Educational Media Reviews Online

Baby on Board is a series of parenting DVDs originally broadcast on the Irish television network, RTE. Public health nurse and trained midwife Gráinne Ryan, tackles common concerns and problem areas for new and expectant parents. The case studies and series titles include: Birth; Home Birth and Alternative Medicine; Newborns; Infants with Disabilities; Sleep; Behavior Development; and Nutrition and Diet. The program titles are self-explanatory for the most part, with the Infants with Disabilities program focusing on Down syndrome. While the series takes place in Ireland, the medical, behavioral, and social aspects of parenting that are addressed are universal, and won’t be a problem for U.S. audiences.

Produced in an educational reality format, Baby on Board is reminiscent of the ABC series SuperNanny, the difference being that each program of Baby on Board concentrates on a particular developmental topic. Ms Ryan visits parents in their homes and helps guide them through the issue at hand. The series is very well done, with clear, direct explanations of the major issues. Since it is made for television, there are breaks for commercials, but they won’t be distracting for classroom use, and can be good stopping points for group discussion. The families are genuine and likeable, and Ms Ryan is an engaging host.

Each program involves one or two families, or case studies. In an academic library collection, they will be most useful for supporting nursing classes and provide an inside glimpse at the role of a public health nurse. They will also be good additions to public libraries with parenting collections. The reality format is familiar and accessible for most audiences. Since they were produced for Irish television, there are strong Irish accents and jargon used, but it doesn’t detract from the content in any way. Recommended.