Editors Best of 2009: The coolest books, music, and DVDs for kids
If there’s one thing our kids’ rooms have in common, it’s very packed bookshelves. Here are some of our favorite books, music and DVDs to help educate, inspire, and just keep kids cool.
Kristen: Thanks to The Double Daring Book for Girls, I know how to build a raft. And so does my 5-year-old. An absolute must-have addition to any kid’s library.
Liz: I love the original Poetry Speaks to Children book/DVD combo and now I love Hip Hop Speaks to Children. It may give you a whole new appreciation of what can be a very moving art form.
Kristen: My kids listened to Recess Monkey’s Field Trip CD so much that we had to go buy another one. Even though we’ve been jamming to it since its release earlier this year, it still hasn’t gotten old.
Liz: When we’re in the car, I kind of hope my kids ask for the Lunch Money CD, Dizzy. The music is lovely and mellow, and the lyrics to It Only Takes One Night to Make a Balloon Your Friend are as close to perfection as it gets.
Liz: This year, Sesame Street turned 40 and released Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days. While a full-on feature is on the docket for the new year, we’d be remiss if we didn’t include it here. It’s just a fabulous compilation, one that will bring back memories for parents and create new ones for kids, all in the very same episodes. (Available from our affiliate Amazon.)
I never thought twice about diapering my son with the eco-not-so-conscious disposable diaper. I have to admit, I thought that cloth diapers were still big cotton towels that required safety pins, manual dexterity, and a whole lot of free time.
Don’t get any sick ideas, dear readers. We’ve all seen our share of those softies and we certainly don’t need a stuffed one of THOSE laying around the house. 
When my 3 year old was a newborn we planned a trip to Europe and before I could say auf viedersehn, my brain pictured all the filthy traveling potties we would encounter while changing her diaper.