Since sound is vibrations travelling through the air and into our ears, the sense of sound develops even before a child is born. Babies in the womb start to respond to music, their parents’ voices, and they even startle when hearing loud or sudden sounds at around 24 weeks gestation. You can begin to understand the value of sound for your baby by reading about it, playing lullabies, and singing to her even before you meet her.
Before Birth
Most people have heard that doctors recommend reading or playing music for your baby while they’re in the womb, but not many people actually do it. What you read or the music you play isn’t nearly as important as the fact that you’re doing it. You can play rock and roll, read a dictionary, or even play the trombone and your baby will start to develop preferences for certain sounds. Once an infant is born, they can recognize their mother’s (and father’s) voice, as well as other sounds they remember from the womb.
Newborns and Infants
Babies are fascinated by new sounds, music, songs and voices. Their sense of hearing is still developing, and they are much more sensitive to noise than adults. Most children’s toys, such as mobiles, exersaucers, baby seats and play mats, have music built in at different volume levels. Try to keep the music varied and at different volumes to keep your child from getting bored with repetitious sounds.
One of the best sound activities you can do with your child is to just sing to them, no matter how off-key you may be. You can sing an actual song or just make up a song about what you are doing at the moment. For example, if you’re making dinner, you can sing a song about chopping vegetables or cooking on the stove. Your baby will start to hear different tones as well as vocabulary, and it’s a great way to bond with your little one.
Six months old is the perfect time to introduce a foreign language to your baby, even if you don’t speak one yourself. Play music in Spanish, put on a French movie or search YouTube for speeches in other languages. Your baby doesn’t have to understand the words, but his ears and brain will begin to record the new sounds they are hearing.
Older Babies and Toddlers
Babies and toddlers are able to recognize simple words and commands and have a longer attention span than when they were younger. Board books with sound buttons combine sounds with pictures while they use their motor skills to turn pages. Baby Einstein and Leap Frog both have toys designed specifically for babies and toddlers. These toys include musical instruments, simple video games (yes, for babies too!) and audiobooks. Many of these toys also come in more than one language. This helps babies and toddlers learn more than one language while they play.
