"Borrowed" Lullabies

Ah... the lazy, hazy days of summer.... perfect time to check in on how all your lullaby-singing is going out there?? Are you spending a few minutes at the end of your child's day in sweet words and song?

A good point to make is that children sleep peacefully when they are prepared well for it. You're all working or have worked hard on getting your little darlings to sleep well, I'm sure...

But... if helpful for any of you, here are some suggestions for nighttime routines:

Pick a bedtime and stick to it (I know... it's summertime... bedtime is a bit more flexible... but not too flexible!)
Have a getting-ready-for-bed routine... Like: Take bath, brush teeth,  drink water, read story, sing lullaby, lay down. Goodnight.
When they are prepared lovingly for bed, it makes their sleep that much sweeter.

Although... they don't always stay in bed.... One of our favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan, in one of his stand-up routines, describes getting a young child to stay in bed is like a reverse hostage scenario: "I'll give you whatever you want, just STAY IN THERE!!!!"


Anyway - my point today is (if you're already confused, as I am), keep that lullaby in your routine! Every night, three times a week, once a week - just keep it there! It does a world of good for your child to be comforted by the singing sweetness of your voice and to drift off to sleep with a melody in his/her head.

Don't just resort to turning on a CD of lullabies... yes, those are nice also. But, think if you were a child, you may prefer the tangible love of your parent to just the mechanical presence of a CD.

Here are two lovely lullabies "borrowed" from other traditions:

I.   "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" 
This is an American Negro Spiritual from the late 1800's, ascribed to W. Willis, who was a freed slave. He was inspired by the story in the Bible of Elijah being taken away to heaven in a chariot, and the song may also have ties to Harriet Tubman's work, as many looked to being freed by the "chariot" of the underground railroad.

Text: (This is a sampling, as there are several verses)
Chorus: 
Swing low, sweet chariot,
coming for to carry me home;
Swing low, sweet chariot,
coming for to carry me home.

I looked over Jordan, what did I see?
coming for to carry me home;
A band of angels coming for me;
coming for to carry me home.
Chorus

Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down

coming for to carry me home; 

But still my soul is heaven bound
coming for to carry me home.

Chorus

Here's the melody in good 'ole gospel style by Etta James (a bit faster than you might sing it for a lullaby, but fun nonetheless): Click Here!


II.  "Numi, Numi" (Hebrew Lullaby) 
This is a beautiful song and the real "Numi, Numi" (Sleep, Sleep) is all in Hebrew, which is a bit of a challenge for me...  So, I keep "Numi, Numi" and then add English words - roughly like this:

Numi, Numi, Little Baby,
Numi, Numi, nim
Numi, Numi, Little One,
Numi, Numi, nim.

Daddy's gone to work,
He went, Daddy went,
He'll come when the moon comes out,
and bring you a gift.

 Numi, Numi, Little Baby,

Numi, Numi, nim

Numi, Numi, Little One, 

Numi, Numi, nim. 

etc...

For the melody: Click Here!

There are other verses, or you can just create your own.
The melody is too beautiful to pass up though! (P.S. It's on itunes - in the album "From generation to generation: A Legacy of Lullabies by T. Solnik. I've been wanting to check this album out!)

Keep loving on those babies!

'Pop' Lullabies

So, we just got back from a week-long trip to my husband's homeland - New Brunswick, Canada. Lots of great time with family... and lots of hours in the car.

Listening to random pop songs on the radio and singing along is still fun.... and I really do like good contemporary stuff. Not the cheap things that seem to be in unwanted excess... but unique, soul-touching music that gets into your bones and resonates with your heart. Even pop songs (gasp!).

That made me think of some lullabies I love from the pop-genre. So, I wanted to share three of those...

I loved these songs before I had kids and sang them while imagining myself singing them to my babies. But now, when I try to sing them to my baby(ies), I can not get through them without tearing up and getting super emotional. I never was one to cry easily, but I think  these songs get me right in my heart because of the emotions they invoke as I look at my children and the innate desire that I had for them before I was even married. What can I say... motherhood has made a sap of me.

So, take a listen and let me know if you sing any of these to your kiddos too or if you have similar ones.
(BTW... I'm not condoning everything these artists have put out, but these are worth sharing).

In the meantime, I'll go lay my 9-month-old down for a nap and try to get through one of these without losing it. :-)

Billy Joel: "Goodnight, My Angel" Go Here
(pardon the extra ad at the beginning)

From Dumbo, sung by Bette Midler: "Baby Mine" Go Here
(I also think Allison Kraus did a rendition of this song, which I haven't heard yet, but I'm sure is equally lovely.)

Dixie Chicks: "Godspeed" Go Here
This is not the most wonderful video I could find, but the video creator put the lyrics on, which was nice. This song is geared to a boy, but you could maybe adapt a word or two in the privacy of your baby's room if you have a sweet little girl. :-)


Keep on loving and singing to those precious babies. :-)

Rock A Bye Baby

I used to think that everyone sang to their babies/toddlers, etc. I thought lullabies were just a normal part of life with little kids. But, it sometimes seems that singing lullabies to babies is becoming an endangered activity.

 It is a wonderful and.... HARD thing to do sometimes...  Bedtime around here can often be stressful, rushed, weepy or just completely helter-skelter. Should I really take the time and sing to my kids, especially if those kid have been somewhat trying all day and mommy and daddy, actually, can't WAIT to put the little blessings to sleep?! Plus, with toddlers - there's all the bathing, teeth-brushing, water-drinking, 'please mommy, just one more snack' -ing, "stop running around the house" -ing...

So, is there time to sing a lullaby?

Yes! Every night? Maybe not (or maybe! depends on you & your kiddo...). But, do we have energy and time for a few lullabies a week? Sure!

Lullabies have been around for thousands of years - it is such a natural impulse to relax baby by singing. The warm, comforting sound of a parent's voice while baby is held in a loving embrace... it's just priceless! This bonding time is so important for the baby to feel that mom or dad really love them enough to take a few minutes to calm them into sleepiness through song.

This practice is best started when your child is a baby. This is because they naturally are drawn to the sound of your voice and love to hear your voice in singing or chanting. Once they get used to this unique pleasure, they will still enjoy lullabies as toddlers because of the wonderful, comforting memory that was built into them throughout their baby-hood.

Can you still "start" with a toddler? Sure! They may not sit still in your arms for a while... it might be a little difficult at first for you both, perhaps. Or, they may love it right away. But, it is worth a try. My 4 year old still asks for a lullaby once in a while... And I sometimes I have to force myself to say yes because I know how much it means to him... even if mommy can't wait to close his door and go relax!

Here are a few well-known lullabies for you to consider, or go buy a lullaby CD... it's OK to just play that for your child, but it's so much BETTER if they can hear YOU singing it to them. :-)
You can collect a few of your favorites on itunes and listen to them a few times until you've got it by memory!


Brahms Lullaby  for melody (sung by Chloe Agnew, with slightly different words) go here
(this one is originally in German, but this is an English version. If you'd like, look up the German one too - singing to baby is a great way to practice your multi-lingual singing! Baby doesn't care so much about your less-than-perfect pronunciations.) 
Lullaby and goodnight
with roses bedight,
with lilies o'er spread
is baby's wee bed. 
Lay thee down now and rest, 
May thy slumber be blest. 
Lay thee down now and rest, 
May thy slumber be blest. 


Lullaby and good night, 
They mother's delight, 
Bri-ght angels be-side 
My darling abide. 
They will guard thee at rest,
thou shalt wake on my breast. 
They will guard thee at rest, 
thou shalt wake on my breast. 


All The Pretty Little Horses for melody (from the album entitled "Baby Mine" go  here


Hush-you-bye, don't you cry, 
Go to sleepy little baby.
When you wake, you shall have
all the pretty little horses. 
Blacks and Bays, Dapples and Greys,
Coach and six-a-little horses. 
Blacks and Bays, Dapples and Greys,
Coach and six-a-little horses. 


All Through The Night  for melody (sung by Amy Robbins-Wilson) go here


Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,
All through the night

Angels watching, e'er around thee,
All through the night
Midnight slumber close surround thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,
All through the night. 


So, set aside a few minutes and sing to your little precious kiddo tonight. :-) 


What are your favorite lullabies that were sung to you or that you sing to your little ones?