My 18 month old daughter has been watching Bubble Guppies for a few months now, and I can't help but wish there were more episodes.  She is absolutely obsessed with this show!  We only record 4 shows for her, and this is by far her favorite.  If she's upset, Bubble Guppies calms her.  If she's tired, Bubble Guppies relaxes her.  If she's in a good mood, Bubble Guppies entertains her!  She says "Bubble!!" first thing in the morning and all throughout the day.  We have to limit her to 1 episode a day because we know she watches it at grandma's too!  The trouble is, I currently only have 11 episodes on DVR and I think there are only around 20 total.  She's fine with that - but we get bored of the same episodes.  I know, I know, kids like repetition, but us adults like some variety :)

So what is Bubble Guppies?  Bubble Guppies is honestly a very strange concept.  A group of underwater kids (with bodies like mermaids) go to school together and learn about the world around them.  Other underwater creatures like fish and crabs are also around in every episode.  Well, apparently they can explore space, farms, and all sorts of wild places even though they are underwater :)  Strange, right?  Each episode is really like a variety show.  The kids learn something at school, then during recess they go outside and play pretend scenarios to show what they have learned.  Then usually they end up on some kind of field trip to learn even more.  It reminds me of Sid the Science kid which has the same format.

Once you get past the strangeness, you'll see why this show really attracts my daughter.  It is bright, colorful and musical.  She LOVES music and this show does not disappoint.  The Bubble Guppies theme song gets stuck in my head and I find myself singing it to her throughout the day.  There are some common songs every episode like "It's time for lunch", and "Outside, Outside everybody outside!".  There's one song every episode that encourages the kids to do a dance and I try to help her dance along to it.  This is great for teaching kids to exercise.

Bubble Guppies isn't just about bright colors and music though, there is a lot of learning to be had.  The show seems to be aimed at pre-school, basically anytime your child is ready to start learning!  The lessons are usually pretty simple, so an older child may not find it as interesting.  Lessons include counting, colors, shapes and other basic concepts.  My daughter is totally tuned in and learning a lot.

I know some parents are against TV for kids under 2, but I totally disagree.  Yes you have to limit it to just a few shows a day, but if you choose the right shows your kids will be smarter for it!  Kids can learn much earlier than some parents give them credit for.  Just tonight my daughter was watching Bubble Guppies and when they showed different items on the screen she named them all.  Even my husband was impressed that she knew all those words and objects.  She didn't learn this all from TV, we read to her and teach her on our own a lot too, but the show helps reinforce the things she knows.  If you are going to allow your toddler to watch just a few TV shows a day, make this one of them and you won't regret it... but you might get a few songs stuck in your head ;)

Recommended: Yes

Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months