Beyond Lullabies

Introducing Baby to the
World of Music

By Sue Poremba

Jamie Werner and her husband discovered their daughter's love of reggae by accident. "My husband was out taking our daughter on a walk,"says Werner, of Carlsbad, Calif."She was probably only 3 months old. She started crying. My husband had his cell phone with him that happened to have some music downloaded on it. He started playing her some Bob Marley, and she stopped crying pretty much immediately."

Werner and her husband discovered that whenever their daughter cried or got fussy, Bob Marley on the stereo calmed her so much so, it became the baby's naptime lullaby music.

Babies love music, whether it is reggae, classical or Mom's off-key humming. Even though there are programs available for parents who want to integrate music into Baby's life, the best early music appreciation comes from everyday home life.

Baby's first introduction to music can come while still in the womb. "The sense of hearing is developed in the womb," says Karen Norris, a child life specialist at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. "The baby is familiar with the mother's voice before birth."

In fact, because the mother's voice is such a powerful and soothing force in a newborn's life, singing to the baby during the last trimester and during those first days connects the mother and child. Norris says your baby won't care if you can't carry a tune or if you are humming random notes. The music, especially while rocking, soothes the baby and is the first step at combining music with everyday life.

Music plays an important role in a baby's development, says Janet Moore, associate professor of music at the University of South Florida. "It offers a nonverbal form of communication and expression that is a part of their development as a thinking, feeling human being," she says. "Their brains are developing at a rapid pace, and exercising their synapses with quality experiences with sound expands their ability to perceive."

Like adults and older children, babies like to move when they hear music. Motor skills are developed as the baby wiggles and sways and bounces in rhythm with the beat.

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
• Music in the Womb: Bonding with Baby Before Birth
• Baby's Got Rhythm: Incorporating Music into Your Child's Life
• Shhhhhh! Using White Noise to Calm a Fussy Newborn
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