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March 2012 Moms
Will you play music for your baby in utero?
Some sources say that they can hear external noises at 16 weeks, some say 22 and up....
I felt my first external kick this Friday, and the baby has really been making herself known all weekend, so last night MH and I decided to experiment to see if she would respond to sound stimuli. We have one of those wooden frog things that "croaks" when you run a wooden rod over its back. (like this https://www.thaicraftwarehouse.com/tcwProduct.php?fashid=18618&advid=frg ) It isn't super loud, but the sound is like percussion. He held it close to my belly and made it croak a few times and the baby kicked (she hadn't been kicking before that)!
I also noticed that when I was washing dishes (which tends to be a little noisy), I was feeling a lot more movement.
So last night I put some headphones on my belly and played baby some Radiohead. She started spazzing out. It was In Rainbows (I know some of you are Radiohead fans), and the first track has a lot of percussion. I feel a bit bad tho because I'm pretty sure at this stage that the baby's ears aren't developed enough to recognize a song, so I was probably just terrifying her with all of that loud noise (I didn't have it turned up super loud, don't worry). She was probably like "what the eff is all that racket???"
Are any of you going to play music for your unborn baby (maybe a little later when they supposedly can start to recognize beats and melodies)? What will you play?
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Re: Will you play music for your baby in utero?
I figured we would try it. I am not going to buy any of the special in utero music players or anything but I will try it with headphones.
I don't know what I will play...maybe Whiskeytown or Wilco. Radiohead would be nice or maybe just Miles Davis. I did get the They Might Be Giants children's CDs but I think that is more for once the kid can understand words.
Wilco is a good idea! I will definitely be playing some classical and some lullabies too. Maybe some of the Legend of Zelda score (lol).
I was unreasonably proud that the baby seemed to have a big reaction to Reckoner on In Rainbows, which is one of my top 10 favorite songs ever.
One of the emails that I got for the babies' development said that the best music to play for them is anything that mimicks the sound of mom's heart beat (I guess anything that has the same beat) like classical music. I know we'll end up playing music for the babies at some point, probably the music that I grew up listening to (DMB, Rusted Root, John Mellencamp). I'd definitely be interested to see if putting music on makes them move any more/faster.
FYI, I also read that babies at this point react to light, so if you shine a flashlight at your belly, they'll move away from it. I think this might be interesting to try at some point.
I've played a wide variety of music for Liam. Everything from classical to hard metal. It appears that he is fond of David Bowie.
Hahaha. I know the sound of me playing music as a middle schooler was terrifying!
I'm sure those of you with careers in music will have very musical children. I'm jealous. I love music, but I have no musical aptitude whatsoever.
McG, I will definitely try the flashlight thing!
And, you know, I do think those fetal listening systems are ridiculous (if they were cheaper, MAYBE, but I can't imagine spending $100 on something so frivolous), but I do think I need to get a splitter for my headphones or something so I can listen to the music with the baby. Last night I just put the headphones on my belly, but I couldn't hear the music. I read that the baby responds to your emotional reaction to the music, so it would be nice to know that we are both listening to it and experiencing it together.
YES YES YES!!
I did with my DD & it always helped soothe her as a baby after she was born. I bougth a jazz lullaby mix that I played to my belly, and would also play it when I needed her to sleep & it worked like a CHARM!
Since I was exposed to a lot of music in utrero (my mom is a musician/music director, later full time music teacher) and I am doing the same for the baby. I already got the Ritmo sound system (https://www.nuvo-group.com/ritmopregnancy)
and have played Stairway to Heaven, a few Smashing Pumpkins songs and Mozart's Requiem.
I am planing on playing some of the Japanese metal/rock bands that DH and I listen to so the baby can get used to it before it's born. Actually I plan on playing just about every band/artist/group/composer we listen to so the baby will find it familiar when it's out in the world.
Funny story about babies in the belly and music: When my mom was pregnant with my brother she was music directing a show and had to have a page turner since she couldn't reach the score easily past her belly. One night she's playing a song and nodding like crazy at the page turner to turn the page but he wasn't doing it- she had to kick the guy finally. After the song was done she asked him what happened. Apparently my brother was bouncing around to the music so much her whole belly was shaking like crazy and he was staring at it.
ETA make clicky.
Speaking of Radiohead have you all heard about the Rockabye Baby CDs? They are lullaby renditions of a lot of bands. Everything from Metallica to the Pixies. They even have Radiohead: https://www.amazon.com/Lullaby-Renditions-of-Radiohead/dp/B000QZWBFQ/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1318862995&sr=8-21
I may have added more than 10 of them to my Amazon wishlist.
ETA another clicky.
I don't think I could love you more, Cho! I have a Legend of Zelda CD that I got with the deluxe copy of Twilight Princess that I was also planning on playing for baby. And of course she has already been exposed to tons of Radiohead. I listen to them to and from work and sing along during my 40 minute commute.
BitsKD13: I have heard of those Rock-a-Bye Baby CDs. I will definitely be getting the Radiohead one. I know they have come out with tons the past few years. I will have to check to see if there are any other bands I like.