My very first piece that I posted when I joined ChicagoNow was "Songs to Sleep To: A Nightime Playlist". Since then, I have posted 105 additional pieces. Yet, every day when I get my summary of how many people viewed my blog, that first piece is usually in the top five, sometimes even the top viewed of everything I've done.
When I posted that piece, one of my most loyal readers (okay, it was my aunt, who is in fact one of my most loyal readers) suggested I compile a list of lullabies. I thought it was a great idea, but it proved more difficult than I anticipated, not because there aren't contemporary artists out there singing for babies, but because so many artists have apparently tried to tap the lullaby market already- it was a little overwhelming, and I promptly shelved the idea because it seemed like too much work. However, in an act of public service, I have researched various songs of the lullaby genre.
As anyone who has ever had a baby--or been in contact with anyone who has a baby--knows, tackling the sleep issue is one of the thorniest parenting tasks. Unfortunately, it bleeds into all other areas of parenting because a sleep deprived parent is a cranky parent and that's good for no one. When our first daughter was born, she was very fussy indeed and gave us a run for our money. Somehow, however, at night she was more cooperative and as memorialized in her baby book, she slept from 10:30 PM until 7:00 AM at the tender age of seven weeks. What experts we were! What a testament to our superior parenting skills!
And then our second daughter was born.
Oh, how I wished I had taken detailed notes about what exactly we had done the first time around so we could replicate it because nothing seemed to work with the second one. Many nights were spent sleeping on the floor next to her crib because she wouldn't sleep by herself. At four months, the doctor told us it was time to let her cry. I'm not sure which was worse: being up with the baby or lying in bed listening to her cry. Even as a toddler, she always woke up crying. Why did she dislike her sleep so much?
Our third child, the little king, was very calm and would fall asleep on our laps without warning. The nights weren't so bad, but he began his day at 5 AM for month after month- unacceptable. We ultimately allowed him to crawl around our bedroom while we continued to sleep and he would finally fall back asleep for another hour or so. I assure you that technique is not recommended in any parenting book.
And the final baby exhibited possibly the maddening sleep habit of all: she was a cat napper. The darn thing wouldn't sleep for more than ten minutes at a crack during the day unless she was in her swing, and my neurotic and slightly anal tendencies wouldn't allow that unless the situation was extreme, which ended up being often. I had three other kids, after all.
Somehow, however, they all ended up being "good" sleepers by about their first birthdays and no horrible irreversible habits seemed to have been too ingrained. I am glad that phase of parenting is behind us, but I have a great deal of empathy for others going through it.
My point is that any type of sleep aid for parents is worthwhile if it proves helpful, and perhaps a soothing lullaby would do the trick, at least to calm the parent if not the baby. Wouldn't a homemade CD with a thoughtfully compiled collection of grown-up quality lullabies be just about the sweetest gift you could give a new parent? The risk is that the new parent may forever after associate you with sleepless nights, but the effort would be appreciated.
I'm including here some really sweet songs, some of which were actually composed as lullabies and others that just lend themselves to that sound. I tested it on myself this afternoon during a nap on the porch, and I assure you it was quite effective until the aforementioned king (now 15) interrupted it with some extremely un-urgent question. I'd love to hear from others about songs they've found that seem to have the magic touch of a musical narcotic. Sweet dreams and love to all!
• "St. Judy's Comet" - Paul Simon
• "We're Going To Be Friends" - The White Stripes
• "Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)" - Billy Joel
• "You Can Close Your Eyes" - James Taylor
• "Baby Mine" - Alison Krauss
• "Crying, My Little One" - Natalie Merchant
• "Pure Imagination" - Maroon 5
• "Baby" - Dave Matthews
• "Catch The Moon" - Lisa Loeb
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Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/music-mom/2011/06/rock-a-bye-baby-lullabies-even-grownups-will-love.html
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