Exercise with Daddy & Me

Why do fathers look so awkward holding their squirmy offspring? Although this tape doesn't mention it, I think the reason is fairly obvious. Nature, in its infinite wisdom, did not shape babies like balls (football, basketball, baseball), which is probably good: no mother would want to hear "honey, I threw the baby..." However, babies do make good natural weights for bicep curls, not to mention hamstring stretches, and working those abdominals (dad's, not junior's). Created and hosted by Corinne L. Becker, a registered nurse, and her husband Scott, a pediatrician, Exercise with Daddy & Me is a decidedly strange amalgamation: there's the workout (which isn't strenuous enough to really be called a workout), Ms. Becker's interviews with healthcare professionals (including a weirdly formal interview with her husband--these people have three children, for pete's sake), and the usual exciting experiments with the English language which spice up otherwise dull exercise videos ("we're going to transition baby to the floor.") There's also a brief massage segment (fathers should "ask baby if it's okay to massage," although the program doesn't elaborate on how to interpret baby's response or, more likely, lack of response), and some advice to sing to babies in the womb (to "nourish the soul"). The program concludes with a long segment featuring fathers discussing bonding, what wonderful superwomen mothers are, the lack of time for sex, etc. While some of the discussion, advice, and even exercises (which do encourage father-offspring bonding) seem quite sound, the program is rather scattershot, attempting to cover too many topics in too little time. However, its intentions are good and the price is right, so this is a strong optional purchase for larger collections. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)