For whatever reason, both my kids love to watch Thomas the Tank Engine. Up until last year his face never moved and he could only roll his eyes. He also has a very checkered track record as he seems to always get into accidents (although luckily no one ever gets hurt). My boys love to look up Thomas online but the official site has a very limited number of videos to watch (and most are promos) so I turned to YouTube.

You have to be very careful playing Thomas videos on YouTube, since most of the videos are homemade mash-ups that might not be appropriate for young kids. I found Thomas songs mixed with Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, but I also found a great Thomas video set to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Using all the dark and spooky footage from Thomas, the video’s “editor” has mixed a story with Jackson’s classic song. The mash-up is less scary than Jackson’s original million-dollar music video and it’s a great way to teach your kids about eighties music. You may want to stop it  just before the end because there are some shots of zombies from Jackson’s video which could be a little frightening to your little ones.

When YouTube officially launched in November 2005 I don’t think the founders of the site intended it to be used as a future source of embarrassment. The purpose of the site was to share videos across the globe and it has done that, but it has also become a digital dumping ground for every parent who feels their kid is the cutest and most talented child ever. How many YouTube videos feature moppets singing and dancing their heads off to the latest pop hits?

Most of these children are adorable, but we all know what happens with kids: they turn into teenagers. Do you know any teenagers who would be happy that their parents posted a video of them singing Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” in their diapers? The smallest thing can mortify a teenager and once something is posted on YouTube it can live online forever. I’m not saying your little punkin’ isn’t cute dancing around to the Black Eyed Peas “Boom Boom Pow,” I’m just wondering if your child would want that video living in the digital world for the rest of their lives. Something to ponder before you post!

What do you think? If a video is funny enough, does it justify the possible humiliation of your teen-to-be? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

We’ve already discussed how YouTube is the greatest thing to happen to kid distraction since, I dunno, open flame? But the problem with YouTube is that sometimes videos aren’t what they seem, and you can start playing something for your child and end up RickRolled or worse.

Enter TotLOL - a juried video portal that uses parents to screen and categorize content that is appropriate for the younger set. Parents submit videos from YouTube that their kids enjoyed, and then a peer review group ensures that they’re good for the site. With hundreds of clips available, it’s Hulu for the diaper set. Great idea, but sadly the site is closing July 1. Check it out while you still can!

And parents, any suggestions for other sites that might fill the void?