Playlist for babies/toddlers?

[reneranucci]

Hello!
I have a six-week old baby girl at home now. I'm trying to do things that will help her development and playing music/singing to her is one of them. Now, my problem is that I don't know any lullabies or baby songs, and I'd rather hit my head against the wall than listen to Baby Shark. So I'd like to ask your help to gather ideas about good pop/rock/prog music to play and sing for her while actually enjoying it. I've started with this:

Nightwish - Swan Heart. She seemed to be really attentive and enjoy it when I played it so I'm keeping this one.
The Beatles - Octopus' Garden. This is my favorite Beatles song and seems appropriate for children.
The Beatles - Yellow Submarine. Easy melody, simple repetitive lyrics, playful song. Maybe about drugs?
Depeche Mode - Just can't get Enough. Funny, repetitive melodies, funky rhythm.

I'll try to avoid modern pop music if possible, she'll have time to get into K-pop and Adriana Big by herself so I'd better share music I enjoy before it's too late

[jingle.boy]

Now there's a name I haven't seen in <check's profile>... 5 f'n years!!  Congrats on the baby!

I've got a "mellow" playlist of tunes that might fit, and another of acoustic or piano only tunes.

I'm guessing melo-death isn't quiet what you're looking for.   

[Ben_Jamin]

I would say, just keep playing the music you enjoy listening to. Kids will pick up on it, I did when I heard whatever was on the radio my dad had on when we went into town. It's how I got into Rush and Pink Floyd.

But then, I watched Barney, and my mother got us these Alphabet Pals books, and other educational videos that had songs. And also a video called Baby Songs and Even More Baby Songs (these were actually good songs...I remember one was called Wash Rag Blues, and it was played in the blues style with a harmonica solo).

Also, I have learned as well, being a native and being into my culture, most of us have heard the drumbeat since the womb. It's how I think we have "natural" rhythm.


Some The Flower Kings songs, have good calm melodies.

[pg1067]

Three things come to mind from back when my kids were little (primarily my now almost 19yo son).

Both kids liked ABBA's greatest hits.

My son liked Tom Sawyer and thought it was hilarious when I would mimic the opening synth sound ("PSHEWWWWW"), which gets repeated throughout the song.

My son would absolutely stop whatever he was doing and sit in rapt attention to the Sesame Street "cover" of REM's Shiny Happy People, which was called Furry Happy Monsters:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9G1FhQUnSo

[Ben_Jamin]

My son liked Tom Sawyer and thought it was hilarious when I would mimic the opening synth sound ("PSHEWWWWW"), which gets repeated throughout the song.

That was me. It was the melody of the lyrics for me, and the awesome synth.

[HOF]

Three things come to mind from back when my kids were little (primarily my now almost 19yo son).

Both kids liked ABBA's greatest hits.

My son liked Tom Sawyer and thought it was hilarious when I would mimic the opening synth sound ("PSHEWWWWW"), which gets repeated throughout the song.

My son would absolutely stop whatever he was doing and sit in rapt attention to the Sesame Street "cover" of REM's Shiny Happy People, which was called Furry Happy Monsters:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9G1FhQUnSo

My kids liked Subdivisons probably because of the synth. Rush was a bit of a hit with them because we watched the R30 concert together like once and then they really remembered the band after that.

[twosuitsluke]

Congratulations! My little boy just turned one and I was exactly the same as you when he was that age. I made a playlist of songs to sing to him. It features quite a few songs by The Beatles, as well as others. These were my picks of songs I wanted to sing to him:

The Beatles -
Something
Here Comes the Sun
Golden Slumbers (my personal fave)
Blackbirds
Let it Be
Here, There and Everywhere

Coldplay -
The Scientist

The Dear Hunter -
At the End of the Earth
Melpomone
Light
Home

Foo Fighters -
Home

Frank Turner -
Don't Worry

Green Day -
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
Misery

Haken -
Because it's There

John Frusciante -
Song to Sing When I'm Lonely

Porcupine Tree -
Lazarus

The Red Hot Chilli Peppers -
Dosed
The Zephyr Song (his middle name is Zephyr)

The Skints -
Can't Take No More

[ariich]

Congrats on the exciting news!

It is kinda hard to know what to play for little ones, but to be honest other than excluding stuff that's aggressive or especially fast or complex, I've generally played my son (who is now nearly 3) anything else I'll listen to and now he's suddenly really into female-fronted symphonic metal (his current favourites are Floor-era Nightwish and Within Temptation).

Basically, I think anything that's fairly melodic and isn't too fast/complex/angry will probably be fine for a child's development.

[Ben_Jamin]

Remember, Music is full of emotions and feelings, through the use of tones. Anything that is uneasy, unnerving, and scary sounding (Dissonant chords) will affect whether a child will listen to the music. But, a child loves a catchy melody. It's why kids like Pop and Disney.

[reneranucci]

Hi Everyone! It's nice to reconnect, I've been a lurker for the last few years after being very active when my DT fandom was at its peak. It's nice to see how this community has endured, I remember visiting DT forums for the first time 18 years ago (Woooow)

Thank you very much for the recommendations, I've got a lot of good ideas and I'll start digging into your recommendations. I think it'll start with Abba (know who they are but not really their music, although I remember Steven Wilson saying he was a big fan of them).

[EPICVIEW]

congrats and God Bless

[reneranucci]

Remember, Music is full of emotions and feelings, through the use of tones. Anything that is uneasy, unnerving, and scary sounding (Dissonant chords) will affect whether a child will listen to the music. But, a child loves a catchy melody. It's why kids like Pop and Disney.

Yes, that's exactly my thinking. I've grown so accustomed to "dark" melodies that I don't think about how other people will feel about them. Catchy melodies is essentially what I'm looking for, and I'm glad that I can find them in some of the music I enjoy.

[reneranucci]

Porcupine Tree -
Lazarus

I was going to write "I'm looking for uplifting, easy melodies so PT is pretty much out of the question" but maybe you're right The melodies in Lazarus are definitely beautiful but they might be a little bit difficult to sing along to.

[Ben_Jamin]

Remember, Music is full of emotions and feelings, through the use of tones. Anything that is uneasy, unnerving, and scary sounding (Dissonant chords) will affect whether a child will listen to the music. But, a child loves a catchy melody. It's why kids like Pop and Disney.

Yes, that's exactly my thinking. I've grown so accustomed to "dark" melodies that I don't think about how other people will feel about them. Catchy melodies is essentially what I'm looking for, and I'm glad that I can find them in some of the music I enjoy.

Yup. But there's plenty of music that a child will enjoy. You'd be surprised at what a child will like. As long as it isn't scary, makes them feel uneasy, they'll enjoy it. I was like that with some things. I actually liked horror movies when I was around 7, I would go into Blockbuster and look at the horror section, I don't know why but I did. 

[romdrums]

My son is 6 and he loves Steven Wilson's To The Bone album.  I played a lot of jazz and prog for him when he was a baby.  My wife and I used to joke that he was the only 3 year old who could say Neko Case, Steven Wilson, and John Coltrane were his three favorite artists!  Right now, he wants to listen to a lot of the music I listened to when I was his age, especially since my Dad passed away.  I think it gives him a connection to both me and my dad, and he sees the nostalgia and good memories it brings up for me as well.  My brother does the same thing with his kids. 

[Stadler]

I would expand your horizons, too.   We used the "Baby Einstein" - NOT VIDEO, AUDIO; you're not supposed to use media with kids under 18 months, if you can help it - stuff a lot with my daughter, and as she got older we opened her up to more modern stuff.  They're still learning to use their sensory organs, including their ears, so sometimes the words and melodies can be too much. You can get Baby Mozart - simple arrangements of Mozart's work - from the library or wherever.   

Music generally is good for kids; they say it helps them to differentiate sounds, and therefore is good for their speech development.

Oh, and of course, CONGRATULATIONS!   

[romdrums]

Piggybacking on Stadler's post, I also recommend checking out the Twinkle Twinkle Little Rockstar series.  It's lullaby versions of a lot of bands material.  I bought the Rush, Dream Theater, and Nine Inch Nails editions, which are all pretty cool, actually.

[Big Hath]

we got a bunch of the rockabyebaby music CDs back when ours were born.  It's lullaby versions of pretty much whatever you can think of.  Led Zep, Floyd, Metallica, Tool, etc