The Perfect Baby CD

By Mrs. Denie Riggs

Thankfully our culture is becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of music for babies. Toy manufacturers are producing musical toys of all kinds, and baby music CDs and videos are becoming very popular.

All of this “musical hoopla” can leave parents curious as to what will best benefit their baby. They may even question if music really enhances and what type is best?

When given the assignment to research and report on music/music videos for baby age 0-12 months, I went in search of the “perfect” baby CD.

I found that some…

• Incorporated nature sounds of the ocean, birds, crickets, etc.
• Contained light instrumental melodies.
• Contained familiar children’s melodies with female or children’s voices.
• Contained worship and love songs without drums or low bass.
• Contained only classical music in its original form.

Here is some general important I found:

• Baby videos were not recommended for very young babies. And it is recommended that babies over six months be permitted to view them only one hour per day.
• It is recommended that you do NOT play any kind of music in your baby’s nursery 24 hours a day as it can over-stimulate.

I found two types of baby CDs… those that calm and those that enhance.

Most of the highly advertised baby CDs calm only. They contain soothing music and sounds with properties that soothe people of every age.

But it is possible to use music’s power to calm and enhance your baby. Evidence from research shows that exposing your baby to certain styles of classical music has the power to increase intellectual ability by stimulating electrical responses in the brain, promoting creativity, bringing calm and enhancing innate abilities while stimulating life-long learning.

A child’s brain “blooms” and “prunes” several times in the first five years of life; yet researchers say that eight-month-old babies have more neural synapses seeking paths to wire than at any other age. That means that they are “ripe” to be enhanced by music’s power.

• Music research* indicates that interactive musical activities of gently bouncing your baby to music enhances beyond merely listening to music.
• Baby CDs should contain instrumental music with high voicing like strings and piano with many repeated patterns.
• These patterns should be slow and even… around 60-80 beats per minute. Usually the second movement of classical music meets these criteria. I especially recommend Clementi, Beethoven and Mozart.

What is my recommendation?

• Go to the dollar store and pick up some classical CDs. Look for the second movement of these particular composers.
• Go to the Christian bookstore and seek out CDs with instrumental hymns and worship songs performed in a classical style with strings and piano.
• Create your own compilation.
• Play these CDs daily and let their richness enhance your baby.

Well, does the “perfect” baby CD exist? Yes. It’s the one that brings enjoyment to your baby!

* The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell and Tomorrow’s Baby by Dr. Thomas Verney.