Not only is singing a fantastic way to bond with a child, but it also has many benefits for parents as well.
A study conducted by researchers at the Italian University of Milano Bicocca found that encouraging pregnant mothers to sing to their unborn children, and continue after birth, had a significant effect on both infant behaviour and parental wellbeing.
Mothers were assigned to one of two antenatal groups. In one group they learned and practiced lullabies and were urged to sing to children in the womb and after birth. In the other, the class did not cover any material to do with lullabies.
Participants assigned to the singing group had significantly lower perceived maternal stress levels than those in the control group. The singing group also reported significantly greater bonding with their child than the non-singing group and found their children experienced few crying episodes in the first month.
It doesn’t matter that you don’t have the voice of an angel, your baby won’t mind! There’s a reason lullabies have been around for so long – they create connection and soothe, and help build growing brains too.
Read the full academic article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871519217300367?via%3Dihub