Music for babies: how to live music at home from 0 to 2 years old
Before the age of 2, we have to have no methods or classes: your voice, play and the routines of the day are the best musical stimulation. We tell you what to do and what to expect.
From 0 to 2 years old, best musical stimulation isn't an application or a class: it's in your voice. Sing as you change it, move it to the rhythm of a song and let a pot hit with a stick spoon is, at this age, true music education.
It's not about accelerating their development or making them "more intelligent," but about music being a part of the day and a moment of play and link with Dad and Mom. Here you have concrete ideas by age, what it's best to expect and how it makes sense to look for classes.
To sum up
- Before the age of two, music lives at home: singing, dying, dancing and playing with sounds.
- Your voice's more worth anything but a record, but you don't play tuned.
- The best opportunities for music are routines: bathroom, diaper change, meals and sleep time.
- Music isn't a formula for accelerating development. It's play, link and shared enjoyment.
- Music initiation classes usually start at about 3 years old and earlier, the most valuable thing goes with families.
What is (and what isn't) musical stimulation in babies
"Music stimulation" sounds technical but with a baby means something very simple: offering them experiences with sound, rhythm and singing daily and affectionately. A baby doesn't have to understand music to enjoy it and lives with his body, through his or her voice, with his or her balancing and with his or her play.
It should also be clarified that:
- No race. No number of songs or minutes that "should" listen to a day.
- It's not to put background music at all times. The silence and sounds of the house are also part of his sound world.
- The idea that some music makes a baby more intelligent became popular, but it's not something that can be promised. What you can expect is a baby that enjoys, recognizes his songs and shares with you a special moment.
What to do by age
Each baby has his or her own rhythm, so he or she takes these phases as a reference, but not as a list of goals to be met.
| Edad | What many babies do | What can you do? |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 6 months | They calm down or they get activated with your voice, they stand still listening and seek out where a sound comes from. | Singing him low and close, pounding him to the rhythm of a pounding song, talking with a singing voice throughout the day. |
| 6 to 12 months | They have been pounding as if they were singing and hitting objects and they have been swinging and sitting while they play music. | Games with palms, stewards, pots and paddle spoons, with gestures as "The chicks say." |
| 12 to 18 months | They bounce and move with music, they mimic sounds and demand that you repeat what they love. | Dancing together, playing and stopping while the music stops, offering a small drum or a few seawater. |
| 18 to 24 months | They complete words from known songs, demand their favorites and march or leap with the rhythm. | Let him complete the last word of every sentence, make up songs with his name, march through the house. |
The music at day's routines
The routines that you have are the best opportunity, because they are repeated every day and the baby learns how to anticipate them.
When changing his diaper and dressing him
A short song that will always come with that moment makes it more predictable and sometimes more quiet. You can name body parts singing while you wear it.
In the bathroom
The water invites to play with sounds: splashing to the rhythm of a song, singing the same fast and then slow words, and making a pat against water.
At meals and at the car
Replay and palma songs work very well while waiting for food or in the middle of a tricón. In the car, it modifies the music with your own voice.
At bedtime
A single pony song every night becomes a sign that the rest arrives. Sing it slow and with a soft voice and get down and get up and about to silence.
Your voice's his first instrument
Many dads and moms don't sing because they think they do bad. Your baby doesn't care about that: your voice's the sound she best knows, and an outmoded song with love tells her more than a perfect recording.
- He sings slow and with short phrases and can follow and later imitate you.
- He repeated the same songs many times. Babies love what's known, and repetition's his way of learning.
- If you don't know about children's songs, you have to say what you know: a grandmother's bambucco, a vallenate, a ballast or a round as "Rice with milk."
- Inventing: put his name into a known melody or sing what they are doing ("we are now washing our hands...").
- When the song stops and the baby's dashing or moves, she's answering and she's still up and up and up.
listening to varied music also adds up to: children's songs, classical music, curulao, cumbia, salsa or what's at home. The important thing is listening to her together, dancing and reacting to her, but she doesn't sound alone in another room.
Volume, screens and other care
- Moderate volume: if you have to raise your voice to speak above the music, it's too strong for a baby.
- Avoid hearing aids in babies and keep speakers at some distance from the cradle or car.
- Check electronic musical toys: some sound very strong and close to the ear. If you can, select those that allow to lower the volume.
- He preferred live and shared music to videos. To sing, dance and play with him weighed more than to put him in front of a screen with songs.
- Don't fill all day with sound. The moments of calm help you to notice the sounds as they appear.
If you're thinking about giving him his first instrument, these [children's music gift ideas]](/blog/regalos-musicales-para-ninos) They help you choose something that's secure and suitable for your age.
When do we get some music class?
Before age 2, you don't have to have a class to have your baby living with his music: all that she needs is at home. Some families have a group space of baby music with their parents and they can be a pretty experience but they're not a requirement.
The [Music initiation] classes](/clases/iniciacion-musical) usually start about 3 years old, as the child can already play with simple slogans for a while. These signs indicate that that moment approaches:
- He wants concrete songs and recognizes them from his first grades.
- He moves with his music deliberately: march, leap or stop as soon as he stops.
- Imitates gestures and sounds in "do as I do."
- Enjoy short guided activities with another adult, and with his or her father or his mother.
If you want to know what a class's like at that age, read [3-year-old music classes]](/blog/clases-de-musica-para-ninos-de-3-anos) and, to understand the complete stage, what's musical initiation?.
Frequently asked questions
Is it good to put music to a baby to sleep with?
It can help to create a routine, especially if it's always the same song, soft and low volume. Singing for you works even better. Avoid leaving strong music ringing throughout the night and at sleep, put it down and put it out.
What kind of music's best for a baby?
What's best for them are their variety and their share with them: children's songs, rounds, classical music, Colombian rhythms and music that you like. The songs with simple melodies and a lot of repetition are especially easy to follow.
Do I need to know music to stimulate my baby?
No. Just sing and move with him and play with sounds. No matter if you get out of tune: your voice and your attention are what the baby enjoys.
Do you have a good time with your baby while she's pregnant?
Many families do so as a moment of connection and it's a pretty custom. Take so, as something to enjoy, without expecting specific effects. After birth, these same songs can become the first of their family repertoire.