The world is developing at a very fast pace, but in our busy lives, we have forgot about the age old practice of singing lullabies to the babies. Increasingly, many mothers are putting their little ones to sleep without singing a lullaby to them. What they don’t realize is that there isn’t any substitute for lullabies that help you to form a connection with your little one. Babies respond to lullabies and your voice has the ability to soothe a small baby. Interestingly, lullabies have tremendous effect on an infant or a baby. So, it’s high time that you sit on a rocking chair, cuddle your baby into your arms and enjoy moments of peace, singing lullaby to your little one.
1. Responsiveness
It is well known that babies tend to respond to sounds even before they are born. During the prenatal period, they tend to move and kick when they hear their mother talking to them. Before, they can see, they can hear and therefore, sounds form the basis of their world. Singing lullaby to a child associates him with your voice, which reminds him of the sounds s/he heard when s/he was in your womb. The sound of voice helps them to know that you are present around them, and that this presence is continuous. Your hand can only hold their bodies, your arms can cuddle them, but your voice captures their minds and forms the basis of a mother-child relationship.
2. Putting babies to sleep
Little children generally have trouble falling asleep. That is where lullabies are most useful. Singing a slow song is an effective way of soothing your child’s body and calming his mind, to let him drift into a dreamy night’s sleep. Lullabies strengthen a parent child bond in a most primal way. Singing a lullaby helps the baby to recognize your voice, your sense of touch and helps him to learn, distinguish and respond between various voices and sounds. This results in mental development of your child and ensures that your child develops social skills. Sing a lullaby to your baby from a distance and within seconds, the baby will turn his head and body towards the source of sound.
3. Distract a baby in distress
Generally, babies tend to get distressed in unfamiliar surroundings. They become troublesome and cry when they feel hunger, pain or just a vague anxiety. Since, little babies don’t have language skills to describe their feelings; hence, they feel stressful. Therefore, lullabies not just help you to put your baby to sleep, but it also helps you to soothe and calm your baby in distress. Lullabies would reduce your child’s fear and separation anxiety and will also remind them that you are always there for them. Sing a lullaby to your baby if s/he is in pain due to teething or illness and this will distract your child from the pain. Moreover, singing lullaby is also good for you as it controls your boredom. It will also ease your anxiety that is associated with a child’s screaming and squirming. Therefore, lullabies reduce panic, both for the child and the parent.
4. Nurturing a bond
Lullabies are an effective way of communicating with your child. This is a constant reminder to the child that you are his mother and you are the familiar voice that s/he heard in his womb. Ask your husband or partner to sing slow songs to your child. This will help him to develop a unique emotional bond with the child. The child will recognize your partner’s voice and will feel safe and comfortable with him if you leave them together.
5. Developing language skills
A child tends to grasp language and understand words if you sing lullabies to him. Singing lullabies is a crucial process in language development of the child as it helps them to learn words. It also polishes their listening skills. The repetition of words and rhythms help them in language and speech development. As your child grows out of infancy, you can sing him nursery rhymes before you put him into a kindergarten.
Certainly, singing lullabies is an efficient way of nurturing a bond between a parent and a child. You can sing almost any song, especially slow songs at lullabies. When you are putting the child to sleep, then singing a soft and slow song is good. You can also mellow down the tone of pop and rock songs if you want to try something different. Try traditional songs like Twinkle twinkle, rock-a-bye baby or folk songs like clouds and goodnight Irene to put your child to sleep. You can also make your own song to sing to your babies.
Happy parenting!
