Singing to Your Baby

This morning, little pumpkin was eating banana baby yogurt and out of the blue, said “nana.” I didn’t tell her what flavor yogurt she would be dining on and none of her siblings were talking about bananas for her to repeat. Though it isn’t a new word for her, it was a magical moment that showed us she truly understood what the word banana meant and as a bonus, she was able to discriminate its taste. She has definitely been experiencing a vocabulary explosion lately. Other new words in just this week, include coffee, bear, and poo-poo.

What do all these words have in common? As you may have guessed, they are all words she learned through hearing me sing. I am the worst singer in the world. As much as I love music, I am tone deaf, and ALWAYS sing off-key. I have never enjoyed singing and never really sang much… until I became a mom. Now at home, I sing all the time. Along with my kids, we sing nursery rhymes, lullabies, and songs we have learned from previously attending local story times… for example, “Apples and Bananas.” We also make up our own songs and sing throughout the day. I sing while I make coffee, play with her, and yes, even while I change her diaper.

Singing is a wonderful way to help build your child’s language. It slows down words and is often repetitive, helping your child to hear and remember speech better. It’s catchy and fun and can build rhythm as well as a lifelong love for music. It’s also good therapy for the soul, helping to create great memories and stronger bonds between parent and child. If your day isn’t going well, it can be a total mood changer. Just try and continue to have a rotten day after singing a silly song and hearing baby giggles.

Did you know that your baby’s brain doubles in size in just the first year of life and will create more connections or synapses than it will ever make during any other time in life? Simply singing to your baby is free, requires no prep, and strengthens and encourages all this great brain development.

More and more studies conducted in babies are showing that TV even as background can be harmful to early brain and language development. Studies have also shown that babies prefer the real thing, that is books, momma’s voice, and basic human interaction compared to a video or cd. In short your baby deserves the real deal so give it when you can!

This adorable picture of my child was taken by my very talented friend who happens to be an exceptional photographer as well as super mom of two. She took this recent photo of little pumpkin while masked in her car, at a distance of 6 feet away and it still came out awesome. If you are in the Vancouver/Portland area, you need to check her out at https://tabphoto.smugmug.com/

I would love to hear what you like to sing to your babies!