80 - 85 dB City traffic (from inside the car), gas-powered leaf blower.60 dB Normal conversation, air conditioner.And if you're listening to music for prolonged periods, it's best to keep the volume below 50 dB (the level of a quiet conversation). When playing music, don't turn the volume any higher than 65 decibels (dB) – about as loud as background music at the store – because that may hurt or startle your baby. Skip loud events such as rock concerts once you're in the second trimester. It's best to avoid routinely playing music at a loud volume (about 115 dB, or as loud as a chainsaw) while pregnant.
There's some evidence that long-term exposure (like 8 hours a day, every day) to very loud noise while you're pregnant can damage your baby's hearing. One study determined these aren't effective, and that singing to your baby is probably a much more effective way of supporting your baby's hearing development through music. The sound will amplify as it travels through the amniotic fluid to your baby and could reach dangerous levels that damage your baby's delicate ears.Īnd don't bother buying a "music belt" for playing music to your baby. Or you can sing songs or hum melodies to your baby yourself.ĭon't place ear buds or headphones directly on your belly. Your best option is to play music at a modest volume (about the level of a normal conversation) as you go about your day.
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How to play music for your baby in the womb But no one really knows what those movements mean because experts can't observe an unborn baby as easily as a baby that has already been born. Some studies indicate that fetuses can hear and react to sound by moving. Your voice is another source of sound for your baby, because it reverberates through your body when you speak. Just being in your womb and around the sounds of your various organs gives your baby plenty to listen to. That doesn't mean music is essential to hearing and brain development before birth, it's just one kind of sound that may contribute. Evidence suggests sounds from the environment also help babies' memory and emotions develop. Sounds in general – including music, voices, and the gentle gurgle of your stomach and beating of your heart – all contribute to the development of your baby's hearing, which involves neural connections and processing in the brain. Does music affect my baby's brain development in the womb? Find out how music affects your baby's hearing development – and how to play it safely for babies in the womb. Starting in the second trimester, around 23 weeks, your baby will be able to hear the music you're listening to.