What are lullabies?

Lullabies Create Memories

I remember my mother sang many lullabies to me. One of those song I remember is Too La Roo La (an Irish Lullaby). I can still remember the rocking chair in my bedroom. And I remember putting each of my own babies to sleep with a soft hum or song. Those are wonderful memories! You can create music memories with your child too!

Below I will share 10 traditional lullabies that are very well known and will include a couple of my favorites (I can’t resist!)

Calm Kid Music for Parents

I recently created a music video filled with soothing, calm and relaxing music. It is wonderful not only for children (naptime, bedtime, study time, and such), but all of my mommy friends love it too (think a relaxing soak in the bathtub with this music!) I don’t know about you, but I find adding relaxing music to my day just helps my mental health so much! This is the video below!

Why do lullabies calm a crying child?

Parents find lullabies calm babies because they listen to them singing. Imagine a mother soothingly humming and looking into the lovely face of her beautiful child. I struggled to get my first born to sleep at night for an entire year (or maybe 3!). Sleep time was always a chore of hand holding, singing, reading stories, and more. My husband and I took turns at bedtime because it was so exhausting. Why won’t this child go to sleep? I asked myself over and over.

There are many children who resist bedtime because they do not want to separate from their parents. So I have found soothing, calm music and lullabies to be very helpful. Below I will share 10 of my favorite lullabies, but please know…. there are thousands of lullabies from around the world.

Passed down from parent to child, these soothing melodies stand the test of time in beauty and simplicity. Parents may sing to their child until he falls asleep.

I admit, there are many lullabies that have dark undertones. Found in old fairy tales or folklore, those lullabies have images of baby stealing, little grey wolf, scary giant, baby plummets, black eagles soaring, and the like. These creepier lullabies generally taught a moral lesson and although the outcomes were sometimes sad, message is delivered with love. Nonetheless, in today’s post we will focus on the less gruesome (I hope!) because you will see even popular lullabies still sung today aren’t always full of sunshine.

10 lullabies that calm crying children

Rock A Bye Baby

Still sung today, this popular lullaby is sung by Raffi. This version comes from his album Calming Classical Lullabies

This article published in the UK states, “Rock-a-bye-Baby, also contains danger, warning in the nicest possible way that the baby and cradle will drop from the bough of a tree. Night-time has always been associated with darkness and fear and this may go some way to explaining the threatening themes in some lullabies, says Sally Goddard Blythe, author of a number of books on child development, and director of The Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology. But all lullabies – even the scary ones – she says, are rooted in “love, tenderness and caring”. Many lullabies, regardless of the meaning of their words, possess a peaceful hypnotic quality.”

Nina Perry, BBC World Service

Rock a Bye Baby

Hush Little Baby

Lisa Loeb sings this lullaby from her album Nursery Rhyme Parade!

Hush Little Baby (Mockingbird)

You Are My Sunshine

The Fox + The Hound lullaby version from the album Moon Songs: Lullabies for Baby and Parent

You are My Sunshine

Cradle Song (Brahm’s Lullaby)

Brahms’ Lullaby sung by Celine Dion on her album These Are Special Times

I love this lullaby version because lullabies sung by true vocal artists with a mother’s voice like Celine Dion are just heavenly.

Brahms’ Lullaby

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

This lullaby version is by Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell from the album Catch the Moon. I hope this inspires you to realize you can hum any children’s song and it is a lullaby! Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is my 2 year old grandson’s favorite song. It would be his hands down favorite lullaby!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

All the Pretty Horses

This lullaby version from Beautiful Chorus is from the album Good Night Moon Child. This was probably my favorite lullaby when I was in grade school. I remember learning this folk song and I just loved it! I never sang it to any of my children though, because by the time I was a mother, I had other lullabies I loved even more.

Hush-a-bye (All the Pretty Little Horses) Lullaby

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

This lullaby version is by Suzy Bogguss from the album American Folk Songbook. This was my ALL-TIME favorite lullaby to sing to any child. I am very fond of American Spirituals and along with the following song, All Night, All Day they were the best pair of lullabies for this mother!

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

All Night, All Day (Angels Watching Over Me)

This lullaby version is by Shaina Noll from her album You Can Relax Now. I always taught this song to my Christian Daycare kiddos. Lyrics akin to the children’s prayer… Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen. I like the lyrics to this song better…. Stay with me through out the night, and wake me with the morning light.

All Night, All Day (Angels Watching Over Me)

Highland Fairy Lullaby

There are many beautiful lullabies from around the world. This lullaby comes from Scotland. This is an example of what I mentioned above in terms of creepy storyline. But if you listen to the melody, you will see it is simple and singable. If you learn this melody (I am providing an instrumental version) it is easy to hum. Let me know if the comments below what you think of this melody after you listen to it.

Highland Fairy Lullaby

Do you have a favorite lullaby?

Do you have a favorite lullaby? Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite lullaby is. AND if you have a favorite version (or artist) of your lullaby. I am always looking for beautiful songs to add to my playlist!