Does Baby Sleeping Music Or Singing Before Bed Help The Bedtime Routine?
I’ve have always believed in the importance of singing to your children. I didn’t really know why, but I knew that whenever my kids were acting up at bedtime or I was feeling stressed, singing always calmed us down. The last step in my twins’ bedtime routine is singing their favourite song, which is currently “Hey Diddle Diddle”. It’s really hard to stay frustrated when you’re singing a rhyme about a dish running away with a spoon!
It’s really hard to stay frustrated when you’re singing a rhyme about a dish running away with a spoon!
Recent studies have found that having a consistent bedtime routine helps children fall asleep faster, and reduced the number and duration of night wakings. I have always talked about the benefits of a soothing, consistent bedtime routine and how it can improve infant and toddler sleep. If you have a consistent routine before bed, your child will start to recognize those steps and it helps them understand that sleep is coming. This helps them wind down, and sends a message to the brain to increase melatonin production, which prepares the body for sleep.
If you have a consistent routine before bed, your child will start to recognize those steps and it helps them understand that sleep is coming.
I love the idea of singing during your child’s bedtime routine. Singing has a way of calming both baby and caregiver, so if you’ve had a hard day or your toddler has given you the run-around at bedtime, singing can help you both relax before they drift off to sleep. If you are feeling less anxious and more relaxed, your child will sense that and be more relaxed as well. Singing is very comforting to children, and it can make bedtime more enjoyable. For those of you who don’t want to sing, you can play baby sleeping music instead. Same outcome – relaxation before bed.
If you are feeling less anxious and more relaxed, your child will sense that and be more relaxed as well.
You can incorporate songs during your bedtime routine to help them learn as well. Songs help children learn about themselves and the world around them. They learn how to talk from listening to us speak or sing, and some children will even sing before they string their first words together. They tend to learn more easily from singing, especially if they hear the same songs over and over again. My twins learned the ABCs fairly quickly as a result of singing it every night.
They learn how to talk from listening to us speak or sing, and some children will even sing before they string their first words together.
I often recommend singing as one of the steps in the bedtime and naptime routine because it’s something both you and your child can look forward to. My husband, who doesn’t normally sing, is happy to sing to the kids at bedtime, which puts us all in a good mood.
Quick tips:
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Have a consistent bedtime routine
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Sing before bed to calm them
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Start singing early – they learn from it!
When do babies sleep through the night?
Is baby sleeping music or white noise good for them?
How much sleep do kids need anyhow?
Jenn Kelner is a mother of three children, including twins, and a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant at BabyZzz. Just as every family is unique, Jenn supports many different sleep methods and works directly with families to design a solution that will help them become well-rested, happy families.
