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A classic combination – babies and music

The benefits of music in the life of a baby are staggeringly numerous. Exposing your baby to music early on has powerful benefits, as Jo Hood explains

Whether they’re in the womb or out, babies are absorbing sounds around them. Inside the womb in the final trimester of pregnancy, a baby will not only detect excessive noise but also music or sounds repeatedly played to them. Many a mother can attest to the strange and yet lovely sense they get having played or sung a particular song to their unborn child only to play the same tune or sing the same song when the now-born baby is upset . . . and have the child settle.

Before birth, expose your child to your voice – sing while you’re in the shower, while you’re in the car and if you’re able, while you work. Your child will begin to recognize your voice.

And when you become a mum or dad, sing to your baby – while you change nappies, while you feed the youngster, and when they need a sense of calm.

I once heard a documentary while travelling in Australia about singing to communicate with your child. Find a simple song that you’re familiar with – if you don’t have one, Mozart wrote an amazing tune, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. If your baby is fractious, sing the song in a manner that mirrors the sense of emotion; then as the baby changes, continue to echo the emotion, while still using the same tune. According to the interviewee, the baby will realize that you understand their situation. While my teenagers would be mortified if I validated this information on them, this makes perfect sense to someone like me, who sees children and babies in a musical environment on a regular basis.

You’ll notice as you ‘coo’ and ‘ahh’ into the eyes of your baby, that there is a response – a sort of echo coming from the child. All this attention is of vital importance to your growing youngster. So how can you enrich these moments?

Use music in the home and don’t be afraid to sing instructions to your child. Again, find that familiar tune and sing about your activities. “I am cooking us a meal, us a meal, us a meal, I am cooking us a meal, so we can eat together.” The words don’t have to rhyme or necessarily flow. The secret is in the communication of the words with the music.

Infant vocalizations are the fundamental building blocks of language. Parent-baby ‘conversations’ and songs are of paramount importance in the development of language and skills. Then add some movement to your baby’s experience. Our brains work faster, better and easier with some movement to the vestibular system – to the rest of us, that’s the fluid in the inner ear! When the fluid moves, the brain wakes. We do some of this naturally – watch mothers as they stand with their supermarket trolley; back and forward, just like the rocking of a stroller. Watch any proud Dad as he ‘aero planes’ his child through the air.

At home, put on the music and work out some actions to create pathways in the brain through these different experiences. Could I use this song with baby lying on my tummy, while I’m lying on the floor? Could I ‘bounce’ my baby on my knee – up and down or side to side? If you have a toddler, move with a little more vigour. With your preschooler, even more movement can occur [the faster, the higher . . . the more exciting!].

Hold your child upside down. Now if you’re new to this parenting journey, the thought of holding your baby upside down can be nerve racking! But . . . take a moment to think about what happens when you put your baby on the change table. They’re going backwards, not quite upside down . . . but on the way. Support your baby’s head, place your other hand firmly around your child’s ankle, and move the infant to a 90 degree position to your body – just a little bit more – go on, you can do it! Phew! Your baby just went upside down. Not for long; until the end of that verse of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Your baby loved it.

Now find some music with a variety of styles within the song – this is where Mozart comes into his own again. Lie baby on the floor and massage both feet for a while, now both hands, then both ears [your baby’s – not yours!]. When the music changes, gently poke or stroke. When the music changes again, focus on one body part – like one hand, then the other hand. You’re looking to provide different experiences for your child’s neurological system.

All this attention and activity will help your child develop mentally, emotionally and physically. Youngsters will often learn new words and concepts faster within a musical song than purely spoken words. Literacy and numeracy knowledge is improved through repeated counting songs, as well as rhymes that identify colours, animals, body parts and more.

Jo Hood heads up the organization mainly music and has recently moved to Australia to grow the concept there.