Body Language Series 3 - Do you hear what I hear?
Updated: Jul 7, 2019
Did you know that babies begin to respond to sounds in the womb? But just how good is a baby’s hearing once they are on the outside? The answer is surprisingly good. They can differentiate between a large number of sounds and of course they know the sound of their Mommas voice.
I really encourage lots of singing for all parents and caregivers. Did you know that talking to your mother has the same effect as a hug and can help reduce stress levels, as the sound of her voice ALSO release Oxytocin, so with Baby Massage you’re getting it both ways, you get the oxytocin release from the touch as well as the vocal element.
Babies are often in busy rooms full of chaos. But the moment your voice cuts through the noise, flows into their tiny ears, they know it, and they know you. It’s so amazing. They have been listening to you talking for 9 months, they have been next to you for such a long time, they love to be next to you and they love to know that you are always near.
It’s not just some mama-baby magic, it’s actually science.
According to a study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a child’s brain has stronger responses when exposed to their mother’s voice versus the voice of a stranger — even if the mother is speaking nonsensical words for even a fraction of a second! Science magic.
Think about moments when your child is upset — you often hold them and comfort them with your body, but do you ever do that without also soothing them with kind words and tones? Your warm arms and voice are usually essential components to calming a distraught child.
Your child’s anatomy isn’t the only element affected by your voice — their emotions are also soothed.
A baby can hear sounds as low as 16 cps and as high as 20,000 cycles per second adult years are not as efficient the law sounds remain stable but the older we get the harder it is to hear higher pitched noise by age 60 and average adult were here only up to 12,000 cps
Soon after birth of baby will recognise the sound of her mother and father’s voice and will turn her head towards the sound. Before long she will begin to mimic the facial expressions of her parents in the first steps towards interaction; opening and closing her mouth, putting out her tongue and smiling. All these actions are important because they promote a bond between child and parent, in this case, mimicry really is the highest form of flattery. It can typically take a new baby 7 days to memorize the sound of a mother is voice and 14 days to memorise the sound of her fathers. Babies become familiar with the distinctive tons of their parents while still in the womb. Studies have shown that when foetuses hear either their mothers or fathers voice their heart rate will quicken but when listening to a stranger’s voice their heart rate decreases. It is almost as if the growing baby is excited to hear such familiar voices.
But, it not just the child’s listening skills that light up when exposed to their mama’s tones; parts of the brain connected to emotions, rewards, and facial recognition also perked up their ears, much more so than when exposed to the strangers’ voices.
Researchers found there is a correlation between the children recognizing their mother’s voices so rapidly, and the increased activity in many areas of the brain — specifically the area of the brain linked to rewards. They suggest the brain becomes trained to latch on to the voice of the mother so quickly so it can attempt to get some rewards from her.
“Oh! That was Mom’s voice! Maybe she has some kisses and hugs for me. Or milk. I hope she has milk. Or maybe we can just be close, because I like that as well.’
Babies and Children do not care if your singing voice sounds like a toad being strangled — They want your attention and your voice, so give it to them - it will be yummy honey to their ears, brain, and emotions.
