Because I have a newborn at home - he's 7 weeks old today! - I do a lot of rocking & singing. It's a great time to bond with David, and it helps to calm us both down if we've had a stressful day. Instead of relying on traditional lullabies, I sing hymns & devotional songs to him. There are many that are perfectly suited for use as a lullaby.I know that he is too young right now to understand the words of whatever lullaby I choose to sing, but that won't always be the case. Before I know it, he will be old enough to really listen and start understanding the words & maybe even ask questions. In the meantime, the songs minister to me and serve as a special time of private praise, a bonding and rededicating of my life & my son to my God.
Here are some hymns or devotional songs that I've found work particularly well as lullabies:
- Trust and Obey
- Seek Ye First
- Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
- Jesus Loves Me (of course)
- What a Friend We Have in Jesus
- Here We Are But Straying Pilgrims
- Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
- Day By Day
- Peace, Perfect Peace
- Holy, Holy, Holy
For more tips and ideas, head over to Works-For-Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family!
8 comments:
Great idea! I am always looking for ways to incorporate songs of faith into our day. With Ladybug's hair getting longer and needing to comb/brush it every day, I sing while I brush to help keep her calm and distracted.
Happy Wednesday!
I did not grow up on hymns so I am pretty bad at remembering the words.
But when my babe was tiny, I sang her "Heart of Worship," "All in All," and "Shout to the Lord." A LOT!
We've also used Alan Jackson's hymn CD, Precious Memories, as a lullaby CD!
My oldest, now 8, was very fussy and was only happy when she was carried around while singing, (preferably by Daddy). Problem was, the only songs he knew were airborne cadences... but he did sing them sweetly.
It's wonderful that you have those moments to bring you closer to God and your son at the same time.
Amazing Grace and just to keep the "contemporary" songs in there too it's "I love you Lord". I sing them so much that sometimes it is just another lullaby. Then one night Jayden woke up in a scared cry. I sang the words, to no avail. Then I realized it might be a spiritual attack and sang them out as true worship. He immediately calmed down and went back to sleep. I think I need to incorporate a few more hymns to make sure I a listening and meaning the words! Thanks for your post. Jaylene
I love "Seek Ye First". I also sang my baby "Lord of the Dance" (nothing to do with that Irish dancing guy! It's a song about the life of Jesus), "Everything's All Right" from Jesus Christ Superstar, and that Michael W. Smith song that begins, "To the one that is able to keep you, that is able to keep you from stumbling..."
When I was feeling really frustrated with a cranky baby, I made up my own words to songs. Click my name for some of them.
With my 4yr Rylea, she heard only Jesus Loves Me. After the collick and bouts of acid reflux, that was the only song I could remember. As she got older and quieter, she heard every devotional song I could remember. She eventually started giving requests for bedtime. Kate (2yo) was a much easier going baby and heard songs like "Jesus keep me near the cross" and "There's a fountain free." In fact the first time we sang those one of those songs for worship she started crying hysterically. In her own way she thought I was trying to put her to sleep. It was quite funny!
Oh, I remember when I'd get up for those middle of the night feedings-about 10 1/2 years ago now- I'd put on a CD of hymns and it would calm us both and we'd share a special time with the Lord! Thanks for bringing up a blessed memory!!
Hey! I am a believer and singer-songwriter, and it was impressed upon me tonight that I should follow through on a prompting from the Lord on an idea. My children will never learn the old hymns in church, so the only way is if I sing them as lullabies. I want to record a cd for him. Then I felt, there must be many others who feel the same, so it would be for more than just my son. So I googled hymns as lullabies to see if perhaps I was silly to think of it as a new thing. In other words, if tons of artists have already made tons of cds like this, then I would not sense such an importance that I do it. I didn't come up with much, but I found your post! Is that awesome. So now I have your list, too, of songs that I can consider. If I do it and go by your list at all, I will certainly include you in the credits and send you a copy! hahaha! You just never know how a day's gonna go, right? What a neat thing to have this conversation!
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