As a mom, you are equipped with all sorts of awesome instinctive tools for soothing a fussy baby. Did you know your voice alone is extremely comforting for your baby? If you think about it, your little peanut has been listening to your voice long before she arrived. She started hearing your voice from the womb in the third trimester, so when you speak to her, she recognizes that it’s you.
Newborns tend to feel very comfortable around noises. After all, the womb was a very loud place! This is why most #ParentHacks for soothing a baby include sounds like lullabies, singing, vacuum cleaners, hairdryers and fans. The reality is all sorts of sounds can calm a fussy baby.
Plus, babies tend to arouse out of sleep every 20-45 minutes due to their infant sleep cycle, so sounds can help them ease back to sleep during those “arousal peaks.” Longer more restful sleep equals a happier baby! Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which sound can help soothe your baby.
Music for Newborns
When the world of parenthood welcomed brands like Baby Einstein, research about the benefits of music for newborns went mainstream. In fact, experts agree that babies can recognize songs they heard in utero. For example, an associate professor of music education at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University claims that the songs you sang to your baby in the womb will be the same songs that soothe her as an infant.
Baby Lullabies
If you aren’t buying CDs of infant sleep music, use your own vocal chords to do the trick. The baby lullabies most of us know by heart have the right tempo to comfort and soothe your baby even if you sing them off key. Babies aren’t typically picky about that! They love hearing your voice no matter what. Plus, singing in a soft whisper distracts infants from crying, because they’re trying to figure out where the sound is coming from.
White Noise
Another popular method for soothing fussy babies is using white noise. White noise helps babies relax and block out stimulation that can cause stress. It also drowns out unexpected loud noises that can jolt them out of sleep like rambunctious siblings or barking dogs. This may be one of the easiest, most inexpensive and effective ways to soothe your fussy newborn.
There's An App for That
It’s easy to find a variety of soothing sounds for your baby on your mobile device. There are lots of cool apps with great music for your baby, as well as white noise apps. You may even want to test out a white noise app yourself if you’re sleeping in the same room as your newborn. Tiny babies are often loud sleepers. Perhaps you can catch a few more soothing Zzzs too!
About Cathy Hale
Cathy Hale is a nationally recognized writer and lifestyle blogger.
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About Cathy Hale
Cathy Hale is a nationally recognized writer, lifestyle blogger, autism advocate and proud mother of two. In 2008, she began navigating the wild world of motherhood as a mom blogger after her oldest son was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. Cathy's candid perspective about raising a child on the autism spectrum garnered national interest. Cathy has contributed articles and appeared in lifestyle powerhouses like Babble, iVillage, Betty Confidential, SELF, HLN, Marie Claire, Parents and Parenting. Cathy grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and attended Virginia Commonwealth University where she graduated with a BA in English and a German minor. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her family and writes about life in the Texas Hill Country for LakeTravisLifestyle.com.