Music, babies, and the unbelievable benefits

What type of music is best for babies?

The best music for babies should be quiet and soothing like classical and lullabies, so you should avoid loud and upbeat music. The soothing effect of this type of music help reduces stress and the extremely high heart rate of babies so they can sleep more and grow faster. It’s a great idea to expose your baby to different types of music. Most likely any style will have a positive effect and varying the genres will keep things interesting for you both. You never know, your little one may develop a particular liking for T.I. or Bach. It’s good to experiment.

While your selections don’t always have to be traditional lullabies, some things may not be as appropriate or pleasing for small ears. Here are some tips and suggestions:

-Avoid playing anything too loud, and steer clear of anything that sounds chaotic.

- Stick with music that has basic melodies and rhythms, but varying tempos to keep things interesting.

- Try dance music you can groove to. Experts recommend dancing with Baby to the big-band sounds of Benny Goodman and Fletcher Henderson!

- Babies seem to enjoy a lot of world music - from African dance to reggae and Latin sounds. Experts also suggest the Smithsonian Folkways series of global folk CDs. Putumayo Kids also has a wonderful selection of lullaby and dance CDs from around the globe, and The Rough Guide's selections are also worth trying.

- Plenty of companies sell tunes created specifically for children and babies. For example, Rockabye Baby! specializes in lullaby versions of your favorite rock and alternative music tracks. Lovely Baby CDs offers diverse genres and music styles, including classical and contemporary.

- Best of all, play Baby some of your favorite sounds. Classic rock, indie, reggae, R & B, Latin, and pop tunes often have steady beats and melodies that are perfect for the very young. And there's nothing better than sharing what you love with your child.

The effects of music on the baby’s development

It ignites all areas of child development and skills for school readiness, particularly in the areas of language acquisition and reading skills.

Learning to play a musical instrument can improve mathematical learning, and even increases school scores.

While listening to music impacts the brain, making it, is even more powerful. This is because making music requires fine motor skills (such as being able to grip and squeeze objects), as well as linguistic and mathematical precision, and creativity ─ firing up several areas of the brain.

Tapping into these skills means developing the bridge between the two hemispheres of the brain, which allows messages to get across the brain faster and across different routes.

When all this scientific evidence gets translated into our homes and early learning centers, even in short doses, our children get smarter. “We see an impact in literacy, numeracy, physical development, gross motor coordination [such as running and jumping], fine motor skills, as well as social and emotional development,” says Graham Welsh, a British neuroscientist who studies the impact of music on young children’s brains.

“It’s very easy for schools to feel they need to focus on literacy and numeracy because those are the outcomes they are judged on. But music can unlock a child’s path for learning in a way that nothing else might. It builds children’s confidence and language skills and can improve their math scores when they get to school.”

So make sure your child listens to music as much as you care about his other skills.

Find out the Benefits of Music during pregnancy for mother and baby