Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Stages

These eight classic lullabies are timeless

By

Singing a lullaby to your baby is one of the best ways to bond with them. Babies take comfort in their parents’ voices, so a classic lullaby can be a simple trick for getting them to go to sleep. When it comes to picking out a lullaby for your little one, check out some of these classics for some good, old-school songs.

Father sings lullaby to child
Zoteva/Shutterstock

8 classic lullabies that never get old

Your child deserves the best lullabies out there. If you’re having trouble thinking of some classic lullabies, don’t worry. There are some great options to choose from. Here are eight of the most popular lullabies to sing to your baby for some soothing nap times:

  • “Hush, Little Baby”
  • “Rock-a-Bye Baby”
  • “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
  • “You Are My Sunshine”
  • “Danny Boy”
  • “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
  • “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
  • “Baa Baa Black Sheep”
Recommended Videos

If you don’t have the most soothing voice, don’t fret. All of these songs can be found on YouTube, Spotify, and other apps/websites. There are many renditions of these lullabies, so you can find the one your baby loves the most. Some are soft and soothing renditions, while others are a little more upbeat for some daytime fun. Some tunes even come with adorable videos to match the lullaby, so your baby can watch fun cartoon characters as they drift off to dreamland.

Related

Why sing/play lullabies for your child?

Mother sings to yawning baby
Dirk Ott / Shutterstock

Singing lullabies to your baby is an age-old tradition that still works today. They comfort children of many ages, so lullabies shouldn’t be limited to just newborns. There are many reasons why lullabies are effective. Here are some of the benefits:

  • Music manages emotions. If you think about music in your favorite TV shows and movies, you’ll realize that it is used to evoke emotions. Horror movies embed eerie music to provide a sense of mystery, suspense, and terror, while romance movies utilize instrumental music to pull at the heartstrings. The same tactics are used with lullabies. Lullabies are designed to soothe and calm your child or lull an energetic baby to sleep. That’s why lullabies are so effective when it comes to bedtime or nap time.
  • A bond is created and strengthened. A child grows more and more bonded to their parents as they get older. This bond can be strengthened, especially at a young age, when lullabies are sung. A parent singing a lullaby to their child imprints positive memories in the child’s mind. The process of singing a lullaby to someone is a very intimate and caring gesture, leading to a strong emotional bond between two people.
  • Encourages language development. Babies and young children tend to be more attracted to songs rather than regular speaking. Music for children is interesting and fun, so it is a more efficient way to keep their attention. Lullabies help with their language development because it allows kids to hear different words at different pitches.
  • Creates a routine. Kids love routine. Many people find comfort in routine, so there is nothing more comforting than a bedtime routine. Singing a lullaby to your child before bedtime every night provides them with the comfort and security they need to be able to fall asleep.
  • Enhances memory and cognitive development. When your child develops a favorite lullaby or lullabies, they want to learn the words and even sing it with you. Learning the tunes, pitches, and words to a lullaby can help with the development of your child’s memory and cognitive functions. There’s a reason why lullabies remain a strong tradition in many cultures. They are effective at doing what they were created to do: Lull your child to sleep. Check out these eight classic songs and keep the tradition going.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
NewFolks
NewFolks
A guide to cruising babies: What it means for your little one
Here's how a little cruiser will affect your household
A mother helping the baby to cruise along the couch.

All parents melt when you feel that little tug on your pants, look down, and see your baby using your legs to help them stand up. But that also means your little one is entering the cruising phase. Once your child discovers they can use objects, furniture, and yes, their parent's limbs to stand up and move around, it's on.

When you notice your child starting to leave crawling in the past, you are about to have a cruising baby in your house. Before things move along too fast, here's what that means for your little one and the rest of your family.
The first few steps toward cruising

Read more
Is your baby done with breastfeeding? Watch for these 6 signs
Clues to look out for that your baby is ready to move on from breastfeeding
Mother holding her baby in bed

When you make the decision to breastfeed, it is a whole journey you and your baby go on together. But as with all stages, breastfeeding, too, will come to an end at some point. It's better to know the clues and tells your baby will give to be prepared for the newest adventure. If you're doing baby-led weaning, these are the signs your baby does not want to breastfeed anymore, so you know when it's time to transition to the next stage of feeding.
Signs to watch for during feedings

The feedings themselves will sprinkle clues your baby is ready to ditch breastfeeding for good. If something feels off about the feeds, start paying attention each time you go to sit down for a session.
Feeding sessions become shorter
You know how long your baby eats at each session. When you notice your baby not wanting to feed for the usual time, you might start to worry they're not getting enough to eat. But your baby cutting down on the duration of each meal is a clue they might want to stop breastfeeding.
Baby skips feeding sessions
This is more than your baby finally sleeping longer and missing a feeding in the middle of the night. If you notice your baby refusing those additional snack time feedings, they may be telling you they don't want to breastfeed anymore. Offer a bottle or sippy cup or solid food and see how they react to taking those options. Once the feedings become shorter and then get skipped, your baby has sent strong signals they are over breastfeeding.
Baby gets more distracted during feedings
Babies love to look at everything and check out every sound, but when it comes time to eat, they usually mean business. If your little one is looking around the room, playing with their hands, or generally more interested in what's going on around them than eating, that is a sign they are done breastfeeding.
Other feeding signs to watch for

Read more
Is the cry it out method right for your baby?
Find out the CIO method is right for your family
Baby sleeping in their crib with a stuffed bear

As parents of an infant, getting the whole house to sleep is one of the most important milestones of the day. An established bedtime routine and a sleep training method are key to getting your baby down for the night. No matter if you need to sleep train your first or third baby, you want to know about all the options before you start. One you may have heard about is the cry it out method. See if this sleep training method is right for your family and your baby before you commit.
What is the cry it out method?

Also known as the Extinction method, the cry it out method is when you let your child self-soothe themselves at night to fall asleep through a mix of letting them cry and predetermined external comfort. When you hear about the cry it out (CIO) method, your mind goes to the baby being alone to cry all night in a dark room, left there until morning when the parents can check on them. While it is a controversial sleep method, in reality, it is a little more complex than that.
Cry it out method

Read more