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A baby's brain develops rapidly in the first year of life, with brain cells constantly connecting to other brain cells to help the baby learn about the world around him. Exposing a baby to different situations and experiences, including music, early in his life helps him grow and develop.
Play is an important part of brain development in babies and young children, so it is vital to make time to play with your baby regularly. Play helps to teach important things such as social skills, attention span, and basic communication. Motor skills are developed through play as well as visual tracking and eye-hand coordination. Language skills are also learned; babies can begin to understand problem-solving and creativity is enhanced.
Advances in science have greatly increased the chances of bringing a child to term, but science doesn't always protect an unborn child from environmental factors. Although you're not likely to come into contact with dangerous environmental factors, at least not in large quantities, there are still a number of factors that mothers should know about. Studying these factors can help you take steps to stay away from the bad stuff and give your child the nutrients he or she needs to grow and come to term.
A variety of studies have suggested that listening to music, especially classical music, can have a positive effect on short term memory and problem-solving ability. These theories do have detractors, as some theorists argue that the memory boost is a side effect rather than direct result of listening to music.
Exposing your baby to music brings obvious advantages -- soothing melodies may compose a colicky baby while an upbeat tune can help animate the baby's mood. Babies learn early to distinguish sounds such as familiar voices, and they can even discern patterns in more complicated Mozart pieces. However, making music for babies does not have to be complex to be effective.
The question of whether or not music helps to stimulate intelligence and creativity in an unborn baby has yet to be answered. Many expecting mothers and fathers do not want their unborn children to miss out on any opportunities and make sure that music is a regular part of their days. Understanding what an unborn baby can and cannot hear will help you in deciding how to best incorporate your music listening techniques.
Babies show their love of music, as evidenced by smiles, coos and squeals. In fact, music and the freedom to experiment with music may help babies learn about the world around them, their own body movements, and the fundamentals of sound. Many simple household items or baby toys can be used to create a lifelong interest in music and musical instruments.
Babies begin developing in utero, with the ability to hear sounds that are happening outside of the womb. Playing music to a baby in utero is an activity thought to help to stimulate the baby's developing brain. Using soft music, mothers can allow their baby to listen through headphones and feel as the baby kicks more or becomes calm and still.
A baby can hear by the 28th week of pregnancy, according to the "Noise and the Pregnant Woman" article published by Occupational and Environmental Medicine department at Michigan State University in the fall of 2003. Unborn babies tend to react to sound; particularly familiar sounds, such as her mother's voice. Playing music for your baby while she's still in the womb can encourage a deeper bond between the two of you, especially if you continue the bonding time after she's born.
While popular sentiment still holds that playing classical music for your baby will make him smarter, there is evidence of a direct link between playing this genre of music for your baby and his increased intelligence. However, playing classical music (and to a lesser extent, other musical genres) can still prime your baby's brain for better musical development and create spatial-reasoning pathways. The effects are even longer lasting when children learn to play an instrument. Even though your baby may not be ready to pick up an instrument, there are still ways you can give her a solid musical foundation.
The effect of classical music on babies is known as the Mozart effect. It is widely disputed as to whether classical music actually makes babies "smarter." However, it is commonly agreed that music has a profound effect on mood, spatial intelligence, memory and language. Listening to music can even have positive effects on health and immune systems. The impact of music on everyday life cannot be argued. Music manipulates moods, enriches story lines and envelops minds. This impact occurs on both babies and adults.
Listening to classical music probably will not make your baby smarter or raise her IQ. However, it may help to prime her brain for specific types of thinking. Classical music has a structure that is different from and more complex than most other types of music. According to Diane Bales, Ph.D., in an article entitled "Building Baby's Brain: The Role of Music" on the Education Oasis website, this structure seems to stimulate the same pathways in the brain that are responsible for spatial reasoning.
These days there are a lot of studies and research being conducted on how music affects the sleep patterns of babies and toddlers. It has been evident for a long time that music can help babies and toddlers sleep deeper and better.
Starting at around 18 weeks' gestation, babies can hear sounds, and hearing becomes fully functional by the third trimester. Research hasn't proven that playing music to an unborn baby helps in any way, but parents like to do this to interact with their baby from an early age. This is an especially good way for Dad to have some time with the child, as he can play music while talking to the baby or reading a story.
Prenatal bonding with your baby is special and important. Unborn babies can see, hear and feel. When you start bonding with your baby, your body releases a chemical called endorphins into your bloodstream and it creates a good feeling for your baby. The following are some of the many ways to bond with your unborn baby--and start a lifetime of love and commitment.
The best cool, musical baby toys! Learn all about baby toys that play music or introduce your child to music in this free video clip on baby safety and baby learning toys.
