Babies sure are particular little boogers.
Feed me, change me, help me fall asleep because I’m tired but don’t know how to make it happen on my own and oh by the way, when you try to help me you should know that I WILL HATE YOU FOREVER.
And sometimes, everything you’ve learned about how to calm a crying baby is useless because they cry for no obvious reason. Suddenly, your trusty baby must haves aren’t delivering. No Super Nanny is knocking on your door at just the right moment to swoop in and save the day.
So you run through a mental checklist.
She can’t be hungry, she just ate!
Clean diaper, check.
Woke up from a nap 20 minutes ago.
Is she cold? Hot?
Does she have a fever?
Is it something in my milk? Do I need to cut out dairy? Soy?
DEAR GOD PLEASE DON’T LET IT BE GLUTEN.
And then you have babies’ taste in music.
Photo by wideeyedwondersYou never know what’s going to set them off.
Gone are the days of starting up your favorite playlist and relaxing on your way to the grocery store.
Our 5-month-old Bailey has this endearing habit of screaming at the top of her lungs every time we get in the car. Music is one of the only reliable things that will calm her down – but it has to be the RIGHT music.
She hates Michael Bublé and loves Maroon 5. Lullabies can suck it, but Johnny Cash is gold. Classical is out. Ron White monologues are in.
How to Calm a Crying Baby With 6 Unexpected Lullabies
This parent discovered that when his baby girl was fussy, Hypnotize by Notorious B.I.G. worked like magic.
But what if Notorious B.I.G. isn’t really up your alley?
Here are a few songs that always calm our little one down. Even better, with the exception of #6, these songs are worthy of your own non-baby-related playlists.
Give these tunes a try – your baby might like them too. Or maybe she’ll be into misogynistic, sexually explicit lyrics.
Dude, no judgment. Whatever works.
Download: A Checklist to Track Which Songs Your Baby Loves (With 4 Bonus Songs!)
1. Be OK by Ingrid Michaelson
I just want to be ok, be ok, be ok
I just want to be ok today
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
2. Down To The River To Pray by Alison Krauss
Oh sisters let’s go down
Let’s go down, come on down
Oh sisters let’s go down
Down in the river to pray`
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
3. Your Man Loves You, Honey by Tom T. Hall
Had my golf clubs on my shoulder
When you saw me first today
Wearin’ my old army sweater
That you thought you threw away
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
4. Daddy Sang Bass by Johnny Cash
Daddy sang bass,
Mama sang tenor
Me and little brother would join right in there
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
5. Chicago by Lucy Wainwright Roche
Isn’t it funny, even with toys
And all of the money
People will still come out to see
Lights in the sky, and over the lake
On the fourth of July
Isn’t it funny, isn’t it funny
Isn’t it simple after all
Listen: iTunes
6. Babies Little Self by Caspar Babypants
Okay, so this one may be not as surprising since it’s intended to be kids’ music in the first place. But it works so well I had to include it!
I can see baby’s little self
Baby’s little self in the morning time
I can see baby’s little hands
Baby’s little hands in the summertime
I can see baby’s little feet
Baby’s little feet in the eveningtime
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
Download Your Free Checklist (With Bonus Songs!)
Use this checklist to keep track of which songs your baby loves. You’ll find these 6 songs, 4 more bonus songs that have worked for other parents, and blank rows to keep track of other songs you’ve tried.
- Download the free checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join my weekly newsletter! Just click here to download and subscribe.
- Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal.
- Hang your checklist somewhere handy like on the fridge. Don’t forget to come back and share what works in a comment below!
Here’s a sneak peek of your printable checklist:
Download my FREE cheat sheet as a bonus for joining my newsletter: 16 Miracle Phrases to Help You Reconnect With Your Child
Your Turn
What song works (or worked once upon a time) to calm down your baby? Share your suggestion in a comment below!
I sometimes go blank trying to think of more songs to sing, so thank you for putting this list together. My little screamer particularly seems to calm down for: You are my Sunshine as sung by Johnny Cash, Little Surfer by the Beach Boys (used at bath time), and pretty much anything sung by Bob Marley or Willie Nelson.
Bailey loves that rendition of You Are My Sunshine, too! Thanks for the recommendations. :-)
My 4 month old daughter LOVES Road agent’s Lamet by Growling Old Men. I came across it on a pandora station and she immediately relaxed.
Clair, I haven’t heard that song before. Heading to check it out right now!
For 8 months, I sang Silent Night for every sleep time.
Jenifer, were you sick of it after 8 months? :-) These are the songs we play for Bailey to calm her down, but the one go-to song I sing myself is “Hush Little Baby.” Sometimes I’m tempted to invent a few more verses just to keep it fresh for me!
I love Christmas, movies, music, everything! Once left the tree up for a whole year. But singing all three versus several times a day several times in a row did grate on my nerves. :)
Haha! I feel the same way about Christmas. We’re seriously considering putting up Christmas lights October 1 this year. :-)
But goodness, I can see how you would get sick of that song every day for 8 months!
soul music!
My seven month old seems to prefer “All About the Bass” by Megan Trainor. Can’t decide if it’s the pretty blonde girl in the vid or the boppy beat that has him so bewitched but whatever it is, I’m just happy it works! If Miss Trainor isn’t cutting it, we pull out the big guns and put on “What Does the Fox Say”….and then my eardrums bleed and I have to rock in a corner after 2 or 3 times on repeat. But, whatever works, right?!
Hi! I am a preschool teacher in the infant room. While every group of babies is different, I have found that The Beatles & Elvis are crowd pleasers. I am always looking for new music to use in the classroom for various situations. I’m going to try Owl City on my next class and see if they like that. Thanks for this list!
My little had a BRUTAL case of Cholic! Only slept for 45 minutes at a time for the first 11 months! I was watching the episode of Glee where they sing “all the single ladies” I started dancing to it and A FELL ASLEEP!!! SHOCKED! Worked like a charm every time!
Omg my daughter is 4 months, extremely fussy. Like I cant put her down period. I put on alison krauss she loved it! never seen her sit so still! lol, Thank You!
Bohemian Rhapsody – from week one. Even worked for the ultimate test: baby’s first plane ride. People must have thought I was insane :)
That is so funny! My son would never kick for his dad when I was pregnant and he thought he was funny singing Bohemian Rhapsody to him but it made him start kicking! He still loves the song at 2 years old!
My daughter has loved Pink’s “F*ckin Perfect”. We only listen to the one without cursing but she loves it and has every since she was born. She also likes pretty much anything by Pitbull but unfortunately his lyrics aren’t really kid friendly…
My one year old will calm down within the first 4 beats of Sam Smith’s, ‘Not the Only One.’ I discovered it by accident when I first started feeding him solids and he was refusing to eat breakfast. As soon as that song starts he stops fussing (sometimes screaming), smiles, and will eat no problem. It’s been 6 months and it still works. Unfortunately I find the song very depressing! Albeit catchy. Oh well, could be worse!
My one year old loves Sam Smith’s acoustic version of ‘Latch’ and has since he was a few weeks old. It works every time to calm him down!
My 8 week old son loves Pitbull, much to my dismay. He will also tolerate Michael Jackson and Destiny’s Child, but hates the Beatles. His all-time favorite is Daft Punk- a Daft Punk dance party will have him calm in minutes.
My daughter is 5 months ans calms down for Bob Marley, The Clash, The Beatles, old punk rock music and my favorite….heavy screaming metal music. My brother is in a band and has a cd out and she fell right asleep listening to it. When we visited my families house he was doing a cover recording in his room and she slept right through it in the next room!!
Jj heller’s lullaby album is amazing!
For parents of little girls, the song “In My Daughter’s Eyes” by Martina McBride is great. The message is wonderful, and the tune is beautiful and calming. I’ve used this as a bedtime song and to remind my daughter how much I love her.
My 8 month old baby Lucy loves The River Knows Your Name by John Hiatt
My son instantly calms down with Rainbow Connection sung by Kermit. It’s the weirdest thing. He also loves bob Marley instrumental music
Dolly Patton’s ‘I’ll Always Love You” works for our 18 month old grandson .He loves her! When he gets tired, he heads for me and cries “Papa( my husband is my phone’s lock screen photo). He knows Dolly is in my phone. He touches the phone every few minutes to see her picture ( and smiles ear to ear )and hits the back button when she finishes.
My lo loves country and heavy metal lol but the only one that works every time without fail is Reba McEntires consider me gone. Shes his favorite anyway but that one sing will calm him down in seconds. Currently listening to it on repeat to get him asleep for nap lol
He loves it when I sing “Carry on my wayward son” by Kansas. By the time I get to “don’t you cry no more” he’s smiling again.
Author has kept superb unknown ideas that will help most music lovers. It not only includes huge ideas but also user friendly with figure-out posts. If anybody reads this article it will reinforce this. Thanks a million for this post.