Before You Buy a Kids Music CD Consider These Things

Does your child love this artist? Talk to him about why he wants the album. Do you want over half of the songs on the CD? If not, check out one of the many download services and download the songs you want for around $1 each. But pay attention! Some of the download sites don't allow you to burn the music to a CD or charge extra for burnable music, and some sites are only subscription services where the music 'times out' after a certain amount of time.

Know your child's personality. Do you think he will only listen to the CD for a few days? Consider whether he needs to wait until he can buy it himself. If your child is about to outgrow Barney, consider buying something a little more advanced.

Is the music age-appropriate? You can talk to other parents or do some online research. Are there objectionable lyrics or themes? There are online sites that can give you a good idea of these things even if you don't know the music yet. Then you can make an educated decision on whether this music is appropriate for your child.

Your child may be playing this CD for months. Even if you buy him headphones he will probably be singing it. Can you live with the annoyance level of this artist? If the artist is more than you can stand but your child really wants it maybe you could give it to him as he's on the way to visit Grandma?