FAQ
The natural connection between music and babies goes
largely unnoticed by the majority of new and recent
parents. With so many things to know and worry about,
things like music get overshadowed.
A good amount of blame lies with both the emergence of
technology and the media's desire to cover "new" instead of
"need." As a society, we need to refocus the way we help
our babies develop, grow and learn. There is no magic pill.
In order to help parents better understand the underlying
importance of integrating music into their babies' lives,
we have created an essential FAQ that will help achieve
this.
What role does music play in early
development?
Music has the ability to communicate in a way that goes
far beyond our imagination. It can transfer a musical
language containing all kinds of emotional and educational
messages which can be understood unconciously by all babies
worldwide, regardless of race or ethnic background. By
presenting your baby the right mix of styles, melody,
harmony and rhythm, Raimond Lap believes the brain is
stimulated into creating more connections, providing your
baby a head start in life in various ways.
Are certain types of music better for my baby to
listen to than others?
Yes. It is very important to choose the right music to
play for your baby. Choosing the wrong music can have
negative effects. Contrary to what most people believe, you
should not play classical music for babies, as it was
originally intended for grownups. Most recordings are too
fast and too intense to be absorbed by a baby in a good
way. However, by changing the orchestration and tempo,
classical music can be successfully adapted for babies,
offering wonderful benefits. As a parent, you need to avoid
recordings that give no consideration to how babies will
respond to the music. Stick to recordings from companies
that truly care about what they are creating.
What are the most important qualities I should look
for when choosing music for my baby?
Good baby music is created with the right knowledge of
how a baby interprets musical information and how it
responds. It must have the right tempo, soft and tender
orchestrations, and feature carefully composed melodies
with the right use of rhythm.
When should I start playing music for my
baby?
A fetus can hear at approximately six months of
development. Therefore, we recommend you begin playing
music at this time for short periods, on a daily basis. You
will notice your baby becomes more relaxed when the music
is played. You, too, will benefit from music at this time,
as it will help reduce the mental and physical stress you
are experiencing due to your pregnancy. Reducing your
stress also reduces your baby's stress, which makes for a
healthier birth.
Even more fascinating, after the birth, when you play the
same music, your baby will recognize it from before birth.
This pleasant association 'brings the baby back' to the
safe period inside the womb. The music therefore will relax
and comfort your baby.
Is there a right and a wrong way to play music for
my baby?
Yes.
The RIGHT way: Try to play the music at home, not too loud,
and with no other distractions, if possible. Always try to
have at least one parent present during this 'special'
time, in order to see your baby's reactions to the music
and for you to respond to, and interact with, your baby.
This is a precious bonding opportunity. Limit this time to
no more than 20-30 minutes each time, and a maximum of one
hour per day.
The WRONG way: Avoid fast, loud and intense music, as you
will over-stimulate your baby, who may also associate music
with feeling uncomfortable or stressed. If you play the
radio for your baby, do not play it all day. Keep time
limits. Too much exposure will give your baby too much
'information' to process. Constant exposure to music could
ultimately make your baby see music as an unimportant
sound.
How can I tell if music is helping my
baby?
First, look into your baby's eyes to see if a
'connection' has been made with the music. Music should be
captivating and put your baby in a good mood. Your baby
should also interact with the music and be engaged when the
song you are playing is active and stimulating.
Can music help my baby in crisis situations, such as colic,
uncontrolled crying or not sleeping?
Absolutely. But...you must first
determine why your baby is experiencing discomfort, pain,
etc., and come up with a solution to correct it. Our music
can certainly help calm your baby down and help achieve a
relaxed mental state to help fall asleep. But never use
music to just mask the larger problem. We have often seen
crying babies become relaxed and actually stop crying when
listening to certain Lovely Baby songs. These songs will
act as a distraction, and your baby will forget about the
pain it may have, and stop crying. Many parents have
thanked us for these 'moments of rest'.
Why do you only specialize in music, and not
video?
Other than the human voice, music is the original
interactive medium. In addition to its developmental
benefits, music evokes myriad positive emotions and
responses. It is also the best way for you and your child
to interact and bond. With music, even if you are tone
deaf, you can still sing and hum to your baby, and act as
silly as you want. It is all good! Compare music with a
book. When you read a book, you experience much more brain
activity than when watching a movie. The book triggers your
imagination, while the movie leaves you no space to
imagine.
We share the opinion of the American Academy of Pediatrics
that babies under the age of two should not experience
screen time. This is not the venue to argue for, or
against, TV/DVDs/videos. Simply stated, babies are
hard-wired to watch these things, and they will. You may
think they are enjoying it, but they don't really know any
better. And there is very little interaction with videos.
We hear supposed experts tell parents to talk along with
them and reinforce what is on the screen to their babies.
We simply don't buy that and we do not believe you will be
doing your baby any favors by doing so.
Want to see colors, animals and shapes? Please take your
baby outside. Like the song says – ain't nothing like the
real thing, baby.
What is Lovely Baby Music and how did it come
about?
Lovely Baby is the first and only original music series
in the world specifically created for babies, ages prenatal
to 48 months. Our music helps with emotional, intellectual
and physical development.
Created by Dutch composer and international baby music
expert, Raimond Lap, it was borne out of a desire for
Raimond to offer quality music, with the right amount of
educational elements, to his own children. Because he found
no other music that met his rigid standards, he decided to
create his own.
Some seventeen years and millions of babies later, Lovely
Baby CDs are recognized around the world as the best baby
music available.
Other baby CDs are less expensive than yours. How
come?
You've heard it a million times before - you get what
you pay for. Lovely Baby CDs are the highest-quality music
available in the world. Not our words, but those of our
loyal customers and many consumer products companies that
use our music to help promote their brands. But don't take
our word for it, because well - it's our music. Let your
ears, or even better - your baby's ears - decide for you.
Just listen. Listen to our music, and listen to the others.
You will be able to tell the difference immediately.
There's a reason we offer samples of every song from every
CD on our web site. Unlike most of the other companies, we
WANT you to listen before you buy. We will not accept nor
tolerate disappointment from you or your baby.
iTunes is also a great place to listen to samples of other
baby CDs. There, you can compare all of them with Lovely
Baby Music.
Aren't all baby CDs the same?
No. The majority of music on the market today being
marketed as 'baby music' consists mostly of low-budget,
public domain recordings slapped together using the names
of the big name composers. Largely misunderstood, the
so-called 'Mozart Theory' spurred an entire new indusry
catering to those parents wishing to give their babies a
head start in life. While well-intentioned, many parents
never consider what is actually on the CD, basing their
purchases solely on the artwork and names like Mozart, Bach
and Beethoven. This is such a pitty.
Many retailers are also guilty of this. Very few choose
what to sell based on quality or what is best for their
customers. Instead, as with most big business, they stick
with what offers the best mark-up and the fastest sales
patterns. While this is often a necessary evil, at some
point, these stores need to step up and help their
customers make the best choices.
As a parent, we encourage you to make the most informed
choice possible when it comes to music for your baby. That
is why we offer previews of all of our music, so you can
test it out first. We strongly recommend you sit your baby
in your lap while listening to our music samples. You will
see, first hand, how great babies respond to our music,
even with clips of one minute or less. It's that good!
I notice your music includes lots of baby, toy and
nature sounds. What's up with that?
First, the sounds are to get the babies' attention. If
you listen carefully, you will notice that they are also
well timed within the music, providing different functions.
All babies are born without language. The baby sounds are a
way of communicating with your baby. Babies are
unconsciously invited to join in responding with their own
sounds. This will result in a better development of
language skills and social behavior. It is very important
for your baby to practice responding to these sounds. The
most beautiful thing is that this Baby Language is
universal. It truly communicates with each baby
worldwide.
Have you tested your music on babies, to know what
works and what doesn't?
Yes, of course. Raimond used a test group of 50 babies
while developing his Lovely Baby CDs. Tests were conducted
in each baby's home. Parents tracked their baby's responses
and kept a written diary. Raimond then evaluated these
responses to determine which songs, styles, rhythms, etc.
evoked the most positive responses. These tests proved
invaluable, and the success of this music worldwide today
is a testament of this work.
Are Lovely Baby CDs used professionally?
Yes. Many in the early childhood development and early
literacy communities have embraced our music. We are also
extremely proud of the many early infant education programs
around the world that have incorporated our music into
their curriculums, including those of the U.S. military. A
vast number of public libraries have also made Lovely Baby
a part of their music collections for young ones.
You call Lovely Baby 'music for the next
generation.' How do you think your music can change the
world?
To best answer this, we asked Raimond Lap himself, how
he views he music he creates:
I honestly believe we can make this world more harmonious,
more peaceful if each baby in the world would grow up with
my music. The next generation would grow up with the love
of music and would experience all the benefits my music
provides. Besides that, it will give the whole family a
nice and sweet feeling.
This also brings me to a very important matter: My baby
music also has a positive influence on the whole family.
Parents and other children also become relax and amused.
This will lead to a more harmonious family. I believe all
these factors will result in a more peaceful and better
world, with less violence. It is my goal to help parents
become aware of this. As we all know, the family is the
cornerstone of society.