Making Music With Your Baby

Isn’t the first year of a baby’s life a miraculous thing? Just think about how much your little one has grown and changed in the last few months. It wasn’t all that long ago that he or she couldn’t even roll over or crawl yet. And now they are sitting up, pulling themselves up on furniture, and getting into just about everything.

It’s incredible.

As your little one grows, he or she is becoming more and more interested in sound. You’ve probably noticed it already; the way they squawk just to hear the sounds of their own voices, or the way they seem to love pounding objects together to see what kind of noise results.

This is the perfect age to start really introducing your baby to music!

Now, you’ve probably been doing that to some extent all along. Your little one has a favorite CD you like to play in the car, you sing a regular bedtime song, and he or she laughs manically when you break out your rendition of the Itsy Bitsy Spider or How Much is That Doggy in the Window.

But now, you can really step things up by creating opportunities for your little one to actually contribute to that music making!

Kids this age love musical toys. Picking up a set of mini maracas or a small tambourine can provide hours of entertainment and music making. You might even find that a small drum set or train whistle becomes the toy of choice in your house.

Of course, introducing musical toys to your little ones means being prepared to up the noise ante in your home, but the smile on your baby’s face will make that seem all the more worth it!

If you are really hoping to instill a love of music in your little one, you might want to consider calling around to local music studios and finding out if they offer any baby and me music classes. These classes are usually geared towards little ones and involve playing with various instruments and becoming familiar with what the different notes look like. They won’t necessarily set your child up to be a musical prodigy in the future, but they can lay the groundwork for a love of music that will hopefully endure throughout childhood.

Ultimately, though, your little one is always going to have the most fun making music with you. So be sure to pick up a few instruments yourself and to join in on the chaos!

Written by Leah Campbell, infertility advocate, adoptive mama, writer and editor. Find me @sifinalaska on Twitter.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general informational basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

Music and Your Baby’s Development

Who doesn’t love a good tune? Music can be both calming and energizing. It can change your mood and help you relax. Guess what? It can have the same effects on your baby, but that’s not all. Research has shown that music can play an important role in many aspects of your baby’s development.

You may have already discovered the power of music when you try to help your little one settle down for a nap. In fact, playing soft music or singing a lullaby can be a great part of your nighttime routine.

But music does not only have a relaxing effect. It can also play a role in your baby’s cognitive development. Studies show that music can help babies learn about sequencing and patterns, as well as counting. Music may also enhance memory even in children. Research indicates that babies as young as eight months old were able to recognize parts of a song a couple of weeks after hearing it.

As your little one gets a bit older, music may also help your baby develop motor skills, balance, coordination and body awareness. Music can be an integral part of activities and games that enhance creativity and language skills. When you sing to your baby, you introduce new words and it also helps your baby develop listening skills.

While there are studies that suggest playing classical music for your baby may increase their intelligence, you don’t have to stick to Mozart or Bach for your baby to benefit from having music be a part of their life. Just singing to your baby is beneficial for their overall development. Whether you sing in perfect pitch or can’t quite carry a tune, don’t worry about it, your baby won’t care.

There are also a lot of additional ways to incorporate music into your baby’s routine. For example, have a jam session with your baby using a makeshift drum, rattle or a toy instrument.

Sing silly songs together that incorporate hand movements, such as the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Play music you enjoy and dance around with your baby in your arms. If you prefer a group atmosphere, there are also private companies that offer mommy and baby music classes.

Keep in mind, babies are receptive to music from an early age, so it’s never too early to start incorporating music into your baby’s life. Whether you’re playing with makeshift instruments or singing a song, enjoying music together is a great way to bond and have fun.

Written by MaryAnn DePietro @ writerlady34

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

How to Play Music on Music Baby Toys?

Chances are you already have some kind of music toy for your baby – a toy with piano-like keys, a xylophone, or perhaps a baby piano. With a rare exception, these toys come with no manual. If you don’t play a musical instrument you will have a hard time playing anything music-like on this toy! Moreover, these toys are diatonic, meaning if they were a real piano they would only have the white keys. With the black keys missing there’s a limitation on what you can play.

If you would like to play music for your baby on her toy you can use these notes. Music toys can normally play 8 notes. Instead of musical notation the notes are written down using numbers from 1 through 8. To make it easier you can even use a permanent marker to mark the notes on the toy. You can also sing along to help yourself keep the rhythm. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Song
1121 43
1121 54
1186 4432
6664 54

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
11 55 665 44 33 221
55 44 332
55 44 332
11 55 665 44 33 221

Frère Jacques
1231 1231
345 345
565431 565431
414 414

Brahms Lullaby
335 335 3587 665
234 234 24765 78
118 645 3145 65
118 645 3143 21

Jingle Bells
333 333 35123
4445433
432232 5
333 333 35123
4445433 3355 421

London Bridge
5654 345
234 345
5654 345
2531

Hush Little Baby
2778766
2266667655
2778766
2266667655

Shaun the Sheep Theme Song
1345 3231
1345 1345 3231
4342 5678
6 535 653 231
6 535 655 678

Flea Waltz
651 88 651 88
651 83 84 77
654 77 654 77
654 73 71 88
18 38 4 77
47 37 1 88

Vivaldi – The four seasons – Spring
1333 215
54 333 215
54 345 432
15 434 565
15 434 565
165 4321 211

Offenbach – Can Can
1 2432 55 563422
24321 8765432
1 2432 55 5634 22
24321 5231 1

What other tunes can you come up with? Let us know!

Written by Georgiy, a father and a self-taught recorder player

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice.  All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.