Disney Junior is Fantastic

Ever since Hail was approximately six weeks old, he has liked the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoon. Whether it's the bright primary colors or the catchy, simple songs, he has always been drawn to it. There are many others that he doesn't seem to like as much. Handy Manny, the show that follows Mickey Mouse has also been a favorite because of the simple songs and bright colors. I also feel that it has something to do with the few Spanish words, the tone and sound is different and he is attracted to that.

On February 14th, the Disney Channel converted their toddler daytime programming from the Disney Playhouse to Disney Junior. With this switch, they also replaced a few cartoons with a few new ones and streamlined the airtime so that you are not watching back to back episodes of cartoons and the schedule is the same every day. This has been very helpful for a parent like me that keeps the cartoons on all day for auditory stimulation throughout the day. Before it became Disney Junior, the schedule would change every day as to what cartoon was on at which time and how many times. This caused confusion and chaos while trying to figure out a schedule.

Now, instead of breaking up cartoons with other little cartoons, there are educational fifteen minute shows such as "what is a poem", "three healthy steps", and "Mickey Mousekersize" where kids are encouraged to get up and follow along. A few other shorts also include things such as learning to clean up, picking out patterns, sharing and routines such as waking up and brushing your teeth.

Overall, I feel that the new layout of airtime is used much more effectively than it has been. The biggest downside has been so far is the elimination of Oo and Ah the monkey puppets that used to host the Playhouse. Hail really liked them.