Did you know that lullabies were found to improve oxygen saturation in preterm babies? Not only does it have positive benefits for preterm babies, but for those of all ages too.
In this article, you’ll learn how lullabies work and how they get your little ones to sleep. Read on to discover why you don’t want to miss out on having lullabies for your child.
How to Sing a Lullaby
Whether you’re wanting to sing your child a lullaby or play relaxing lullabies for your child, the benefits are endless.
Make sure to:
- Keep the lullaby simple and using a soft voice
- Make it the last part of your evening routine
- Turn the song off once your child is asleep
- You can rock your baby while playing the lullaby
If you don’t feel comfortable singing, there are relaxing lullabies out there that are ideal for your child.
1. Stronger Bond Between Parent and Child
Oxytocin the hormone of love, the chemical that’s released during breastfeeding, is also released during singing. Make sure that the lullaby is intentionally sung for the full effect.
2. Establishes a Routine
Having good lullabies helps establish a bedtime routine for your child.
Singing lullabies can:
- Help cognitive development
- Help language
- Improves attention span and memory
- Can decrease anxiety and stress
- Can learn days of the week
- Your child can learn lullabies from around the world
When you have a routine, this will make bedtime easier since it’s known that sleep occurs at the end of the routine.
3. Regulates Emotions
Music is known to help regulate emotions for both children and adults. If your child wakes up in the middle of the night, a lullaby can soothe them and help them go back to sleep.
4. Builds Confidence
Before a child goes to sleep they can feel nervous about total silence and having to fall asleep. When you sing to your child, you’re relaxing them and making them more likely to have the confidence to fall asleep.
5. Helps Speech and Language
When you’re singing a lullaby, it’s repeating the same patterns which will lead to your child recognizing those patterns which just talking doesn’t do. Hearing these rhymes they can pick up on different words in the song as well.
6. Improves Memory
Music improves memory for children and adults alike. A study that was performed by Trehub and colleagues, proves that babies can listen to a recording and match them with videos of people singing, even with the sound off.
This shows that babies are connected to music and can potentially recognize adults in their life as well. Since some children start singing before speaking, it can help children learn a language.
This also shows that lullabies could help babies focus attention and regulate emotion. A baby with regulated emotions means a happier baby and essentially means less stress overall. Voice is powerful especially for babies because they’ll recognize the voice of someone before a face.
7. More Calming Than Speech
The study by Trehub shows that babies are calmer from a song than speech. Babies were put in a stressful situation, a room with no people or stimulation. The babies listened to audios of just speech and then also singing.
It showed babies who listened to singing stayed calm twice as long as those who listened to speech. They used an unfamiliar voice in the tapes, but it was still keeping the babies engaged.
The first time they did the study, they had French babies listen to Turkish. When they switched to French audio it had the same results that singing made them calmer than speech.
8. Great for All Ages
Whether your child is 5 or not even born yet, lullabies are great for all ages. It has been found that babies at 16 weeks respond to music that’s played for them while they’re in the womb. This might show that babies have an interest in music no matter their age.
Lullabies to Sing
Whether you’re looking for pre-recorded lullabies or ones to sing there are many great songs out there for children and babies alike:
Rock-a-bye-baby
Rock-a-bye-baby in the treetop
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all
Baby Mine
Baby mine don’t you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine.
If they knew all about you
They’d end up loving you too
All those same people who scold you
What they’d give just for
The chance to hold you.
From your head to your toes
You’re not much, goodness knows
But you’re so precious to me
Sweet as can be, baby of mine.
Hush, Little Baby
Hush little baby don’t say a word
Momma’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird won’t sing,
Momma’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Momma’s gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke
Momma’s gonna buy you a billy goat
And if that billy goat won’t pull,
Momma’s gonna buy you a cart and bull
And if that cart and bull fall down,
You’ll still be the sweetest baby in town.
The Many Benefits of Lullabies
Lullabies are incredibly beneficial and rewarding no matter your child’s age. Are you ready to introduce your child to the benefits of lullabies?
Check out our baby lullaby songs, so you know your child will rest easy and relaxed.
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