A mother’s beloved voice singing a lullaby has been the age old way to soothing a baby to sleep, and we know for a fact that music can have a positive impact on baby in many different ways.
And for parents who want that their newborn baby should settle down and sleep, and furthermore have sound sleep, music could be just the thing to get baby to sleep and keep them asleep.
Lullabies
Your mother probably used these to lull you to sleep and her mother used them before her. The point here is not what you sing but who sings it. Rather, it is the familiar and beloved voice of the mother or caregiver that the child recognizes and learns to associate with being soothed or with sleep.
Some children like the same lullaby not just in infancy but beyond singing can become a treasured bed time ritual for parent and child alike.
Using white noise or sounds from nature
Many parents find that some sort of constant drone like sound can help baby nod off and stay asleep – the sound of a fan, vacuum cleaner, or other machine around the home may help. Equally white noise CDs that are available for purchase help provide such white noise; which many adults also find to be soothing and conducive to sound sleep.
Similarly CDs that play sound tracks of waves crashing on the shore, the pitter patter of raindrops, the sound of wind whistling and so on can create natural music to help soothe and sleep.
The radio or music player
Some experts say that music helps babies become smarter while others disagree. However the point that most seem to agree on is that playing classical music for baby to sleep by may be a good idea because at a low volume it is lovely, soothing, and can even help baby become a sound sleeper.
This is because the baby gets used to having some sound or noise around and is still able to sleep soundly without letting every little sound disturb him.
Using music to help a baby sleep and to keep him or her asleep for longer is thought to be a more nurturing and gentle way to help baby sleep. Learning to self soothe may be all very well and may be recommended by many baby care experts, but as many parents will tell you, hearing a baby cry is nothing short of torturous. Music can help parents and baby alike, if it can effectively be used to get baby to sleep.
