A MOTHER'S LULLABY MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

I'll keep this story short and sweet.

It turns out that when mothers sing to their babies during pregnancy and after delivery, they and their infants are more securely attached, their babies sleep more, cry less, and suffer less colic than babies whose mothers didn't sing to them. Not surprisingly, the mothers of these healthier, happier babies experience less stress.

Mothers who sing lullabies have happier and healthier babies
Credit: makelessnoise

I won't go into all the details of the carefully designed study that found this lovely result, except to say that it took place in Italy, involved 168 expectant mothers and their babies, and showed that singing had remarkably powerful positive effects. For example, babies that were sung to were three times more likely to sleep well than babies who weren't, and were 40 percent less likely to suffer from colic.

The authors also note that the mothers enjoyed crooning lullabies-- " . . . the mothers continued to sing lullabies to their newborns and a remarkable percentage (93%) reported that this activity enriched the relationship with their babies." They also point out that the quality and security of parent-child bonding " . . . is of utmost importance for the development and well-being of the baby." As a psychologist, I would add that a positive parent-infant bond provides the best foundation for a healthy life.

It's delightful to be reminded that something as simple and natural as a mother singing lullabies to her baby can have such powerful, positive and long-lasting impacts.