Rock Music Is Good for Babies

Baby’s got Bach. And Metallica. Maybe a little Ramones? (Just no “Beat on the Brat,” if you please.) Seriously, your kid was born to rock. Not to get too scientific, but there are studies that show babies naturally sync up their movements with the beat of the music they hear.

I guess this explains the "Single Ladies" baby dance. And yes, classical music is said to be the best because of the musical structure and how it primes your kiddo’s brain for spatial learning, but that also means that Jethro Tull, Rush, and progressive metal bands, all of whom put out music with the same complexity as Amadeus himself, is also beneficial.

Here are a few albums that you and your baby can listen to together, even if you don’t feel ready to throw on some Iron Maiden.

Class of 3000

Andre 3000 (of Outkast fame) was a busy, busy boy a couple years ago, producing a cartoon series along with his music. Picture Olly Olly Oxenfreed sung to an Outkast beat and you’ve got it -- and you’ll probably dance as much as your baby!

Rockabye Baby

Easily one of the first companies to start converting adult music to kid format, Rockabye has a huge collection to choose from, including the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Nirvana, and Carrie Underwood. The only catch? Everything has been converted to a lullaby tune. Pretty rockin’.

They Might Be Giants

TMBG are scions of alternative rock -- (if nothing else, you probably remember "Istanbul Was Once Constantinople") -- worshipped and adored by fans both indie and mainstream. And now, your baby. Yup. These guys have been making kids’ music since ... well, since they had kids. They’ve amassed quite a catalog of children’s tunes, ranging in topics from science to the alphabet, but even if your little guy isn’t old enough to appreciate the content, he’ll still love the music.



The Marleys

Would you ever believe a Marley family song to be appropriate for the ears of a tot? Believe it, because both Ziggy and Bob have kiddie records. Ziggy curated his dad’s record, which includes the iconic “One Love.” His own record reflects the importance of music in his childhood, with awesome collabos with people like Paul Simon and Jamie Lee Curtis.


 

For the Kids

There are now three albums in this series, which are rocking compilations featuring all kinds of artists. Jason Mraz, Sarah McLachlan, Moby, and even MC Lars contributed to the series. And seriously, how can you go wrong with a track called “The Poopsmith Song”?

There’s no excuse not to let your baby rock out, because he was totally meant to.

Play on, little man, play on.

Images via LR Argerich/Flickr, Baby Rock Apparel, Amazon.com