“Every parent knows that the mood of a baby affects everyone around the baby,” Mel said. “If improvements to the baby’s mood persist over time, they’ll likely outline other health conditions.”
Researchers are launching a new study, Let’s grow togetherassess the long-term effects of singing on infants’ mood, sleep and possible caregivers, including stress or postpartum depression.
“Even before we intervened, these participating families were particularly musical,” Yurdum noted. “Nevertheless… we saw the benefits. It shows the power of singing… in a family that is not dependent on music, it may be stronger.”
Previous research from the Music Lab shows that lullaby is a universal human behavior that is often communicated assurance. “The parents sent a clear signal to the baby in the lullaby: I’m nearby, I hear you, I’m looking for you – so things are not good.”
