Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

Are you lullaby-phobic? Do you think you are doing your baby a favor if you don’t sing to her? Well let me tell you that, apart from your dog, no one will love the sound of your singing voice more than your baby. It doesn’t matter if you’d get laughed off the stage at the karaoke bar; your baby thinks whatever you belt out is a top ten hit.

Your baby has actually been listening to your voice for a while now, while still in the womb. So when she hears you sing she is comforted by a familiar voice. Your newborn baby can’t see very well, so she’s like one giant ear. And she’s mostly attuned to her mother’s voice.

Giving her something to listen to is an excellent way to develop her brand new listening skills, and will eventually help build her language development. Your singing voice has an intuitive way of calming your baby, and it’s an awesome way to bond. Studies have shown that babies who are regularly sung to are not as fussy and cry less. (That’s enough to make anyone break out into song.)

And believe me she not only doesn’t care what you sing; she doesn’t care how you sing it. Don’t be intimidated if you don’t have a repertoire of classic lullabies; your baby will be just as happy to listen to you singing those old 90’s tunes! The important thing is to get used to singing to her.

And singing isn’t just comforting her it’s also relaxing you! Singing is a terrific way to force you to breathe, which is a great way to relieve stress. So take whatever opportunity you can to work those pipes.

Once you’re in the habit, you’ll sing to your baby without giving it a second thought. But if you aren’t used to singing out loud, it might seem strange at first. You can start with accompaniment if you must. Turn on your favorite CD and sing to your baby while walking around the house. Remember, there is no one less judgmental about your singing voice than your baby.

You can pick up some children’s CD’s if you want to brush up on your children’s songs. But before you know it the words to those songs will come back to you (come on you can remember ‘twinkle twinkle little star’.) And remember, if you’ve got the tune but can’t remember the words, just make them up. I knew a dad who always sang “Baa Baa Black Sheep February 4…)

And don’t just sing lullabies when you’re trying to get the baby to sleep; sing to her while giving her a bath, when you are in the car, while you are changing her. She will love the singing even more if you make eye contact with her and smile. Believe me, before you know it she’s going to be smiling back at the sound of your voice.