What You Need to Know about Music and Your Baby’s Development
Most of us have heard of the Mozart effect by now. The research behind it suggests that listening to Mozart and other classical tunes can improve mental tasks like spatial temporal reasoning. In turn, Moms everywhere began exposing their babies to classical tunes in hopes of making them “smarter.”
Contrary to popular belief, there is no concrete evidence that proves listening to classical music makes us smarter per-se, but there is a strong indication that it helps our baby’s cognitive development. What science is really saying is that processing sound is a cognitively stimulating exercise for babies.
How it works
Reputable sources like the Zero to Three (National Center for Newborns Toddlers and Family) claim that the first three years of a child’s life are the most significant in their brain’s development. By the time a child reaches age three, their brains grow exponentially and pathways between numerous cells are constructed. These pathways are called synapses. Listening to music primes the brain’s synapses needed for numerous cognitive tasks.
It isn’t JUST classical music
The classic genre is most commonly referred to when people talk about music and brain development. The reason isn’t simply because Mozart is better than Britney Spears. The value in classical music is in the complexity of its structure. Classical tunes typically employ compound instrumentation and harmony. This can certainly be found in other genres of music, but classical music is just the most retrievable genre to a larger audience.
The other benefits
Exposing our children to music as early as possible allows them to nurture language, creative, emotional and motor skills. Coordinating their bodies to the beats through dance helps them refine their motor skills and build self-expression. After 2 months babies are capable of remembering melodies which can of course develop their ability to store memories.
Babies have preferences
Infants are just as partial to music as we are. You’ll find that certain songs and genres ignite immediate responses of joy or… not. Pay attention to the cues your baby displays when you play Beethoven versus when you turn on Bruno Mars. It has been said that children have the capacity to attach emotional meanings to tunes during infancy. Some argue that this viral video of a 10-month-old having an emotional response to her mommy’s singing is a testament to an infants’ ability to associate music with emotions.
In addition to all the developmental benefits, music is just plain old enjoyable for both you and your baby. Do you have any footage of your baby rocking out to their favorite tunes? What are some of your baby’s favorite songs? Share with us on Instagram @zipadeezip with the hashtag #ZipaDeeZipMusic.
Written by Stephanie Parker from Sleepingbaby.com, inventor of the Zipadee-Zip
The motto for Sleeping Baby, makers of the Zipadee-Zip, is: "Inspiring Dreams One Night at A time," and that, in a nutshell, is how it all started…with one little dream that has since become the Parker family's reality. When Brett and Stephanie Parker's daughter, Charlotte, was born, the feeling that welled up inside of them was indescribable; they never realized until first looking into those baby blues of hers that they were even capable of that kind of love.
When it was time to transition baby from swaddling, the Parkers tried every sleep sack on the market and every swaddle weaning trick they could find for nearly two weeks and nothing worked to get baby Charlotte to fall and stay asleep.
Stephanie became determined to restore sleep and sanity to their household and set out to find a solution that would soothe Charlotte's startle reflex and provide her the cozy womb-like environment she loved so much but still give her the freedom to roll over and wiggle around in her crib safely. Out of sheer desperation and exhaustion, the Zipadee-Zip was born. The first Zipadee-Zip(R) Stephanie put together on her little sewing machine worked like magic!
To date tens of thousands of Zipadee-Zips have been sold and all from word-of-mouth marketing. It is so rewarding for the Parkers to see other parents and babies getting the sleep they both need and deserve!
For more information, visit sleepingbaby.com.
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