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.