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Parents, warm up those vocals: The time has come to take your singing out of the shower. A study published in the journal Infancy believes singing to a baby reduces stress and anxiety the little bundle might feel. You don't have to be Adele or Beyoncé to make your child more relaxed -- though it might help when it comes to not breaking glassware.
Isabelle Peretz -- one of the professors behind the study at the University of Montreal's Center for Research on Brain, Music and Language -- encourages parents to do more singing.
The study focused on 30 babies -- ages 6 to 9 months -- and their reactions to various sounds. Out of Mom and Dad's view, the participating little ones heard adult speech, infant speech (or "baby talk"), and singing. (Researchers used the Turkish language to prevent bias, as none of the babies were from Turkish-speaking households.) Based on the results of different experiments, Isabelle and other experts were able to conclude that infants listen to singing twice as long before showing any physical signs of distress -- thus reiterating the idea that singing to children can help them maintain their composure for a longer period of time.
Is this music to your ears?
More from The Stir: The Surprising Benefit to Singing to Your Baby
I don't have the best voice (okay, I can make dogs cry, but I can harmonize when my wine glass is full when the mood strikes), but I do love to sing. Sure it annoys my husband, but it is a great way to get my 1 1/2-year-old and 4-month-old boys' attention. Singing has also come in handy when my kids get fussy during a diaper change, or get impatient when their food doesn't come fast enough. Rather than use my "mom voice," I have no problem putting a doo-wop spin on things.
Who knew there's research to back up my endeavors?
Granted your child will cry when he or she needs something, but at least you can help delay the inevitable with a tune or two.
Keep calm and sing on.
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