Sshhh: The baby’s sleeping. Noise and your baby: Our top tips!
Tips and advice
This will be familiar to everyone who has young children: ‘Sshhh: The baby’s sleeping!’ or ‘Sshhh: She’s just started enjoying playing’. At Kindergarden, the older toddlers also walk really quietly through the hallway if the babies are sleeping. But is it possible to be too quiet? Should you allow children to get used to the sounds around them or is it better to stay completely silent? Too much noise is, of course, not good but is it possible to be too quiet? We’re delighted to share a few tips.
Does your baby need total silence while they sleep?
Switch off the vacuum cleaner and certainly don’t have the TV on if children are sleeping. Talk quietly and preferably don’t put on any music if they’re sleeping in the living room. Ideally, parents want their baby to sleep soundly and enjoy fantastic undisturbed play when they’re awake. But the question is whether you achieve this with total silence. Research shows that young children are not quickly disturbed by noise. There are even children who enjoy the sound of a vacuum cleaner or extractor fan, for instance. Ultimately a silent room can result in your child being more sensitive to noise.
There’s generally more noise at Kindergarden than at home, yet the children don’t keep waking up from these noises. We help them get used to this from day one. It quickly becomes clear to us which children have been used to noise around them. The quieter the home; the more sensitive to noise a child becomes. That’s why we’re always looking for a good balance between moments of silence and moments when there’s more noise, so that children feel relaxed and at home.
There’s generally more noise at Kindergarden than at home, yet the children don’t keep waking up from these noises. We help them get used to this from day one. It quickly becomes clear to us which children have been used to noise around them. The quieter the home; the more sensitive to noise a child becomes. That’s why we’re always looking for a good balance between moments of silence and moments when there’s more noise, so that children feel relaxed and at home.
Noise & your baby: Four things you can do to create a good balance at home
- Talk as much as possible in your child’s presence; whether they can see you or not. Children really like to hear a familiar voice. It gives them the feeling that they’re not alone and puts them at ease. Talking to children is also incredibly important for their language and speech development. We also talk to the children a lot in the baby group so they have that feeling of security.
- Just keep on doing normal things as much as possible. Be aware of loud, sudden noises but don’t let this keep you from doing things around the home. We vacuum every day at Kindergarden so the children get used to it. It helps if you explain and show to your child what you’re going to do, however young they are. This prepares your child for the sounds to come.
- Put some music on from time to time and sing songs to your child. Babies love hearing relaxing music and singing. As well as having a calming effect, it’s great for their development. But do make sure you find the right moment. For example, sing a lullaby before your child goes to bed or try putting on classical music while your baby is playing. We do that at Kindergarden too and it often has an extremely calming effect. Our childcare staff members also sing songs during transition periods so that the children know what to expect.
- Take your baby with you to public areas or when you visit others. This will enable your child to get used to unfamiliar sounds. Make sure that there aren’t too many loud, unexpected noises that could startle them.
- And remember: Every child is different and you know your child best. Listen and watch to see how your child responds to any noise and adapt accordingly, as some children are simply more sensitive than others!
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