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?

I bought some nursery rhyme tapes when DS1 was a tiny baby. I used to put them on when we were alone and sing along. Once I'd re learnt them I'd sing when we were in the car. By DC3 I was a bit bored and haven't sang that many nursery rhymes to her, although she's been exposed to her 2 brothers singing.
As a family we've just discovered YOUTUBE videos, and DH has been projecting them onto the wall. It's like a kareoke(sp?) night in our house. We love singing.

Not allowed to sing to ds at the mo. He waves his finger at me and says ?No. O No.'

He is 17 months.

All and any nursery rhymes go down a treat with my 17 month DS. But he also loves First World War songs (I was sung these by my parents so know them all ).

Shamefully though, DP sings him Agadoo by Black Lace... DS loves it and now 'sings' it by himself

@ Glitterkitty. Is your voice that bad?!

Mockingbird - over and over

Twinkle twinkle

Wind the bobbin up

Old McDonald's Farm

Lots from musicals (Feed the Birds, Stay Awake, Food Glorious Food, Favorite things etc.)

I sing The Wild Rover and Molly Malone. DH sings Kitty by The Pogues, Johnny Cash and Villa songs

"daisy daisy" substitute child's name
"where's yer mammy gone"
"babyface"
"my funny valentine"

anything and everything
including
"a finger of fudge is just enough to give your kids a treat"!!!

I did and I do even though they're now 5 and 2. Some songs, but also lots of made-up-on-the-spot stuff. Generally about how much I love 'em, how ace they are ..... to whatever tune pops into my head.
Neighbours must think I'm barmy.
Ds1 now does the same thing himself. It's quite sweet coming from him.

yomellamohelly- you're so right.I'm always singing; random songs and tunes but it has been so sweet with number 4 listening to the older 3 singing away to younger sister- sometimes altogether almost like a choir!!

all the time!

Brahm's lullaby
twinkle twinkle
head shoulders knees and toes
the runaway train
row row row your boat (I'm up to 8 verses!)
3 little men in a flying saucer
you are my sunshine
thou shalt have a fishy
to dream the inpossible dream
random bits of Abba and the beatles
quite a bit of Queen
2468 motorway
tiffany
ok... I'll stop now before it gets too embarrassing

oh.. and the baby jive (made up - do the baby jive oh do the baby jive oh yeah! do the baby jive oh do the baby jive oh yeah! put your nappy on your head and never go to bed do the baby jive! and a few even more tragic verses but he loves it).

Yes! DS1's favourite was How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?

DS1 likes What shall we do with the drunken sailor? (Daddy is in the Navy but not a very drunken sailor)

But the favs at the mo are Twinkle twinkle and baa baa black sheep. Grr

annything by eva cassidy for my ds or i used to make songs up

YES I SANG TO ALL OF THEM. cURRENTLY MAKING MY 8, 7 AND 1 YR OLDS EARS BLEED WITH KINGS OF LEON AND K T TUNSTALL WHICH I FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OPF A PILE OF CDS[BLUSH]

oops!

Started singing the Mozart Lullaby at bed time when ds was in utero....it worked a treat as a soporific from the day he was born.
Now 12 months his bedtime medley is;

Mozart lullaby
Brahms lullaby
"Belle nuit" from the Tales of Hoffmann, Offenbach
Hansel& Gretels evening prayer, Humperdink
Stay awake from Mary Poppins

But during the day and while travelling absolutely anything goes...music hall stuff like daisy,daisy or my old mans a dustman. Mud,mud, glorious mud. I can sing a rainbow. Does your chewing gum lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight. When father papered the parlour. The run away train....and a thousand others including loads of disney stuff (bibedy bobedy boo, when you wish upon a star) , musicals (follow the yellow brick road, chitty bang bang, high on a hill lived a lonely goat herd) and all the nursery rhymes...
..actually its a miracle he is learning to talk normally and not just bursting into "oh mine papa" or "mammy"!

yes I did, lots of nursery rhymes but also made up songs to familiar tunes, often the I love you song, something along the lines of

I love you
and Daddy loves you
Nanny loves you
and so does Auntie X

Grandma loves you
and both your Grandads do
Nana loves you
and Auntie X too

I am completely sad.......I sang the repetiore of barney songs (the 'barney and friend, live from the radio city music hall' video) and all the traditional nursery rhymes.

even now, 'twinkle twinkle little star' and 'I love you, you love me' is sung to them when they are ill and needing to snuggle with me, and my youngest is 6!

This is a brilliant thread!!

I dug a hole for myself when I started bedtime singing not long before my DD turned 2. She is now 4 and bedtime goes like this...

La La Lu (from Lady & the Tramp)
Someone to Watch Over Me
Summertime

Then counting back from 99 to 0 - just for good measure. It's a bit tedious but almost guaranteed to get her to sleep so I can live with it.

Have done good ole Mary Poppins and Favourite things too, and DD loves KT Tunstall.

DP remembered this song from the Flintstones (not the theme tune!) and it's ds's naptime song now - known as the "sleepy lambs" song in our house the littlest lamb

Another one who sings all the time ! When mine were very little I used to sing "Good morning, good mor-ning!" to them while doing a kind of puppet show with a big stuffed zebra and a little stuffed zebra (cringe!- but they loved it)
Bright Eyes at bed time, and heel-ya-ho boys song (can't remember its proper title, but my dad sang it to me as a little girl)
WE always sing when they are in the bath- Michael Finnegan, The old lady who swallowed a fly, Never smile at a crocodile. But the girls favourite was Queen's "Fat bottomed girls" while washing their little chubby butts.
You are my sunshine is a huge favourite too, but I now have to adapt it to "You are my sunshines" to prevent accusations of favouritism

When she was small I mainly sang twinkle twinkle little star as it seemed to calm her at bedtime. Now, she says 'stop it mummy, no twinkle star' .

I also used to sing
grand ol duke of york
Hush Little Baby
Lullyby for Cain (not really necessarily child friendly but she did not know!).
Lots of other things but can't for the life of me remember!

I sing whatever I'm listening to on the IPOD to my 8 week old. He loves it and I love having my very own captive audience - so smiles all round!

When he gets older I'll probably try to remember some proper nursery rhymes.

I sing whatever I'm listening to on the IPOD to my 8 week old. He loves it and I love having my very own captive audience - so smiles all round!

When he gets older I'll probably try to remember some proper nursery rhymes.