Using Music to Help Baby Sleep

Parents will try just about anything, at times, to help baby sleep. The fact of the matter is that any parent can tell you that they’ve had some trouble, at least occasionally, with a baby that doesn’t seem to want to go down for the night. He can become fussy, as he is too tired to stay awake but doesn’t want to go to sleep and miss anything.

One of the most effective techniques that parents have used in the past to help get baby to sleep is by using music. Music is known for it’s soothing properties, not only for babies but for moms and dads that are stressed out by sleepless nights, as well. Even the idea of the lullaby is based on the fact that people have been able to use music to soothe babies for centuries.

Of course, like adults, every baby is a little bit different when it comes to their musical tastes. Some babies are more picky than others, and some are more likely to be stimulated than soothed by certain types of music.

If you want to use music to help baby sleep, here are some steps to go through:

  1. Try music with a steady beat at a slow tempo first. Play it when your baby is trying to go to sleep, but is being fussy.
  2. Pick music that has a simple, consistent and even repetitive melody. Most classical music falls into this category, as does quite a bit of light jazz.
  3. Don’t play the volume so loud that it keeps baby awake. Make it loud enough to get and hold your baby’s attention, but not enough to make her more excited.
  4. Try a variety of musical styles. If your baby doesn’t respond to one type of music, try another type of music the following night.
  5. Consider playing music every night at bedtime, even if he isn’t having trouble sleeping. This will help your baby to associate the music with sleep.
  6. Make sure you follow some basic safety guidelines. Don’t put headphones on a sleeping baby, and if you’re using a baby monitor make sure the music doesn’t drown out your ability to hear if your baby were to start crying.