My now toddler son used to love listening to me sing as his baby; when we rocked back and forth I would sing him soothing lullabies of my own invention before sending him off into dreamland. Singing was and remains my preferred method for connecting with him.
But I know I’m not alone when it comes to enjoying singing songs for their babies and now research shows us the benefits of mother-led lullabies.
At the 25th annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society annual meeting, new research revealed that lullabies not only soothe both mother and infant but can also contribute to an infant’s cognitive development. Particularly, such songs may increase infant attention spans as well as display positive emotion toward their mothers.
What are the advantages of singing to my baby?
“For infant brains to make sense of music, they must track auditory events predictably in order to comprehend music”, states Laura Cirelli of University of Toronto’s Postdoctoral Fellow Laura Cirelli as she details its many benefits: it unites communities through shared musical experience – something which begins early. Music plays an essential part in community formation from infancy onwards!
Cirelli and his research team conducted this study to analyze how mamas sing to their babies with different end goals in mind: soothing or playing. Moms participating would sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” repeatedly while switching up between joyful and soothing tones as part of this initiative.
Researchers evaluated both mom and baby responses to external stimuli using behavior and skin conductance–an effect whereby skin becomes an electrical conductor in response to stimuli from outside or within their bodies.
According to their findings, researchers discovered that mom and baby both experienced reduced arousal levels when mothers sang soothing lullabies; however, their levels only increased slightly when using more playful tones when singing to infants. Furthermore, babies paid greater attention to their mothers while showing more positive emotions but exhibited stable levels of arousal, according to findings.
“Relations exist among rhythm, language abilities, attention, development, hearing acuity and social interactions” according to study co-author Jessica Grahn of Western Ontario – cognitive neuroscientist and associate professor – who noted: “Every sensation or action we experience happens gradually over time; now, scientists are beginning to understand why humans respond strongly to certain types of patterns but not others”.
These findings should come as no surprise; previous studies have proven the powerful impact that singing has on how babies interact with both parents and the outside world.
Cirelli’s current research builds upon her previous investigations of how music and rhythm influence behavior and social interactions. One such research article published by Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences found that people became more socially connected when moving in sync to musical accompaniment.
Results were replicated in another study published by Infancy in 2016, showing that 14-month-old infants who were bounced synchronously with unfamiliar adults were more useful to them than infants bouncing out-of-synch with them.
Two Harvard Medical School researchers discovered that singing lullabies to infants has evolved as a strategy to soothe crying or fussy infants, with infant-directed songs serving to signal parents’ attention towards them, providing assurances they will remain safe. According to this research, singing can become part of an infant’s calming routine as parents communicate reassurance they will stay protected during sleep time.
Max Krasnow, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard University and author of Infant-Directed Song: An Analysis notes: Infant directed song isn’t free – its costs come with singing to you directly or someone else at once and running away might make your vocal chords too weak to produce sounds – you can tell the direction my head is facing without looking directly. And you know when someone close by me comes closer. You know my distance when they don’t respond immediately.”
Mamas know singing can be a powerful tool of motherhood and now research has demonstrated its long-term benefits on children’s development. So continue singing your tune even if it sounds off key; your baby loves every second! They listen intently as their mama takes part.