Playing music has many benefits for your baby, including brightening their mood and boosting their language skills. Playing music for your baby is also a great way to interact with your baby in their first year of life and set the stage for a lifelong love of music and musical development.

What music should you play for your baby?

It may seem like the best music for babies is classical music or lullabies, but the truth is any music is baby-friendly. In fact, if you play the music you enjoy, you will have a lot more fun listening and singing along. Of course, the more fun you have playing music for your baby, the more likely you are to do it more often.

There are other benefits to listening to music you enjoy with your baby. Dancing along with the music has many benefits for both you and your baby. Dancing with your baby can trigger the release of oxytocin, the bonding hormone that is also produced during nursing. Studies have also shown that babies who move rhythmically to music smile more, are easier to soothe, and are more willing to explore the environment around them than babies that only listen to music.

Making music a regular part of your routine may also prompt your baby to speak sooner. Babies who engage in making music and moving to music tend to use more communicative gestures. The more your baby communicates through gestures, the faster your baby is likely to acquire language skills.

Listening to music can be very beneficial for babies. It can strengthen your relationship with your baby, boost their language skills, and prompt them to explore the world around them. It may be tempting to stick with lullabies and classical music, but your baby can listen to any kind of music, including classic rock and R&B!