We are all after a good night’s sleep – both for ourselves and our babies. But how to achieve that is a different question. One of the first things I suggest to parents, is to focus on creating a calm and soothing bedtime routine for your child. This is the time when your child prepares for bed and begins to make their own associations with sleep. Baby sleep music is something you can incorporate into your routine to make it even better, particularly for babies and younger toddlers.
Why use music?
Music is well known to affect mood and ease stress. So it is not difficult to see that music can be a useful medium to get your baby into the right state for sleep. When you create a bedtime routine for your child, it is important to avoid overstimulating them. You should, instead, aim to create a calm, soothing environment and music can be a wonderful addition to get your child in the mood for bed.
Music to soothe your baby into sleep mode
It is well known that screen time is very stimulating for children and should be avoided at least 1 hour before bedtime. However, music, and particularly the right type of music, can be just what your child needs to help them relax and unwind in the evening. The right music can help prepare the body for sleep by slowing your child’s breathing and lowering their heart rate. At the same time, it will probably help calm you down too! Remember this is about listening to music and not watching a screen with music. A phone screen will stimulate rather than relax and won’t have a calming effect on your child.
The right music can help prepare the body for sleep by slowing your child’s breathing and lowering their heart rate.
There is no “perfect” bedtime music and sometimes the sound of your own voice is the most soothing and reassuring of all. You could try:
- Singing your child a lullaby – some children enjoy joining in.
- Choosing a calming nursery song that your child loves.
- There are plenty of suggestions on the internet of songs that can be suitable for your child.
- Or you can choose our specially designed baby sleep music below.
Can I use baby sleep music to put my child to sleep?
Whilst there is plenty of baby sleep music available to download, try not to be tempted to allow your child to fall asleep to the sound of music. This is because your child may end up waking up in the night and needing the same music to get them back to sleep again. You want to avoid the music becoming a sleep aid. Instead, introduce it towards the end of the bedtime routine in order to calm your child down and prepare them for bed. However, make sure you turn it off before you put your child to sleep. Consistency is key when creating any routine, so, where possible, use the same baby sleep music every night. Just avoid leaving the music playing as they drift off to sleep.
Try not to be tempted to allow your child to fall asleep to the sound of music as your child may end up waking up in the night and needing the same music to get them back to sleep again.
Sleep Superstars’ baby sleep music
One of the mums from our superstar community composed this beautiful melody that you might want to incorporate into your child’s bedtime routine. It was carefully composed to help create a soothing atmosphere for your child’s bedtime. So why not give it a try and let us know what you think?
by Superstar mum, Jodie Cohen
And if you need some more help with your baby’s sleep, Sleep Superstars is there for you. We provide sleep welfare packages for babies and children aged 6-36 months, for a fraction of the cost of a traditional sleep consultant. Our sleep packages include a sleep plan and resource pack that is tailored to your child and your preferences as a parent. To find out how it works see here and read our testimonials.
