Calming Bedtime Music for Kids
It’s no secret that parents tackle all kinds of issues when bedtime rolls around. Just getting kids to lie down in bed and relax can be a challenge, not to mention the time it takes for some children to fall asleep.
Fortunately, there are tricks and tools that parents can use to create an easier bedtime routine. One of those tools is bedtime music for kids, and more and more parents are turning to age-appropriate songs and lullabies that are both enchanting and engaging to help kids fall asleep.
Relaxing bedtime music for kids
According to child development expert, Emmy Kissinger, “It can be difficult for busy minds to power down after a big day. A consistent bedtime routine that includes calming bedtime music can help.”
Relaxing bedtime music is effective because it can ignite a child’s imagination and distract from the task of falling asleep. But finding the perfect song for bedtime can be difficult. Some classical music, like Chopin, can be soothing but most aren’t designed with sleep in mind and often feature crashing crescendos that have the opposite effect.
In the past parents may have tried playing the radio quietly but that can be difficult nowadays due to a lack of child-friendly stations. YouTube offers sleepy music playlists but kids often grow frustrated when they can’t watch the visuals on the screen.
One developmentally-appropriate option for children is audio-only stories for sleep. Apps like Moshi offer calming bedtime and bedtime stories to help little ones drift off — worth a try if bedtime isn’t easy in your home.
Excessive screen time, especially during bedtime hours, is a common problem for families today. Health organizations recommend limiting screen time for children in the evening to improve sleep quality and make falling asleep easier. Audio-only content offers a unique solution to technology at bedtime.
Helpful soothing sounds
Relaxing music and stories can mask distracting household noises that might prevent a child from falling asleep. Young children sometimes begin to enter the sleep state only to be jolted awake by a flushing toilet or loud noise on the living room television. Calming bedtime music can help prevent this from occurring.
Relaxation and sleep come easy when kids hear calm songs that move at a slow and relaxing pace. The gentle rhythm helps bring their minds to the present moment and allows their natural fatigue to take over whilst they drift off into a deep and peaceful sleep.
More than mere nursery rhymes
Interested in an extraordinary listening experience that trumps traditional nursery rhymes? Moshi features sophisticated instrumentation not usually associated with sleep, from bagpipes and synths to steel drums and jazz piano. Many of the compositions feature lesser-known instruments, such as squeezeboxes, sitars, and ukuleles, which have a soothing — and even enchanting — effect on children. In fact, exposure to new sounds and interesting instruments is an important aspect of child development.
