While some babies fall asleep with no problems, there are many others whose bedtime battles leave parents exhausted. These moms and dads look for everything and anything that will not only help their babies fall asleep but stay asleep. Now, popular childhood entertainers The Wiggles have developed Sweet Dreams and Calm & Quiet to help babies relax and sleep better.
The Wiggles have had a presence in entertaining and educating children for more than twenty years. Member Simon Pryce, who is also the father of a six-month-old, tells Parentology, that this project is different than any other the group has taken on because it targets a younger audience. Typically, The Wiggles is geared for children ages 18 months to 5 years old, while this one is for children right from birth.
“It’s also different in that we don’t want children to get up and dance, we’re actually trying to relax them and get them to sleep and sleep through the night,” says Pryce.
Music to Your Baby’s Ears
Both releases aim to help babies make a positive association between this music and sleep and relaxation. From birth, babies can listen to music and begin to make the connection.
The first Wiggles release, Calm & Quiet: Soothing Sounds for Relaxing Baby, features music that is scientifically designed to help relax babies. It contains traditional pieces that have a melodic and repetitive style. Each piece has calming music that includes a variety of sounds that are arranged to help babies relax.
The music can be used as a cue for bathtime, naptime, or for winding down before bed. Pryce says it’s about helping parents set routines. He uses it with his six-month-old.
“We play Calm & Quiet when it’s bath time and so it starts with an understanding that it’s time to quiet down and slow down,” says Pryce.
The second release from The Wiggles, Sweet Dreams: White Noise Sleep Aid for Baby, is a sleep association aid. White noise has been proven to help babies fall asleep because it blocks out other noises that can keep babies awake. This tone is known as a specific frequency, the “sleep frequency” at 432 hertz. Although the pieces in the Sweet Dreams release do include white noise, there’s more to them because they are still musical-based pieces.
“There is a lot of air and space around the sound and a lot of vibration which helps with children sleeping as well,” Pryce explains.
Science shows that the average sleep cycle of a baby is anywhere from 30-45 minutes. After this time, they often need help falling back asleep. This is when sleep association aids, like this one, come in handy.
Pryce tells Parentology that the earlier you can form a positive sleep association, the better. It will help children feel safe and comforted and hopefully, they will stay asleep throughout the night.
Future Musical Plans
While this has been a new venture for The Wiggles, Pryce says the feedback so far has been positive. He hopes to collaborate more on musical projects like these.
“It’s about giving parents as many tools as we can to help through the baby years and then childhood development. That’s what The Wiggles have always been about,” says Pryce.
The Wiggles “Sweet Dreams” and “Calm and Quiet” — Sources
The Wiggles Sweet Dreams and Calm & Quiet can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. We’ve embedded the YouTube playlists below.