Making Music With Your Baby, Infant, or Toddler

It is no secret that people everywhere respond to music. We surround ourselves with it. It's in our movies, our elevators, our homes, and our cars. Its playing in our favorite restaurants and department stores. And, even when its not playing, it's in our heads. It's being whistled and hummed all day, every day. Even dogs get into the act every now and again with a good howl-a-long. So does it really surprise you that the one thing that always gets your baby going is music? 

Yep, babies love music every bit as much as you and I. But, what’s even more fascinating is that it's not just fun for them, it's beneficial both emotionally and academically.

Did you know.....
Babies are able to recognize and use different intonations before even 1 yr of age. In other words, your baby may start humming or making semi recognizable melodies before they can even say their first word. In fact, all that singing you do in front of baby can actually speed up the language learning process. The increased usage of simple words and the use of a catchy melody work in tandem to help baby remember and learn the language we speak. Amazing, isn’t it? It has also been proven that children that were sung to, and interacted with musically on a daily basis as babies, are now more successful in school than most children that were not.

Singing to your baby benefits you as well.
Aside from the sheer pleasure you receive while watching your baby really get into the music, there are many ways in which you benefit from singing to your baby. One of the most obvious benefits is that of a peaceful nights sleep. Many babies cry during the night due to separation anxiety. Sometimes they are hungry, or need a change. But, more often than not, it has to do with the fact that they woke up to find you gone. In this case, music really comes to the rescue. Singing lullabies to your baby hasn’t been in practice for centuries just because it sounds pretty. Babies really respond to it! It is soothing to your child. So much so, that when they awake, they are more likely to be at peace and not cry. Instead, they fidget until they are comfortable once again, and then drift back off to slumber land. Again, this may not always work when baby is wet or hungry, and it may also depend on the temperament of your child. But, its worth a try for an uninterrupted rest, huh?

Babies just wanna have fun.
Toys are nice, and videos are eye catching, but one sure-fire way to entertain your baby is to sing and dance, and then sing and dance some more. As they become old enough to stand with your helping hands, they want to start dancing. Hold them steady and bounce away to the music. Its good exercise for you both, and its hours of giggly fun and bonding.

It's also loads of fun to get their fingers and toes involved.  ‘This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home…'  Gentle tickling and digit wiggling while lively, pleasant music is playing can get your baby laughing with joy.

For your older children, making music with homemade instruments can be a lot of fun. Banging on pots, making rubber band guitars, and decorating rice shakers can provide hours of craft time fun, as well as musical mania. The older your kids are, the more hands on they will want to be. Try to encourage this behavior and get involved in the process.

These are the best bonding years you will ever get, so spend every second you can making it memorable and musical.

For more information on our Emmy Award winning CD of original music performed by live orchestral music and sung by the Juno Baby cast or our DVD on creating music with your little one, please visit our website at www.junobaby.com.

This blog post was provided by Stephanie Parker - our blog writer extraordinaire!