Sing To Your Baby

Sing to your baby. Sing to your baby every day.

Study after study has shown a correlation between early exposure to music and increased cognitive development, better language skills, and to increased sensory development. Exposure to music can increase levels of joy, as well as soothe an anxious baby.

But this article isn’t about science. It’s about singing!

Sing to your baby. Sing to your baby every day.

“But Bradley, I don’t have any musical training. I don’t even play an instrument.”

No worries. No training needed here and you’ve got the only instrument you need: your voice. If you can strum a few chords on the guitar, fantastic. Know your way around the piano? Well, that’s great too, but for our purposes, we’re talking straight-up Acapella here. That, my friends, is Italian for ‘without instrumental accompaniment’, which brings us to your next concern.

“But Bradley, I cannot sing.”

Well sir, I respectfully disagree. Someone once told me that singing is simply the difference between making a statement and asking a question. When you raise your pitch at the end of a question, it lets the listener know that it is indeed a question. Singing is simply raising and lowering your pitch to create a melody. You can certainly do that, and therefore, you can sing!

Remember, in your baby’s eyes you’re LeBron James, Chris Pratt, Dave Chapelle & Superman, and in terms of singing, Elvis freaking Presley.

“But Bradley, I don’t know any children’s songs.”

Well, I’m quite certain that isn’t entirely true. I’m guessing that if you thought about it, you could remember some favorites from your childhood. How about ‘She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain?’ Surely you remember at least a few verses of that one! ‘I’ve Been Working on the Railroad?’ Nothing beats a good workin’ song. ’Hot Cross Buns?’ ‘If You’re Happy & You Know It?’ The list goes on & on.

And you know what’s best of all? You don’t even have to sing children’s songs. Sing them your favorite Pearl Jam song or maybe some Johnny Cash. You may have to edit a line or two for content, but you’ll be sharing tunes that are important to you, and raising a child with great musical taste!

I haven’t told you the coolest part of singing children’s songs; you can make up your very own!

Sing about your baby’s favorite food or what you see on your daily walk. Sing about bath time or the weird thing the kitten just did. Sing about the moon or the funny car that just drove by. See what I’m getting at here? You can sing about anything you want. I recorded an album of lullabies built around nonsense lyrics and melodies I made up during my 2am feedings with my son (or at least the ones I still remembered the next day). Tunes like ‘Full Belly, Empty Butt’ & ‘Don’t Fight the Sleep’ may never top the charts, but they represent very important moments that we shared.

“But Bradley, I’m embarrassed.”

First, I’d be willing to bet that you’ve done a lot of embarrassing things in your life. You’re thinking about them right now, aren’t you? Maybe later, if I have a bit of time, I’ll call up your college buddies for some stories, but for now, I’ll simply make this point; At least this embarrassment will result in a happy, healthy, well adjusted child. Besides, if you’re already a parent, you know that embarrassment, along with modesty & sleep, flew out the window the day your baby was born.

Second, we’re talking about singing to the least judgemental person in the world. Did I mention that your baby worships you? In their eyes, you can do no wrong. Your voice is the most beautiful voice they’ve ever heard (or second to their mother’s). Sing! Even if other people are around. Sing! At the very least, bystanders will find it adorable and endearing. Who knows, it may even inspire them to sing to their own child. So sing, you adorable trendsetter, you!

Sing to your baby. Sing to your baby every day. They’ll love it. Nevermind the enormous benefits it is having on their beautifully complex and rapidly developing brain. Nevermind that you’re instilling in them a lifetime of appreciation for music and the arts. Nevermind that you may be raising the next Paul McCartney or Beyonce. Sing to them for the smile it brings to their tiny face. Sing to them for the smile it brings to your tired, unwashed face. Sing to them knowing that soon they will be singing with you and it will be the most beautiful song the world has ever heard.

Sing to your baby. Sing to your baby every day.

Oh, and dance with your baby. Dance with your baby every day.

About the Author

Bradley is a husband, father, singer/songwriter & creative from Denver, CO. His website is www.bradleyweaver.net