Are Lullabies Good For Babies?

Are Lullabies Good For Babies?

There’s no denying that lullabies are good for babies and the power that music has music on the human mind.  For generations, we have used music to influence our moods. Soothing music for meditation, loud dance music to pump up a crowd, the serenity of a hymn or psalm for spiritual purposes all effest us differently.

Music is a social connector, bringing humans together, stimulating our bodies to move, creating associations, helping shape everything from our memories to our personal sense of identity. All of this starts as babies

There is no more powerful musical tool for an infant than a lullaby.

• The soothing tone and the familiar voice of a parent or guardian can help a child of any age feel a sense of security and calm which will aid them in falling asleep.
• There are scientific links between music and the retention of knowledge, both in short- and long-term memory.
• By listening to lullabies and processing while asleep, babies can build linguistic and cognitive skills more easily.
• Words which are sung are more easily remembered than those spoken. 
• Babies who hear a lullaby at night are more likely to speak, dance, and even sing back more quickly.
• Lullabies help develop a bedtime routine as the child grows, something which will be important for sleep hygiene throughout their whole life.
• The reassurance of the lullaby routine makes it easier for a baby to consistently sleep at the same time and for a set length of time. This  ensuring they are getting regular and sufficient rest.

The act of singing a lullaby to an infant strengthens the emotional bond between guardian and child.

The soothing songs create a sense of trust and love to which babies are especially responsive. Setting time aside every night for a lullaby is also beneficial to the parents. It gives a few minutes of peace and calm daily where all they must focus on is bonding with their infant.

It is important both for parent and child to be present while singing the lullaby, enhancing their bond by truly being the sole focus in each other’s lives for the duration of the song.

Lullabies involve a lot of secondary and tertiary senses, especially for infants. As well as the sound of the song, there is the feeling of being rocked or cradled, the contact between parent and baby, the sight of the parent’s face.

These aid in sensory development which will boost the child for their lifetime.

It’s also important for parents to vary their songs in the lullaby routine, both for themselves and for the baby.

Singing the same song every night can create boredom or absent-mindedness. The most important part is staying actively involved in the night-time sleep process.

Lullabies, then, are not only good for babies, but an essential part of healthy cognitive, psychological, and social growth.

Music plays a key role in the human mind, and it is one of the greatest gifts a parent can share with their child.