Lullaby wonders for a happy baby
In a New World full of ringtones, words and radios, it is a treat for baby to hear beautiful music, hand-crafted especially for them. Your baby deserves the very best music to herald the start of life and also loves to hear the music of your heart as you sing to him.
Every parent builds a collection of handy songs to inject joy into tired moments or to ease routine changes but no song is more vital than a lullaby! Lullabies, with their calm and simple melodies, can become a precious part of your baby’s sleep routine. These precious melodies often stay with baby throughout her childhood, enabling her to relax and prepare for a good sleep. In those tired hours (when is a new parent not tired?!), why not just use your humming voice, rather than worry about the lyrics? Babies find this incredibly soothing and some have even been known to join in! There is a belief that this humming is reminiscent of the womb experience for baby.
Singing to calm a child is a very natural response for many parents, but it’s great to know that academics have put a strong stamp of approval on it too! In a study at Great Ormond Street Hospital (October 2013) researchers discovered significant decrease in heart rate and pain levelĀ for children at the end of a short lullaby session, as opposed to being read to or left alone. GOSH music specialist Dr Nick Pickett, who led the study, commented:
Parents have been singing to their children for thousands of years and they have always instinctively known that it helps their children to relax-but it’s exciting to have scientific evidence that lullabies offer genuine health benefits for the child.
With so many lullabies to enjoy with your baby, all that is left to do is discover your favourite and let it work it’s soporific wonders.
Now, in the name of research, I might just go and have a little lie down.