Lullabies and Folk Songs

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I remember when my kids were little and we had all the baby gadgets that would play electronic melodies, I would sing along with the words of many of these melodies and wonder, "How many people actually know or remember these songs?"

There are recent articles like this one, that have stated many new mothers in our current generation are not singing lullabies like previous generations.  You really can't do anything to replace that bond you make with your babies when you hold and sing to them!  I found these other articles very interesting and will link them here:
New York Times
Mother.ly
ABC News

The take away I feel is that nothing should stop us from singing to our babies.  Even if it's just your favorite song on the radio, worship chorus, etc.  In my opinion, also preserving the folk heritage through the old songs is important and I would love to see more families take time to commit the classics to memory!  I think that can culturally enrich us as a generation as well!

Here are my top 10 favorite lullabies!

1. All Through the Night - the lullaby I sang to my son every night.
2. Twinkle, Twinkle - the lullaby my daughter chose to have me sing! (I say Silent Night is her lullaby though since she was born December 6th!)
3. Bye, Baby Bunting - another lullaby my daughter loves and frequently requests!
4. All the Pretty Little Horses
5. Simple Gifts
6. Edelweiss
7. Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight
8. Irish Lullaby
9. Sleep, Baby, Sleep
10. Fais, Do Do

I love that there are many other playlists and lists you can go to for more inspiration!  Here's a great list with embedded video! Lullaby Songs for Babies-Billboard.com

Here are my top 10 favorite baby folk songs!
1. Froggy Went a Courtin'
2. Polly Put the Kettle On
3. I've Been Workin' on the Railroad
4. Shoo Fly
5. A Tisket a Tasket
6. Oh Susanna
7. She'll Be Coming 'round the Mountain
8. Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
9. Pop Goes the Weasel
10. Row, Row, Row Your Boat

I'm a huge fan of Smithsonian Folkways and this CD has many classics that would be great to add to your library! Classic Folk Songs for Kids-Smithsonian Folkways

So many of these songs hold special memories for me as I grew up with amazing examples of strong women that loved to sing to me!  One video I will always cherish is this moment I took while my grandma sang a lullaby to my son before she died.  Moments like this ground you and make you take stock of the heritage you want to leave for your children. Music is so powerful!

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