You’ve heard quite a bit about the supposed benefits of playing music while your baby is in your womb. You’ve been told it has to be classical music for it to do any good, but you’re more of a rock ‘n roll type of girl. Does that mean you’re going to have to suck it up and listen to Mozart for the next nine months?
Still other people say there aren’t any benefits, and some people suggest it might be harmful. What’s a pregnant girl to do?
Let’s take a closer look at the benefits and risks of playing music for your baby in the womb.
Does It Help?
If you want your child to someday be a prodigy, they will have to rely upon hard work, natural talent, and dedication. Listening to music in the womb isn’t going to automatically turn them into a baby genius. In fact, the science isn’t clear that it will help them in any way.
That doesn’t mean playing music to your baby in the womb won’t help in some fashion — it’s just that scientists haven’t established any clear-cut benefits yet.
Even if your baby might not get any benefit out of it, they may enjoy hearing music in the womb, particularly if it comes in the form of you singing to them while rubbing your belly. The sound of your voice is likely one of your baby’s favorite sounds, so you can start singing your favorite lullabies to them now while they are in your belly — there’s no need to wait.
But before you write off the benefits of music entirely, you should be aware that there are actual, tangible benefits for babies and older children when it comes to playing music or singing songs. Music can deliver physical, emotional, social, and educational benefits. So make sure to read up on how to incorporate music into your child’s life as he or she gets older.
Can It Hurt?
You wouldn’t think that playing music could hurt your developing baby in any way when you’re pregnant. But if you’re cranking up that music too loud, it could be overstimulating your baby. Fetuses are just like babies once they are born — they spend most of their time sleeping.
Have you ever tried to sleep with loud music playing? It’s difficult to do, even when you’re exhausted. It’s the same thing for your baby — if you play your music too loud, it can interfere with their sleep.
When you’re listening to music, keep in mind it can startle your baby if it is louder than 65 decibels. To help you realize how loud that might be, a vacuum cleaner is generally around 70 decibels, while a whisper is around 20 decibels.
Instead of playing music all day at your house while you clean or get things set up for your baby’s arrival, try playing it for a while and then giving it a rest in favor of some peace and quiet — something that will be in short supply for you once your baby arrives.
What You Can Do
Since there are no clear-cut benefits and the only real harm is if you play music too loud, you should do what you want. Play your music at a sensible volume, but other than that, there are no rules or restrictions you have to follow, which is a nice change for pregnant women who usually have all kinds of rules to follow.
Listen to the kind of music you like to, at a comfortable volume for both you and your baby. If you want rock ‘n roll, go for it.
Enjoy This Time
Before long, you’ll be scared to play any music for fear it will wake your baby. So make sure to enjoy these next few weeks where you can place all your emphasis on you. Pretty soon, it will be all about your baby, but you’ll love every minute of it.
Photo Credits
Child and mother – pexels creative commons
Child on xylophone – pixabay creative commons
Guest Author Bio
Jenny Silverstone
The mother of two, the writer at Studyclerk and a blogger for Mom Loves Best, Jenny Silverstone writes about her journey through motherhood and shares her passions for music, health, and everything related to keeping her family happy and spiritually grounded.
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