Wellness
Gentle music → auditory stimulation → calming/attention response → reduced stress → potentially more stable physiological and behavioral responses.
Music can also provide a predictable, familiar stimulus. A parent's singing or speaking may be particularly meaningful because babies become familiar with voices and sounds during development.
Therapy
Music should be considered a supportive wellness and therapeutic tool—not a replacement for medical treatment. Every baby responds differently, and premature or medically fragile infants should receive music interventions under appropriate professional guidance.
auditory stimulation for young infants
Babies program
Potential benefit What research has found
Pain relief A systematic review of 38 randomized trials involving 5,601 children found that music interventions significantly reduced pain, including in newborns.
Premature babies Reviews of NICU research report improvements in measures such as heart rate, respiratory rate, feeding and behavioral state.
During painful procedures A 2024 meta-analysis of randomized trials found lower pain scores in premature infants who received music during/after painful procedures.
Sleep/relaxation Research has reported improvements in sleep duration and behavioral settling in some neonatal populations.
Feeding Some NICU studies have found increased feeding volume and improved sucking/feeding behavior.