And that could possibly be because the sleep-inducing power of the lullaby may stem from the combination of singing and rocking (cue: Rock-a-Bye Baby). While lullabies help babies feel safe, secure, and calm, there’s not a whole lot of proof that listening to lullabies directly connects to improved sleep. Harvey Karp’s top music picks for soothing babies. If you’re still scratching your head about what makes a song a lullaby, here are some classic-and more modern-examples of lullabies that soothe Baby:Ĭan’t Take My Eyes Off of You by Lauryn Hill

Simple melody with few large jumps between the notesĪbout 70 beats per second, which mimics the rhythms of a mother’s pulse Slow and steady beat (like a rocking rhythm) But we do know that the most effective lullabies generally follow these rules: It may be easy to distinguish a lullaby from a rock song from a BTS hit, but it’s a wee bit more difficult to articulate what makes a lullaby a lullaby. This means that lullabies' unique cantor is more powerful than the actual lyrics or words. Another study, this one in the journal Infancy, showed that babies stayed calm twice as long when listening to an unfamiliar lullaby, as they did when listening to baby talk. The kicker: The lullabies worked their soothing magic regardless of what language they were in-or if the babies had ever heard the tunes before. Their heart rate was lower, and their pupils were less dilated, which are both strong indicators of relaxation. For instance, a recent Harvard University study found that when babies listened to lullabies, they became more relaxed than when they listened to other music. While you likely don’t need a scientific study to tell you that lullabies soothe babies, there is genuine research behind music’s calming effects. So many wins! But the million-dollar question remains: Will music help Baby sleep? We break it down. And research has shown that singing lullabies to babies may improve bonding and reduce maternal stress. Singing lullabies to premature infants in the NICU may even improve feeding behaviors. Music can stimulate the formation of feel-good brain chemicals, like dopamine and oxytocin. Listening to tunes can improve little ones' ability to process new speech sounds, which is great for bolstering cognitive skills. There’s no doubt that music is great for babies.

Scientific music for deep sleep