I love the CDs like Baby Einstein, Baby Mozart and Baby Beethoven. I like them most because I’m a huge fan of classical, but also because I love music in general. The idea of catering music specifically to babies is not new. Parents have been singing to their babies for years. But there are studies that have shown that newborns and babies that listen to classical music have less stress and also appear to stay healthy.
Adding music to your baby’s routine is far from difficult. You probably like listening to music already. You were listening to music while they were in the womb. What’s funny is some songs will even stand out for children if they’ve heard them often enough. The theme song to my favorite television show attracts my daughter whenever she hears it. Even as a toddler, she turned from whatever she was doing when that piece of music played.
So, make sure you are giving your baby a musical education. No, you don’t have to take them to class. In fact, it’s just as simple to sing to them. Whether you can carry a tune in a bucket with the lid welded on or not is irrelevant. Your baby will love to hear your voice singing to them. Most babies listen longer to a song than they do to you just talking.
Don’t feel like singing? Drop a CD in and let it play while the two of you are together whether it’s feeding time, soothing time or just awake and play time. While there is no evidence at this point that listening to music early on will make your baby smarter, it will stimulate them. Rhythms, chants, melodies, dancing and singing will make them happy, encourage activity and let both of you have a lot of fun.
So whether you prefer Puccini to Bach or Air Supply to INXS or frankly you could really get down to some old Hank Williams and Buddy Holly tunes, music is a great way to bond, educate and indulge your baby. So start that stimulation today and sing a little song with them.