Are you a shower singer? A wannabe performer? Are you the parent or guardian of an infant? Have I got news for you . . . no matter your skills, sing your heart out for your baby’s sake and yours!

New research published in Child Development indicates singing to an infant can actually improve health outcomes for not only baby, but for parent. Singing occurs in all cultures and singing to an infant is common. But this research demonstrated a causal effect – in other words, singing caused a more positive mood in the infant, potentially leading to less parental stress and more parent-child bonding. Other research agrees – even singing to premature babies in the hospital can improve the baby’s health. So, those of you who live or work with babies – sing your heart out! One caveat is that the music you sing needs to be soothing. Belting out the latest grunge or punk rock song may be cathartic for you but probably not best for baby.

Interested in learning some easy lullabies? I wrote some! Go to my lullabies HERE to listen to a sample or download.

Happy singing!

“Our main finding was that [singing] led to measurable improvements in infants’ general mood as reported by caregivers.” Dr. Samuel Mehr