Lullaby CD's

I have a few friends expecting babies right now, so I have baby things on my mind.

When C was born, I decided that lullabies would be a nice way to ease into bedtimes for him. After purchasing a dozen (or more!) lullaby CD's, I realized something very important. A good lullaby CD will not make the parents insane while listening to it over and over and over again. We have listened to a few of the same CD's for 5 years now and I'm happy with our selections. They don't make me want to run screaming from the room, and they relax and ease both boys into sleep!

Our all-time favorite is "On A Starry Night" . For years he asked for "na na's" at night because the first lullaby is a string of "na na na naaa" by Bobby McFerrin. It's mellow and wonderful. This CD was a gift from my sister, who actually purchased it for her dog. We heard it while staying at my mom's house when C was an infant and I fell in love with it, so she gave it to us.

Our 2nd favorite is "Planet Sleeps" . This one was purchased because both boys had separate bedrooms when N was an infant, and I felt like they needed different music. I don't know why? I think my sister gave us this one as a gift as well. This CD has music from all over the world, and has some hauntingly beautiful sounds.

The 3rd CD was part of a set of children's CD's and I can't find a link to it anywhere. The first 30 minutes has traditional lullabies being sung, and the last 30 minutes is a repeat of the same lullabies, but only instrumentals. Because it includes such favorites as "Hush Little Baby", C enjoyed it - but it kept him awake longer than the other 2, becuase he would listen to the lyrics of familiar songs. He wouldn't really fall asleep until the instrumental portion started.

I have read multiple times how you shouldn't let kids fall asleep to music, unless you plan to leave the music playing all night. This has never been an issue with either of my kids. The lullaby CD is started when they're put to bed, and when it's over - it stops playing. It was also beneficial because as infants, when they heard the music, they *knew* it was time for nap or bed, and it helped ease the transition.