How Can Music Help to Soothe Your Baby?

Music can soothe more than the savage beast. It can do wonders for babies, too, says Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Music Therapist Sarah Nolan, MT-BC, NICU-MT. Nolan works in the Expressive Arts and Therapies department inside CHLA’s Mark Taper and Johnny Mercer Artists Program, using music to promote babies’ healing, development, and well-being.

But parents should understand that it’s not enough to cue up a Spotify playlist of lullabies and go on to other tasks. As Nolan says, therapeutic music can quickly become intrusive noise if delivered to babies at the wrong time, at the wrong volume, or in the wrong amount. She asks: “How can we aid in their development through music while also protecting them from overstimulation?”

In this question-and-answer session, Nolan explains how to achieve the right balance.

What guidelines on playing music for newborns should parents follow?

As a rule, we advise no more than four hours of music per day. We can increase the time, volume, and complexity as the baby gets older. For example, instead of a time limit of 30 minutes, it’s 60 minutes, and we’re not as worried about volume because older babies have been much more exposed to environmental noise. The music can become more complex because they’ll tolerate more stimulation. These guidelines are for preemies and newborns but can be adapted as your baby grows older.

• Do 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off, while watching for signs of overstimulation.
• Live singing or simple music with only voice, or voice plus piano or guitar—without abrupt changes in tempo or melody—are preferable.
• Keep the volume at the lowest audible level.
• Make sure there are no other competing noises in the room.
• Vary the music. If the same song is played repeatedly, no new learning will occur.
• Only play music when the baby is awake, after a diaper change or bath, or after a painful procedure. Do not play music during a painful procedure, and remove the music once the baby has fallen asleep.

Why do babies need protection from overstimulation?

This is something I tell moms: When your baby was growing inside, your body was doing an amazing job of protecting the baby against the outside environment. The sounds are muffled, it’s dark, and they are mostly hearing the sounds of your breathing and your heartbeat. When they are born, their brains are no longer protected. It’s important to recognize that everything is now brighter, louder, and more stimulating for them. So we want to support brain development. We can use music to do that, but we need to be cautious in our approach.

What are the signs that a baby is overstimulated?

Every baby will respond differently to sensory stimuli and what’s important is learning about your baby’s level of tolerance. Some signs of overstimulation include grimacing or furrowed brows; face turning red, indicating tense muscles; excessive yawning; hiccups; and splayed fingers—known as the universal “Stop!” hand. This might be the time to pause any music or touching to give them time to self-regulate, or start fading out the stimuli in the room altogether if you’ve reached the 30-minute time limit.

What can parents do to help babies calm down or cope?

Place a hand on their chest or cup their head. Patting can help, but the concept of “fading out” is important when using this technique. Begin to slow down the patting as the baby starts to calm more. If you’re singing while patting, try to sing to the tempo of your patting and slow everything down together. Instead of shushing, try to exhale with an ahhh sound. This helps mimic the sound of breathing, which helps babies to regulate.

Are there other music-related baby interventions you suggest?

Since music can be a big motivator, try singing to your baby but add pauses, and wait for them to respond with a babble, shaking a rattle, etc. Giving babies time and space to respond is important. If they perform the behavior, continue with the music. This teaches them the concept of cause and effect—for example, if I babble, I get more music—which is helpful for their development. Plus, you can turn any favorite song into a lullaby. Whether you are a fan of rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, or country, chances are your baby is familiar with these sounds. Just remember that lullabies are slow, soft, and simple, without abrupt changes.

How about using sound machines?

Sound machines, nature sounds, and mobiles are very repetitive and don’t offer much opportunity for interaction or learning. In the Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit at CHLA, we discourage using sound machines and musical toys until the baby reaches full term, and still prefer music with language and human interaction once babies are past full term. We want to think of providing music as an opportunity for learning versus just playing in the background. Music can turn into unwanted noise quickly as babies have a short attention span.

March 10-14 is Creative Arts Therapies Week, celebrating the art and music therapists who use the power of creative arts to support healing and well-being.