is usually asleep by song #3. I know all the words now and it is also helping me practice my pronunciation for our trip. I have started buying it for my friends as baby shower gifts.

I ordered this CD after hearing a neighbor's Spanish version. Actually, I liked the Spanish one so much I ordered this program in Italian, French and Spanish. Each CD is wonderful with recordings by people speaking in their NATIVE tongues (not English-speaking folks TRYING to get it right). Another thing I really like about these CDs is that the songs and rhymes are not translated from English, but are traditional Italian, French and Spanish works.