Why singing is soothing
Even if you don’t believe you have a good voice, singing to your baby can offer calming benefits ❤️
Even if you don’t like your own voice, singing to your baby can offer calming benefits ❤️
In a 2015 study, researchers from the University of Montreal discovered that babies remained calm twice as long when listening to a song as they did when listening to speech. Lullabies and other soothing songs may help your baby form neural pathways for calming down and falling asleep.
5 tips for singing to newborns
- Hold your baby against your chest so they can feel the vibrations you create as you sing. Your voice alone is familiar and soothing, and this adds another layer of comfort.
- Sing a few songs over and over again. You don’t need to know a lot of melodies to soothe your baby.
- Make up new words to favorite melodies. Try using the activity you’re engaged in for inspiration: if your baby is getting fussy as you change their diaper, try something like, “Diaper changing, diaper changing/nice and clean, nice and clean” to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?”
- Make it a daily ritual. Include singing in your baby’s routine, especially in the moments when you want your baby to wind down. Soon they’ll recognize this as a cue to calm down, which makes it easier to transition into sleep.
- Use singing to comfort. Singing can be particularly effective during car rides, doctor’s appointments, or when your baby doesn’t feel well ❤️
Learn more about the research
Corbeil, M., Trehub, S. E., & Peretz, I. (2016). Singing delays the onset of infant distress. Infancy, 21(3), 373-391.
Shenfield, T., Trehub, S. E., & Nakata, T. (2003). Maternal singing modulates infant arousal. Psychology of Music, 31(4), 365-375.
Looking for song ideas? Check out Lovevery’s Spotify page for lullabies, morning songs, dance tunes, and more.
Keep reading
0 - 3 Months
0 - 12 Weeks
3 - 4 Months
Essential newborn toys to add to your baby registry
Here are the newborn toy essentials to add to your baby registry that will support your baby’s development.
0 - 12 Weeks
3 - 4 Months
5 - 6 Months
0 - 12 Months
Our award-winning Play Gym just got an update—see what’s new
After numerous play studies, weeks of in-home testing, and thousands of customer surveys, we are excited to announce updates to our award-winning Play Gym, now designed with even more developmental support for your baby. So what’s different? Our updated Play Gym includes higher-contrast colors to encourage your baby’s developing vision, new plaything shapes and sizes … Continued
0 - 12 Weeks
What’s your baby’s brain working on at 7 weeks?
Parts of your baby's brain are about to experience a growth spurt. Learn 4 ways to encourage strong neural connections.