Music and Your Baby
We are all familiar with the phrase “Music soothes the savage beast.” This is true of babies who may seem like savage beasts when they are in the midst of a crying fit. A soft lullaby can do wonders to calm a screaming baby down.
Giving your baby more music than just singing some lullabies is a great way to bond with your baby and can give her an early appreciation of music that will last a lifetime. There have been studies done that indicate that babies are pretty refined listeners. They understand patterns and sounds, and they can also tell when there is a change in rhythm and tempo. When you sing to your child, they are not just listening to the tune, she is looking into the face of someone that loves her very much while being cuddled and held.
There are a few things you can do in order to get your baby into the beat. The first is singing to her. The next thing you can do with your child is to dance with her. When a song you like is playing on the radio or TV, pick up your child and move to the music, and let him feel your enthusiasm for the song and dance.
You can play simple instruments and accompany the music with your baby. You can even use pots, pans, lids and other items from home to improvise instruments. Your baby will love seeing you bang away at your “drums” and will want to join in the celebration.
Imitate the sounds your baby makes too. They love to experiment with their voices as soon as they realize they have them, and you can have lots of fun imitating the sounds your baby is trying out on the world. No matter what you do with your baby, do it with joy and happiness, and baby will be infected with those feelings too.
Filed under: Learning Enrichment, Life at Home
