Songs for toddlers?

[Terrilein]

I'm not much for iTunes, but I was browsing music there for my now toddler (12 months) and I'm not finding anything I really like. Too much synthesizer music, or monotonous children's choirs. No real variety. Can anyone recommend a top 30 (50, 100) Toddler Song album? Or a playlist? Or something??? Thank you!

[hildare]

pandora radio has some awesome kids stations.  i have a friend who's into the lullaby versions of "cool" songs but i prefer the kid folk station. 

[Terrilein]

Pandora radio isn't available here anymore. Too bad.

[hildare]

oh no!!  big boo.

[parsley]

This is a little late but... 

We LOVE Laurie Berkner.   There are several albums.  We started with the "We Are the Dinosaurs" song and got hooked from there. 

We also enjoy Raffi's albums, classic folk (Pete Seeger, in particular) and some of the Sesame Street albums.  (Our favorite from that is "Songs from the Street"). 

We also have been taking Music Together classes for about a year and adore the songs on those albums.  I don't know if they are available without taking the classes though. 

[mndoulamom]

We love Elizabeth Mitchell.  You can Pandora her (If that makes sense, LOL) and you will get great folksy kid's stuff.  HTH.

[mamaboss]

I was about to suggest Elizabeth Mitchell! We love her! Fun to sing along to and doesn't get annoying if you hear it too much.

[SweetSilver]

I still love good, really old-fashioned rock'n'roll.  You just have to introduce "Rock Around the Clock" when they are still you enough to toss into the air and dip and all those fun things.  "A Child's Celebration of Rock'n'Roll" is our favorite collection, with original artists instead of insipid remakes.  Clear off the living room floor, crank the volume (just a little!) and get ready to rock out with your little one.  Sooooo much fun!

[kaliki_kila]

I'm an infant/toddler teacher so I have heard a lot of kid's music.  A lot of it is annoying and you have to dig to find the good stuff... Here are my favorite songs/albums:

Putumayo (Most of the Putumayo albums are great and adults enjoy them just as much as kids)  My favorites are European Playground, the Dreamland cd for naps/quiet time, and Sing Along with Putumayo.  They also have albums for adults and I really like the French Cafe one.

Charlotte Diamond's album 10 Carrot Diamond is not so bad.  It's not one of my favorites, but some teachers really like her.

I love Elizabeth Mitchell.  You Are My Little Bird is my favorite album and I also like You Are My Sunshine.  She has another one out that I haven't listened to.

Greg & Steve - any of their albums are great.

Another of my favorite naptime albums is called It's Nap Time.  The music is hauntingly beautiful.

The John and David cd Chicka Boom Boom and Other Coconutty Songs has great dancing music - especially Helicopter Man and Merry-Go-Round.

Anything by Raffi

Ella Jenkins

Hap Palmer's Babysong cd has cute music for babies/toddlers

The kids really like to country dance to Turkey in the Straw or Bling Blang (Putumayo cd).  I had a baby in on of my classrooms who LOVED the Bling Blang song.  Her whole face would just light up and she would "dance" when we played that one.

Jim Gill Sings Do Re Me on His Toe Leg Knee - my kids like to stretch to the song My Ups and Downs and then we spin around to Spin Again or we march to The Tempo Marches On.  There are lots of marching songs you can find for kids and they love just marching in circles, sometimes waving a scarf or shaking a maraca or tambourine.

A-ram-sam-sam and Sticky Bubblegum (good motion songs if you know the hand movements)

Colors All Around by Hap Palmer (Love this one!)

Walk

Freeze Dance

Slippery Fish (we get out puppets and act this song out with the fish puppet, octopus, shark)

We're Going on a Bear Hunt (You can act out the song with the kids and they can crawl under a table to go in the bear cave, etc.  I get a big teddy bear at the end of the song and pretend to chase them around with the bear and they love it)

Hope this helps!

[BeachLove]

My DD loves the ABC and 123 They Might Be Giants albums.

Also, "For the Kids" is a compilation with a bunch of contemporary artists doing kid-friendly songs.

Jack Johnson's Curious George soundtrack is another big winner in our household.

Of course, my DD also LOVES the Grateful Dead and Norah Jones (the Fall).