do you/did you sing to your babies?

[cyteen]

and if so, what did you sing?

my 7 week old DS loves being sung to but i find myself struggling a bit for inspiration. at the moment he likes 'kumbaya' and 'michael rowed the boat ashore' which are okay as you can make up endless verses e.g. "someone's grizzling, m'lord, kumbaya". i also sing him a song my mum used to sing to us, don't know what it is or where it came from but he likes it:

i see the moon, the moon sees me
under the shade of the old oak tree
please let the light that shines on me
shine on the one i love

over the ocean, over the sea
that's where my heart is longing to be
please let the light that shines on me
shine on the one i love

DP has had success with 'you'll never get to heaven' and 'bohemian rhapsody'

what were your surprise hits and misses?

err - the cbeebies bedtime song

but it is luverly, and always ringing out in the other room as I'm settling the baby.

i have yet to experience cbeebies, but something tells me i will become very familiar with it over the next few years

DS has always liked 'sitting on the dock of the bay'

Big favourite at the moment is 'ally bally'

Lots of made-up or adapted songs here too!

Yes, I sang to DD out of desperation, to try to get her to either sleep and/or stop crying! I sang anything to her that came into my head at 4am, including "Do you know the way to San Jose"!

that's interesting BTLT, my DS reacted badly to 'dock of the bay'...maybe i'll try it again in a few years.

One burp went to mow + I'll give you one burp green go the rushes oh - seemed to feature quite promiently at 7 weeks i think

Yes. Still do until they all gang up and sit on my head

The water is wide
In the bleak midwinter
Big ship sails.

And variations on a theme of' Who's the best baby in the world, in the world, in the world etc". Funny versions of Wheels on the bus"

Bits of the Messiah, I hummed Mozart, the Ode to Joy theme from Beethoven's 9th.

Any old stuff that made a happy noise.

sing songs about what you're doing to the tunes you already know

so just while you're bathing him, or changing his nappy (Frere Jacques works well for that one - 'change your nappy, change your nappy, wipe you clean. wipe you clean' etc). keeps you from getting too bored and as he gets older it will help him learn words etc.

DS used to love baa baa black sheep, DD thou shalt have a fishy. And they both adore Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Oh my God,Kumbaya brings back distinct memories,DS loved it as a tiny baby!

He ws so entranced by dp singing it he even came off the breast mid feed at 10 weeks to listen to his dad singing!

I sang loads,sometimes made up songs usually involving stinky poo or why won't you go to sleep?To various tunes

They also liked

"I have a little nut tree"

"Lavenders' blue dilly dilly"

DP is a bit of a aging rocker so the kids were often bombarded with The Doors and Led Zep and some 60/70's rock stuff.He he

Singing to them is sooo good for them!

I used to sing This Old Man, My Bonny Lies over the Ocean, Speed Bonny Boat, Row, Row, Row your Boat, etc, depending on whether I was trying to get them to sleep or just cheer them up.

They also liked gentle dancing.

nelly the elephant - still likes it at nearly three.

Marching songs - grand old duke of york etc

Any musical tunes you can remember Oliver was my favorite...

I just sing whatever song I've heard on the radio ! My voice is so bad that I doubt he actually recognises the melody anyway! Any songs are good. Intcy wincy spider is good and the wheels on the bus always makes ds smile.q

We tend to adapt songs that we have heard. I've done it since dd was little and now we both do it for ds. The latest tune to be 'done' is the Dogtanion theme tune That and 'Mr Big Stuff' seem to go down well [double blush ]

I find singing Leonard Cohen tracks works a treat especially Chelsea Hotel, Bird on a Wire and Everybody Knows. Maybe it's the steady rhythmic melodies which lull them into a state of sleepiness or maybe it just depresses the hell out of them and makes them want to sleep, who knows!

Ds loved the grand old duke of york (with actions) best from very early on - and later on would be in fits of giggles if I just mouthed the words and did the actions which made people wonder at times

You are my sunshine is a magic song in our house everyone stops crying when you sing it!

i sand whitesnake and jovi

like you do

DS is 14 mths and I sing all the time to him and have done from the beginning:

Jelly on a plate (while getting nappy changed, wobble his tummy, he loves it)

Wheels on the bus (with various made up verses depending on the situation)

Da dumming to the William Tell Overture (when he was younger, I'd hold him as if he was my dancing partner and we'd have a jig from one room to another. Silly but fun and always brought laughs)

Twinkle Twinkle little star with actions.

Babies love songs and music and the best bit is you can be a rubbish singer and they don't care. They just love the interaction with you and always respond with laughs and smiles.

I sang and sing anything and everything.

I sing this to mine at bedtime.

I had a CD of lullabies which we play when he is going to sleep. He has associated it with sleep from quite a young age - he's difficult to get to sleep and always has been, but we have taken it to play in the car when on holidays and zonk, off he will go. I sing along to the tunes, generally making up the words when I can't understand the lyrics!

Mine are 5 and 3 and I sing to them every night - they get very upset if they haven't had a song or two. I have sand them everything and anything in the past but the favourites are:
My Bonnie lies over the ocean
Hush little baby
Brahms lullaby (their favourite)
Feed the birds (Mary Poppins)
Stay Awake (Mary Poppins again)
Hush little baby
Cheer up Charlie (Oliver Twist)

Don't worry by bob marley

........over and over and over and over.

i wish he'd written more verses.

Used to have to sing rock a bye baby in a country style for my son and both were partial to musical tunes and opera.My voice still gets a work out now as my dd still loves me to sing to and with her especially castle on a cloud from les mis.