Lullaby Songs and Why They Work

Lullaby songs are quiet, repetitive, gentle songs sung to put a baby to sleep ⁽¹⁾. Parents have sung to babies in every known historical period and culture. Evidently lullabies work, otherwise parents would have stopped singing centuries ago. Only parenting behaviours that are useful stand the test of time. Otherwise, they simply disappear. 

Scientific research confirms what parents already knew: Lullabies work. Let me tell you why. 

Listening to Lullaby Songs Is Good for Babies

• It helps them regulate their emotions. 
• It creates a nurturing environment and helps develop a bond with their parent. 
• It passes on cultural traditions.
• It helps stimulate language development.
• It helps to create a bedtime routine ⁽²⁾.

Many of the studies examining music and infant sleep are conducted with premature babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). For example, there was a study ⁽³⁾ that compared three groups of babies: one group listened to Mozart, a second group listened to their mothers singing lullabies, and a third group of babies who did not listen to anything. Researchers found that babies who were sung to by their mothers slept and fed better than babies in the other two groups. Other studies show that when babies listen to lullabies their heart rate slows down and their pupils dilate.

But Why Is It Better for Babies to Listen to a Lullaby Song Than Say… Taylor Swift?

This is the question that researchers are trying to understand. Is there something specific about lullabies songs that babies find especially appealing or does something happen when a parent sings a lullaby to their baby that is special?

It seems that there is something about lullaby songs that babies find soothing. Baby lullaby songs are structurally different to other song categories. They are usually slow, soothing melodies that mimic the feeling or motion of being rocked. Researchers ⁽⁴⁾ did a study examining lullabies in different languages, including Gaelic, Mayan, and Scandinavian. They found that babies calmed down when listening to a lullaby even when they could not understand the language. This suggests that what matters is the melody, rather than the lyrics. 

When parents sing a lullaby song to their babies they do it differently than when they sing other types of songs ⁽⁵⁾. When singing lullabies songs, parents use infant directed speech. This speech is characterized by high pitch, slower tempo, rhythmic patterning, and greater pauses between words. Babies like it when their caregivers use this type of speech. 

Finally, when a parent sings a lullaby to their child a meaningful parent-baby connection is established ⁽⁶⁾. The baby knows that the parent is there and that they are being taken care of. Indeed, research shows that babies prefer face-to-face singing over recorded singing. 

Singing Lullabies Is Also Beneficial for Parents

Singing lullaby songs is not only good for the baby but it seems to have beneficial effects for the parent too. Mothers who sing to their babies regularly have been found to experience less postpartum depression, higher wellbeing, self-esteem, and felt closer to their baby ⁽⁷⁾. It is important to note that we cannot clearly say that singing causes mothers to be happy, but there seems to be a link between mothers and singing and them feeling better. However, it could also be that mothers who feel better are more likely to sing. It seems that singing supports the mental health of new mothers ⁽⁸⁾. Music is not only beneficial for mothers. Studies show that singing is linked with better mental health, wellbeing, and quality of life across different groups of people.

What Are the Most Famous Lullabies in English?

• Row, Row, Row Your Boat
• Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
• Rock-a-Bye Baby
• Hush, Little Baby

Lullabies or White Noise? Which Is Best?

White noise is a type of broadband sound that includes all audible frequencies. Basically, it is a noise that does not have any pattern to it. White noise improves sleep for some babies, although researchers do not yet know exactly why. One theory is that it masks background noise that can disrupt sleep. White noise acts as a constant in the room (babies really like consistency) and it drowns out other noises. 

There is one important thing to consider if you use a white noise machine: its volume. In 2014, the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) tested 14 white noise machines designed for babies and found that all of them, when at maximum level, exceeded hospital-recommended noise levels. As a result, the AAP guidelines state that noise machines should at least 200 centimetres away from the baby and the volume should never be set at maximum.

White noise machines have not been around long enough for us to really understand if they may have any negative effect. So far, they seem to be safe. Lullabies and white noise can be complementary to each other. However, unlike singing lullabies, using a white noise machine does not promote a close bond between parent and baby. 

If you are a parent and would like 1-2-1 support to solve any parenting issues you may be going through, get in touch with me. We are here to help you, with no agenda, no jugdgement. With the best experts and science-based information.

Love,

Ana

Dr Ana Aznar

References

⁽¹⁾ Oxford Dictionary

⁽²⁾ Eduardo Sá and Ana Torres. The Effect of Lullabies on the Mother and on Copyright © 2019 Eduardo Sá and Ana Torres. Her Relationship with the Baby: an Exploratory Study. OA J Behavioural Sci Psych2019, 2(1): 180010.

⁽³⁾ Yue W, Han X, Luo J, Zeng Z, Yang M. Effect of music therapy on preterm infants in neonatal intensive care unit: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Adv Nurs. 2021 Feb;77(2):635-652. doi: 10.1111/jan.14630. Epub 2020 Nov 17. PMID: 33200833.

⁽⁴⁾ Hilton CB, Crowley-de Thierry L, Yan R, Martin A, Mehr SA. Children infer the behavioral contexts of unfamiliar foreign songs. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2023 Mar;152(3):839-850. doi: 10.1037/xge0001289. Epub 2022 Oct 10. PMID: 36222671; PMCID: PMC10083193.

⁽⁵⁾ Trainor, L. J. (1996). Infant preferences for infant-directed versus noninfant-directed playsongs and lullabies. Infant Behavior & Development, 19(1), 83–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0163-6383(96)90046-6

⁽⁶⁾ Mehr SA & Krasnow MM Parent-o spring conflict and the evolution of infant-directed song. Evol. Hum. Behav. 38, 674–684 (2017).

⁽⁷⁾ Baker F, Mackinlay E. Sing, soothe and sleep: A lullaby education programme for first-time mothers. Br J Music Educ. 2006 Jul;23(2):147–160.

⁽⁸⁾ Fancourt D, Perkins R. Associations between singing to babies and symptoms of postnatal depression, wellbeing, self-esteem and mother-infant bond. Public Health. 2017 Apr;145:149-152. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2017.01.016. Epub 2017 Feb 27. PMID: 28359384.