Have you tried everything to get your baby to sleep, but missed singing her a lullaby? Apart from sending your little one off to dreamland, lullabies have other health benefits for your baby. Sounds incredible, doesn’t it? But they do! What are these benefits? Well, read on to learn more about them below. Here, we look at lullabies for babies, how they help, and some popular ones you probably heard as a kid!
What Is A Lullaby?
A lullaby usually refers to a soft and soothing song sung for infants or toddlers. The tone of the baby lullaby induces a relaxing effect on your baby’s mind and helps her sleep.
Lullaby helps in establishing a stronger bond between you and your little one. The baby can sense the sweet voice and feel the presence of her mom. The song makes her feel cared for and secure. It is a wonderful way to signal that it’s time for bed and to go to sleep.
In other words, baby Lullabies are a form of communication that sends a signal to your baby’s brain. However, lullabies are also the epitome of love and care for your little one (1).
Why Should You Sing Lullabies For Babies.
The primary purpose of singing a lullaby to your little one is to soothe her mind. The lullaby helps induce the notion of sleep for your distressed baby. The lullaby has existed for many years, and it is a part of human culture.
The sedative effect of the baby lullaby is probably due to its predictable and soulful melody. Singing the lulling rhythms and soft melodies, provides a sense of safety to your little one. The Lullaby soothes your baby’s mood. With the perfect blend of different attributes, lullabies are an effective tool to calm your infant (2).
Benefits Of Singing A Lullaby For Babies:
1. Establishes A Strong Bond With The Mother:
The tuneful baby lullaby songs impose calming effects and establishes a close bonding with your little one. The soothing lullaby helps develop a stronger parent-infant relationship than normal. When you sing lullabies with other calming techniques like nursing, rocking or stroking the song helps to establish a secure attachment. Research concludes that babies with secure attachment and stronger bonding with their parents perform better in their adulthood. Such children are more confident, positive and emotionally stable.
2. Offers Emotional Strength To Parents:
As a responsible parent, you may often experience fear and emotional stress in your life. To overcome negative emotions music imposes a soothing effect on your mind. When you sing a lullaby to your baby, the soulful tone helps to drain out your negative emotions and feel more positive about life. Singing a lullaby to your baby improves both you and your baby’s emotional state.
3. Imparts Language Learning Ability:
The natural language and rhythm of the lullaby reinforces language learning skills in your little one. The repetitive sounds and word structure of the popular lullabies encourage your child to repeat the words and learn them easily. By keeping your infant engaged with lullaby or nursery songs help them to learn the auditory patterns. As a result, they effectively learn to frame sentences.
4. Enhances Brain Development:
Music is a multi-sensory medium that stimulates the functioning of the brain chemicals. Singing tuneful nursery rhymes or lullabies leads to impart brain growth and proper functioning.
5. Helps Establish A Routine:
A baby sleep lullaby helps introduce routines such as bath time or bedtime for your little one.
6. Improves Sleep:
Sleep deprivation triggers numerous health discomforts and your baby becomes restless, tired and irritable. A good sleep helps to refresh his body and mind. Singing lullaby songs for babies induces sleep and helps them follow a fixed sleep pattern (3).
Common Health Problems Due To Lack Of Sleep:
Sleep deprivation in babies triggers numerous serious health issues. Some of the most common health problems are:
1. Anxiety and depression:
Severe insomnia contributes to rising levels of Cortisol in your baby’s body. Your baby suffers from depression and anxiety issues. Some of the common signs of depression are restlessness, irritability, constant crying and feeding problem (4).
2. Obesity:
Almost two-thirds of the babies or small children suffering from sleep apnea experience obesity. Obese babies have excess fat tissue around their neck region. It blocks the airways and induces breathing or lung problems (5).
3. Diabetes:
Research concludes that inadequate sleep hampers the insulin production capacity of your baby’s body. As a result, your baby becomes more prone to suffer from diabetes at his early age (6).
4. Immunity problem:
Several nights of disturbed sleep pattern and poor rest hampers the production of the vital immune booster, interleukin-1. A good night slip helps your baby’s body to fight against infections and stay healthy.
When To Consult The Doctor?
If your little one experiences terrible symptoms of sleep deprivation, talk to the pediatrician. Some of the serious symptoms for which you need to approach the medical consultant are:
- Unusual awakenings.
- Baby having breathing issues.
- Baby who is extremely and consistently fussy.
Helpful Sleeping Tips For Babies:
Here are some effective things you can follow to help your little one get enough sleep:
- Set a regular time of sleeping for your baby. Do not change the routine abruptly, as it disturbs the sleep pattern.
- Establish a relaxation technique like reading a bedtime story or singing a melodious lullaby to your small one.
- After your baby reaches at the age of one year, allow him to pick his favorite toy/belongings, blanket or stuffed animal and use it as a bedtime companion.
- Keep the noise levels of the bedroom low and maintain the darkness.
- Talk to your pediatrician if your baby has symptoms of sleep apnea or RLS (7).
16 Popular Lullabies For Babies:
Here are some of the popular lullabies for babies to sleep:
1. Brahms Lullaby (Lullaby and Good Night):
Lullaby and good night, with roses bedight
With lilies o’er spread is baby’s wee bed
Lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed
Lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed
Lullaby and good night, thy mother’s delight
Bright angels beside my darling abide
They will guard thee at rest, thou shalt wake on my breast
They will guard thee at rest, thou shalt wake on my breast
2. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are!
3. Sleep, Baby, Sleep:
Sleep, baby, sleep
Your father tends the sheep
Your mother shakes the dreamland tree
And from it fall sweet dreams for thee
Sleep, baby, sleep
Sleep, baby, sleep
Sleep, baby, sleep
Our cottage vale is deep
The little lamb is on the green
With snowy fleece so soft and clean
Sleep, baby, sleep
Sleep, baby, sleep
4. Somewhere Over the Rainbow:
Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high
There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I’ll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That’s where you’ll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can’t I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why, can’t I?
5. Hush Little Baby:
Hush little baby, don’t say a word,
Papa’s gonna buy you a mocking bird.
And if that mocking bird won’t sing,
Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Papa’s gonna buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy goat won’t pull,
Papa’s gonna buy you a cart and bull.
And if that cart and bull turn over,
Papa’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover.
And if that dog named Rover won’t bark,
Papa’s gonna buy you a horse and cart.
And if that horse and cart fall down,
You’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town.
6. Are You Sleeping (Frere Jaques):
Are you sleeping, are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing,
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.
7. All Through the Night:
Sleep, my child, and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones’ watch am keeping,
All through the night
Angels watching, e’er around thee,
All through the night
Midnight slumber close surround thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones’ watch am keeping,
All through the night
8. Rock-a-bye baby:
Rock-a-bye baby, in the tree top
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come baby, cradle and all
9. All the pretty horses:
Hush-a-bye don’t you cry,
Go to sleep-y, little baby.
When you wake you shall have
All the pretty little horses.
Blacks and bays, dapple grays,
Coach and six white horses.
Hush-a-bye don’t you cry,
Go to sleep-y, little baby.
10. Three blind mice:
Three blind mice, three blind mice,
See how they run, see how they run,
They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?
11. All through the night (Toora, loora, loora):
Toora, loora, loora
Toora, loora, li
Toora, loora, loora
Hush, now, don’t you cry
Ah,
Toora, loora, loora
Toora, loora, li
Toora, loora, loora
It’s an Irish lullaby
Over in Killarney, many years ago
My mother sang this song to me in tones so sweet and low
Just a simple little ditty in her good old Irish way
And I’d give the world if she could sing that song to me
this day
Toora, loora, loora
Toora, loora, li
Toora, loora, loora
Hush, now, don’t you cry
Ah,
Toora, loora, loora
Toora, loora, li
Toora, loora, loora
It’s an Irish lullaby
12. Baby Mine:
Baby mine, don’t you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine.
Little one when you play
Pay no heed what they say
Let your eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine.
If they knew all about you
They’d end up loving you too
All those same people who scold you
What they’d give just for
The chance to hold you.
From your head to your toes
Your not much, goodness knows
But your so precious to me
Sweet as can be, baby of mine
13. Golden slumbers:
Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender’s green
When you are King, dilly dilly,
I shall be Queen
Who told you so, dilly dilly,
Who told you so?
‘Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so
Call up your friends, dilly, dilly
Set them to work
Some to the plough, dilly dilly,
Some to the fork
Some to the hay, dilly dilly,
Some to thresh corn
Whilst you and I, dilly dilly,
Keep ourselves warm
Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender’s green
When you are King, dilly dilly,
I shall be Queen
Who told you so, dilly dilly,
Who told you so?
‘Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so.
14. Day is Done:
Day is done,
Gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh.
15. Little Boy Blue:
Little boy blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
He’s under the haystack, fast asleep.
16. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot:
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin’ for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin’ for to carry me home
I looked over Jordan and what did I see
Comin’ for to carry me home
A band of angels comin’ after me
Comin’ for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin’ for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin’ for to carry me home
If you get to heaven before I do
Comin’ for to carry me home
Tell all my friends I’m comin’ there too
Comin’ for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin’ for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin’ for to carry me home
I’m sometimes up and sometimes down
Comin’ for to carry me home
But still I know I’m heavenly (freedom) bound
Comin’ for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin’ for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin’ for to carry me home
If I get there before you do
Comin’ for to carry me home
I’ll cut a hole and pull you through
Comin’ for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin’ for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin’ for to carry me home
Do you know any lullabies for baby from this list? Have a few more to add? Leave a comment below and help fellow moms.
