Bonding through music
Whatever her culture or social class, every mother instinctively coos, hums, and sings to her baby – even before her baby is born.
Studies have shown that babies hear and respond to external sounds during pregnancy, and recognize their mother's voice at birth. So when you talk to your baby, and even more when you sing her a lullaby, she experiences the same sense of security and well-being she felt in the womb. Your baby won't understand the lyrics, but she'll respond to the way you sing the song.
"A lullaby is a mother's tenderness put to music," says writer Eliana Tardio. Tardio, originally from Bolivia, is an educational outreach liaison at the Florida Healthy Start Coalition, an organization that provides free or low-cost medical services to mothers at risk of having a premature baby or a baby with genetic problems.