10 Lullabies for the Babies and You

Looking for some lullabies that won't make you want to kill yourself? I think we've all been there after singing 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' for the umpteenth time, or whatever song it is that immediately pops to your mind when trying to calm a crying infant or convince your stubborn toddler it's time to calm down for sleep. Over the past month my husband commented that my lullaby repertoire has expanded since our first born was an infant, and I was thinking it might be handy to share some of these with other mothers and fathers that enjoy singing to their children and are looking for more songs.

These are songs that I began to recollect as I have been trying to expose my children to the 'culture' of my childhood. What I love about them is that they are memorable, singable, and hummable. I usually sing one or two to my children before bedtime, but these make a great playlist for other times. This list is perfect for a road trip when you need a calming influence, or just for at home when the need arises. I like to put it on shuffle so the kids have a chance to hear all of the music rather than just the same ones that start the list everyday. Another alternative, of course, is playing the Pandora lullaby station, but unless you pay to not be interrupted by commercials, it's really not that calming in the long run. I also don't enjoy buying CDs of lullabies because they all start to sound the same, and this list is about not driving mom and dad crazy while getting the babes to sleep.

Anyways, I hope this gets those brain cells moving in helping you to remember some of your favorite childhood favorites and to help get those lullabies shuffled up a bit! Click on the song name to be taken to YouTube to hear the lullaby.


1) Baby Mine - Alison Krauss
     Originally featured on Dumbo, Alison Krauss makes this a very soothing lullaby without too much country twang.

2) Hushabye Mountain - Stacey Kent
     Sung by Dick van Dyke in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Stacey Kent just takes it up a notch with her beautiful voice.

3) Rainbow Connection - Sarah McLachlan
     The version I grew up with is sung by Kermit the Frog, but it's much more sleep-inducing without the Kermit voice.

4) Moon River (instrumental) - Bradley Joseph
     I actually don't know a thing about this Bradley Joseph guy except that he does a beautiful piano version of 'our song.'

5) Bring Him Home (instrumental) - Piano Guys
     This song is great with the original cast recording, but I adore this version done by the Piano Guys - they create such beautiful arrangements.

6) Over the Rainbow (instrumental) - Jim Brickman
     Yet another pianist I know nothing about, but he also does just a beautiful job of playing a well-known song and making it his own.

7) Stay Awake - Julie Andrews
     I did some research on this one to see if there's a more contemporary artist that sings a beautiful rendition, but the original Julie Andrews does it best.

8) Hallelujah (instrumental) - Brian Crain
     I'm beginning to think I need to spend a little more time in the instrumental world as I have been discovering several great pianists - yet another artist I don't know, but I love his version of Hallelujah.

9) What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
     Some Louis songs get a little rowdy with his trumpet playing, but this one is calm, and even his gravelly voice can be soothing come bedtime.

10) Loch Lomond - Peter Hollens
     I sort of adore Peter Hollens - his acapella arrangements are awesome. I don't love watching his videos, but they do a good job of portraying how many layers he had to record for each song.

This playlist comes to just over a half hour. If you need a longer playlist, then listening to the Pandora station throughout the day is a great way to get ideas of lullabies to add to the list that your littles would enjoy. Plus, if you're singing the song rather than playing it for them, you can turn most anything into a lullaby. Have fun with it!