Congratulations! You are having a baby. Whether pregnant with your first or fourth, all babies need certain things. Usually, this means adding them to a baby registry or shopping at your local consignment sales (or a combination of both!). Typically, the parents-to-be wish list includes diapers, rocker, crib, clothes, baby bathtub, stroller, specific toys, etc. However, there is one thing not on most baby registries but it really should be…music. Wait. What?
Music marks so many important milestones in our lives, such as singing a song on your birthday or walking across the stage to receive your diploma while listening to “Pomp & Circumstance” or dancing the first dance together on your wedding day. So of course, music should be a part of this season in your life, too! Plus, music gives parents a go-to resource for playtime, bathtime, bedtime, and hanging-around-the-house-in-our-pajamas time! You don’t need to deck out your child’s nursery like this one in order to bring music into your child’s life. (Can we pause to say “Wow!”?) Here are some ideas of what to include on your baby registry.
What to Include on Your Baby Registry for Music Lovers
- Lullaby Music—Music can help babies sleep better and even from an early age signal the start of the bedtime routine. Some of our favorites include:
- Lullaby: A Windham Hill Collection
- Dreamland: World Lullabies and Soothing Songs
- Until the Light of Morning by Essie Jain
- You Are My Sunshine by Kindermusik International
- Of course, a playlist of your own favorite “quiet music” works well also! After all, you will be listening to the music, too!
- Baby safe instruments—Develop fine motor skills right from the start with instruments specifically created for the littlest member of your family. Plus, you
never know when you might want to start your own family band! Consider including:
- Egg shakers
- Chime balls
- Baby bells
- Musical books like these: (Check out our “Books for Kids We Love” board on Pinterest for hundreds of more ideas.)
- Hand, Hand, Fingers Thumb by Al Perkins
- Elephants Can Not Dance by Mo Willems
- I Know a Shy Fellow who Swallowed a Cello by Barbara S. Garriel
- Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss
- Any rhyming book!
- Gift certificates to a music class. Music classes can provide some tender one-on-one time between you and your baby and also get you plugged into a community of other families with children the same age as yours.
Gift Certificates to Kindermusik class make a great baby gift, too! We will get you started with one free class for your baby boy or baby girl. Find your local educator today!
Contributed by Lisa Camino Rowell, a freelance writer living in the Atlanta area.