Benefits of music for your baby
Whether you sing lullabies to your baby, play a classical music CD in the nursery or crank up your own favorite tunes on the radio, research shows that introducing your baby to music has long-term developmental benefits.
In a 2013 study in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found that live music and lullabies can improve a premature baby’s vital signs while fostering parent-child bonding. Singing lullabies to these fragile infants also helps ease Mommy and Daddy’s stress during this difficult time.
Similarly, investigators from McMaster University in Canada reported that 6-month-old babies who were placed in a participatory music class (like Kindermusik®, Music Together®, or Gymboree® classes) boasted superior communicative gestures and social behavior compared to babies not experiencing the music class.
Music also improves cognitive skills, teaching even young children about patterns and sequencing, counting, body awareness, and memory. In one study, babies as young as 8 months old recognized snippets of a song two weeks after hearing the song. In another study that compared cognitive skills of children who had music training versus those who didn’t, the kids who had musical training performed better on some tests of understanding and thinking skills. The researchers said this was likely due to the music classes.
Music Helps Babies Learn Emotion
Music can also help babies—who don’t have the language skills to express their emotions—describe how they’re feeling. In fact, in a 2008 study, even 5-month-old babies were able to differentiate between happy and sad music.
To help your baby experience the powerful benefits of music, try some of these strategies:
- Play music when your baby is experiencing stress—at naptime or bedtime, on your way to daycare or any time your baby needs help calming down.
- Let your little one play with instruments—everything from maracas and tambourines to dry beans inside a tightly closed water bottle—will help show cause and effect (shaking the bottle causes it to make noise).
- Sing songs that incorporate hand gestures, such as “The Wheels on the Bus” to help babies learn hand control.
Takeaways
- Music can help calm a child at bedtime or in stressful situations.
- Infants and toddlers can benefit from playing with instruments and noisemakers.
- Everything from simple lullabies to structured music classes plays a big role in a child’s development.
- Sing! It is good for your baby and for you.
great article. music is such an important medium in encouraging creativity and fostering intelligence
Thank you!
I definitely feel that music changes the mood in our house especially when my 4 month old starts to get fussy. I’ll put on classic music and it calms her down, including the rest of the family!
Absolutely! And when she becomes a toddler music can be used to shake out some energy before bedtime!
Music has always played such an important part of my life…want to pass that down to my child from early on.
Sharing music with a child is a real ‘I love you’ ritual!
I definitely think it calms babies. My son loves music, especially the Beatles!!
Isn’t it fun to see what tunes babies like? My son was calmed by Norah Jones in those first few months!
Both my boys LOVE music. Every time they’re in the playroom the CD player is turned on to Laurie Berkner, some CD they got from bible study, or the radio. It may not be lullabies, but it sure makes them happy!
Lots of children with autism seem to respond really positively to music as well. Music therapy can reportedly help kids with ASD to decrease anxiety, cope with sensory issues, and improve communication and social interaction.
My daughter is obsessed with music, she has one of those crib toys that plays music and it has soothed her to sleep every night and nap time. We’re always listening to music and singing in our house, she is obsessed with dancing along.
My daughter was the same way as a baby and at three, she still LOVES music! I like to take credit for that, as I was raised with music always on in the background. I still can’t be productive without it.