There’s no evidence that playing your favourite tunes to your bump will make your baby smarter or that they'll grow up to share your impeccable music taste.
However, lots of parents-to-be say that alongside talking to your bump, playing music is a great way to start building a bond with your baby before they’re born.
From 18 weeks onwards, later in your second trimester, your baby will start to hear sounds from the outside world and pick up different voices. And you might find that they respond to sounds, kicking or wriggling if they hear something they do – or maybe – don’t like.
Tania Dutton blogs about and says music played a big role in her pregnancy.
Music’s always been important to me. Before I was born, I boogied every time my dad played his Queen records. In fact, I reacted so strongly that he was banned from listening to Queen when my mum was pregnant with my sister!
My husband Dan and I met while studying music and it’s been a constant in both our lives.
I had to give up performing because of my health but my passion is still strong. I joined the local choir just as I found out I was pregnant.
A few months later, my bump became known as the youngest member of the choir. At this point, I started working on my baby playlist – a compilation of music to play to my bump, baby and beyond.
How I built a bond using music
My musical taste is varied and my playlist reflected this. I wanted to introduce our baby to as many different styles of music as possible.
Our playlist included jazz, big band, classical, pop, rock, musicals, soundtracks and more. Dan didn’t directly add things to our baby playlist, but I thought about his musical tastes too when I was putting it together.
My favourite time to put music on was in the morning. I was quite unwell during pregnancy and I spent most mornings unable to get out of bed or even sit up.
Resting is something I struggle with. Listening to music was a great way to do something I enjoyed that didn’t need much energy and concentration.
I felt awkward talking to my bump, even though no one was around to hear me. So, singing along to our playlist was a great alternative. I’d whack the volume up, have a little dance and my inhibitions were gone.
Music affects your mood and emotions
Elise has always responded well to music. While I was pregnant, she particularly liked classical music. Without fail, she became particularly wriggly, somersaulting a bit like I did when dad played his Queen records!
Now, any opportunity and she’s dancing to music. Often when she’s upset, putting on some music is a way to instantly calm her down.
Sharing my love of music with Elise was a fantastic way to communicate and bond with her before she was born. In the first few weeks of her life, the music I’d played during pregnancy served as a familiar sound in a world that must have felt so strange and alien.
Music was one of the ways I coped with the challenges of my pregnancy.
With my varied playlist, I was able to choose music that reflected how I felt. Giving careful thought to my choice of music reduced my stress levels, which had a positive impact on both Elise and me.
I’d recommend creating a pregnancy playlist to all mums-to-be. You can include anything you like, though you might want to consider how certain sounds may come across to your developing baby.
Depending on the type of birth you have, you may be able to incorporate your playlist into your birthing space to make it a more relaxing environment.
Tania’s top tips
Include anything you like on your playlist and get your partner involved by selecting some of their favourite tunes.
Use it to relax you and baby: find time in your day to put your feet up and crank the music up.
Re-play the music to your baby once they’ve arrived – it might help soothe them.
