Music can be incredibly powerful. Songs and melodies tap into memories, strengthen community bonds, and help us to express our humanity. Music can help you feel strong emotions, bring back memories, and sway your mood. So it may not be surprising that the effects of music in infant development can be quite potent.
Many parents may already know this on some level. There’s the old cliche that listening to classical music when you’re pregnant will somehow turn your baby into the next Einstein. (Any such promises are an intense exaggeration, however.) That said, there is a great deal of evidence to support the benefits of listening to soothing music during your third trimester.
Once your baby is born, music becomes no less important. Taking a thoughtful approach to the music and melodies you serenade your infant with can help you see tangible benefits. Listening to music can help sooth your child, encourage linguistic development and cognitive growth, and strengthen the bonds between you and your baby.
Immediate Benefits of Music in Infant Development
For most people, music is something used for enrichment and enjoyment. And that alone makes music an important part of a home. But that’s not to say there aren’t important practical benefits. Some of these benefits only become apparent in the long run. Others make an instant impact. Some of the shorter term benefits of letting your infant listen to music may include the following:
Music can calm and soothe your baby: There are a great many reasons why babies can grow cranky or fussy. Sometimes your baby is just in a bad mood or feeling anxious. Playing music can help and soothe your baby. With the right soundtrack, babies can start to relax–preventing further crankiness and fussiness in the future. That can turn music into a very important tool for parents who are always looking for ways to help their infants feel calmer and happier.
Music can help your baby sleep: Because music can be calming, it’s also a very effective sleep aid for babies. (This is, after all, why lullabies are an age-old parenting technique.) Using music to help your baby fall asleep can make their transition to sleep time smoother and more comfortable. More restful sleep can help keep your baby healthier and boost their immune system. This can also be a critical benefit to exhausted parents who relish every single second of nap time.
It’s important to note that music selection is important when it comes to soothing your baby. If you select some fast-paced punk rock music, your baby will likely not find it soothing (even if you find it calming). Try to choose softer, slower-paced music for the purpose of calming and soothing your infant.
Cognitive and Linguistic Benefits of Music
These immediate benefits are not the only reason why listening to tunes with your baby can be good. That’s because there’s a great deal of interplay between what your baby hears and how their brain develops over these first few months. That makes the role of music in infant development a quite important one. For example, music helps your baby’s cognitive and linguistic skills develop. Here are just a few examples:
Linguistic development: Most babies will pick up on language naturally, just by listening to you. In a sense, to your baby, your voice is already music–every word creates a pattern of sounds. But when you sing with or listen to music with your baby, these patterns gain a little more structure. And this added structure can help your baby pick up on language faster and more effectively. Your baby may even start making their own sounds–oos and coos and things like that. Singing with them can help your baby learn how these simple sounds can eventually start to form complex words.
Cognitive development: For infants, music activates many parts of the brain all at once. That’s one of the many reasons why it can be so compelling! The auditory cortex is processing the sounds. The visual cortex is watching the mouth movements associated with the words. And so on. This kind of brain activation can help certain cognitive functions develop more quickly and robustly.
Social and emotional development: That music can interact with your emotions is likely not a surprise. However, this is true even for babies. (Many parents are surprised that infants can have a very rich emotional life.) As a result, singing together or listening to music together can help form stronger bonds between babies and their parents. These stronger bonds can, of course, be very healthy for your infant as you grow together.
In other words, music can often help your baby acquire language faster and more robustly–and will further your baby’s cognitive and social development. That’s why many parents are encouraged to make their day as musical as possible.
If your infant does not seem to be responding to music at all, you should talk to your baby’s pediatrician to make sure their hearing is healthy.
How to Introduce Music into Your Daily Parenting Routines
So, music is good for your baby’s brain and your baby’s social development. The question is: how do you ensure your baby’s day is full of music? For many parents, this may come naturally. For others, emphasizing music in infant development might be a challenge. Here are a few tips to help you incorporate more music into your daily life with your infant:
Sing along to the music you’re listening to: Singing along can help your baby see the mouth shapes that are associated with the sounds you’re making. This can give your infant more information for developing speech and language.
Sing about what you’re doing (make up songs): Your baby isn’t going to know what songs you heard on the radio and which ones you’ve made up. So it’s okay to just sing whatever random thing pops into your head!
Get your baby involved: Much research suggests that playing music is even more beneficial to your baby than listening to music. Now, your baby isn’t necessarily going to be receptive to violin lessons, but you can certainly give them a tambourine or some drums to slap. This will also help your baby practice fine motor skills, which is beneficial too.
Create musical games: For example, you could play musical call and response games and help your infant respond! (Again, stick to instruments or sounds that your baby can truly use.)
Invest in some musical toys: It’s true, most parents like to avoid toys that make loud, obnoxious noises (especially when it’s not easy to remove the batteries from said toy). But toys that play soft, soothing music can help introduce more music into your infant’s everyday life. For example, a musical mobile can be a perfect way to introduce soothing music to your baby while your baby is most receptive to relaxing sounds.
Create playlists before your baby is born: After your baby is born, you’re going to be, well, exhausted. So, before your due date arrives, create several long playlists that will be good for your baby (and you) to hear. Having these playlists handy will prevent significant mental work when you are feeling stressed, exhausted, or a combination of the two.
Every baby is different, so take some time to observe which activities your baby responds to and which they resist. It’s okay to hew close to what your baby prefers (there’s no benefit in forcing certain types of music or activities on your baby that they don’t enjoy). It’s certainly okay to let your baby be the guide!
Choosing the Right Music for Your Baby
Studies have shown that babies can tell the difference between fast music and slow music–or soothing music and intense music or happy music and sad music. This means it’s a good idea for parents to be a little picky when it comes to selecting your baby’s music.
There’s a great deal of (often contradictory) research out there about what type of music is the “best” kind of music for infants. Some studies suggest death metal is the best, while others talk more about classical music. The truth is that every baby is probably a little bit different. You can try a variety of musical styles and see what resonates the most. If your baby doesn’t seem to like something, avoid playing it again.
Likewise, think about your goals with any given music. For example, if your goal is to help your baby fall asleep, choose softer, gentler music.
Music Can Enrich Your Life and Your Baby’s Life
Music can provide a source of enrichment and enjoyment for your baby well into adulthood. By filling your home with songs and tunes while your infant is growing up, you can foster and encourage an appreciation for music that can last a lifetime.
You can also provide your baby with a solid foundation for cognitive and linguistic development while building strong bonds between you. That’s the power of music–and it’s wonderful to share it with your infant.
If you want to talk about your baby’s development, contact us today to schedule an appointment at our Chicago or Northbrook offices.