If your baby has had any amount of trouble falling asleep, you know how frustrating it can be. She just gets downright fussy, and it can make those early weeks of parenting turn into something of a blur.
Parents with a baby that has a hard time falling asleep will try just about anything to get their little one to relax and drift off. One of the most successful methods of getting babies to sleep is using music. Not only does music soothe the savage beast, some parents can attest to the fact that music can sooth a savage baby!
In fact, where do you think the lullaby comes from? It’s based on the idea that music can help your baby sleep.
The tough part of this is that, like every person has their own likes and dislikes when it comes to music, so each baby is likely to respond differently to different kinds of music.
To figure out if music can help your baby sleep, here are some steps you can take:
- Start out with something soft, with a steady beat, at a slow or moderate tempo. Play it when your baby ought to be sleeping, but she’s instead being fussy.
- Choose a melody that is simple, repetitive and consistent. Light jazz or mild classical music is always a good choice to start with.
- Keep the volume loud enough that it holds your baby’s attention, but not so loud that it makes him more anxious.
- Try different musical styles until you find one that your baby seems to respond to.
- Play the music each night just before your baby goes to sleep, even if she’s not giving you a hard time falling asleep. That way, it will help your baby associate the music with sleep.
Finally, you need to make sure you’re being smart about playing music to help your baby fall asleep. Don’t try to use headphones for your baby. If you use a baby monitor, make sure that it’s set up and positioned such that you can still hear whether or not your baby is sleeping over the sound of the music in the background.