Traditional Lullabies forgotten by busy parents
Traditional lullabies are likely to be forgotten as busy parents can’t find time to sing them.
According to findings by Jakemans menthol throat and cough sweets, 45 per cent of parents felt that singing to their child was a real constraint on their time.
The result of this means that traditional lullabies are being forgotten with people unable to remember the words.
Findings showed that 87 per cent of over 65s knew the words to Rock-a-bye Baby, but only 57 per cent of 18-24 know the words.
Jakemans menthol cough & throat sweet expert, Stephanie Clayson said: “It is very telling that people just don’t have enough spare time for their children these days to sing them soothing lullabies – and very distressing too that these historic songs are being lost.”
“With over 40 million people thinking that lullabies are being sung less than 10 years ago, it goes to show that today’s pressures really impinge of family life.”
Parents are also afraid of looking silly, with 31 per cent of them lacking confident in their voice.
Celebrity voice coach Zoe Tyler said: “Singing lullabies to your children, particularly from an early age, not only lulls them to sleep, but helps build their confidence by knowing their primary carer is close by. The frequent repetition and rhyme also aids their speech and language – repeating the same patterns reinforces the sound recognition. It also helps the parent to bond with their child, as well as generally giving the singer a moment to ‘chill out’.”
A study by The University of Queensland found that mothers singing lullabies to babies enhanced their own feelings associated with motherhood and facilitated a deeper understanding of their babies’ responses.
The most well-known song was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, followed jointly by The Grand Old Duke Of York and Rock-A-Bye Baby.
Making time to sing to your child needn’t be a chore. If you baby is grizzling and needs a rock, then this is the perfect time to sing lullabies. If you don’t know to words to the songs, or soft gentle songs is not your style, then your baby will also enjoy listening to you murdering football songs, pop songs or even your favourite punk tune.