Updated: August 21, 2024
It is a universal truth – a child naturally gravitates toward their mother’s voice over any other. From the time they are in the womb, babies begin to tune into their mother’s voice. A study back in 2014 focused on babies born before their due date. These little ones were exposed to recordings of their mother’s voice while they were feeding with a pacifier. The result? These babies got better at eating and got to go home from the hospital sooner. It is pretty remarkable when you think about it. But there is more to this story. A mother’s voice can also do wonders for a child’s hormone levels. Specifically, it can lower cortisol, which is the hormone that makes us feel stressed. At the same time, it increases oxytocin, which is often called the ‘love hormone’ or ‘bonding hormone.’ A mom’s voice can make a child feel less stressed and more socially connected.
Now, why should we, as sleep consultants, care about this? Because we have a powerful tool that we might not be using to its full potential. When you talk with parents who are having a hard time getting their child to sleep, remind them of this. Their voice isn’t just a way to say goodnight. It is backed by science and actually helps their child feel more relaxed and secure.
What Happens in a Child’s Brain When They Hear Mom’s Voice?
Here is a logical question – what happens as a child grows? Neurobiologist Daniel Abrams and his team decided to explore this. They used fMRI scans to study 24 children between the ages of 7 and 12. These children, with no developmental disorders, listened to recordings of nonsense words spoken by their mothers. The reason for the ‘nonsense words’? It was to eliminate the brain’s focus on semantics, and this allows the researchers to concentrate solely on the emotional and auditory impact. Astoundingly, the children identified their mother’s voice with 97% accuracy in less than a second.
It is not just about recognizing the voice – it is about the unique way our brain lights up in response to it. A mother’s voice activated a host of brain structures involved in emotion, reward processing, and even face recognition. We are talking amygdala, nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, and fusiform face area. This activation pattern is so unique that it has been termed a ‘neural fingerprint.’
The Proven Link Between a Mother’s Voice and a Child’s Social Skills
The research didn’t stop at identifying this ‘neural fingerprint’. It found a connection between these voice-selective brain regions and a child’s social communication skills. This tells us that the neural traces of a mother’s voice in a child’s brain can predict the child’s social communication abilities.
So, the influence of a mother’s voice isn’t limited to early childhood but has far-reaching implications throughout a child’s life. From bedtime stories and family dinners to the very first sounds heard in the womb, the mother’s voice is a constant, and it shapes our emotional and social abilities just as definitively as our fingerprints do.
Why Mom’s Voice Should Be the Heart of Every Bedtime Routine?
Now, think about your initial consultations with families. How many times have you met parents who rely solely on visual cues, like dimming the lights or warm baths, to signal bedtime? It is time to use an auditory dimension to these routines. Why? Because we now know a mother’s voice isn’t just emotionally comforting — it is scientifically proven to relax a child’s mind, prepare it for social interactions, and improve its ability to process stress. It is the most powerful lullaby backed by neural pathways.
A great starting point is to include this powerful tool in bedtime routines. Encourage mothers to consistently use specific soothing phrases or short stories as they put their children to sleep. Parents should be consistent for this to work. Remember, we are trying to activate those unique ‘neural fingerprints’ that a mother’s voice leaves on a child’s brain. In time, these verbal cues become triggers for sleep, comparable to flipping a biological ‘off’ switch for the night.
Not Just for Infants
The benefits of a mother’s voice are not just for babies and toddlers. Children between the ages of 7 and 12 also respond well to their mother’s voice. This is great news for parents who have older kids with irregular sleep patterns. Just like it calms babies, a mother’s voice can be a comforting and helpful sound for older children too. This can make bedtime easier for them.
The Role of a Father in Child Development
Fathers play a crucial role in a child’s development, just as mothers do. When fathers are involved, children often develop better social skills. They can handle stress more easily and are less likely to have behavior problems. This is true even if the father does not live with the child (Amato & Rivera, 1999). The presence and involvement of a father can positively impact a child’s emotional health.
Fathers usually interact with their children differently than mothers do. They often encourage their children to take risks and explore new things. This helps children become more independent and confident (Pruett, 2000). Early and consistent verbal interactions with fathers contribute to a child’s ability to understand and process language. This is supported by findings from the Handbook of Fathers and Child Development, which emphasizes that the unique auditory experiences provided by a father’s voice can significantly enhance a child’s cognitive development, especially when fathers are involved from an early age (Keizer, 2019).
The combined influence of a mother’s and a father’s voice plays a crucial role in a child’s development. By recognizing and utilizing the unique contributions of both parents, sleep consultants can help families create a more nurturing and supportive environment that promotes healthy emotional, social, and cognitive growth in children.
Both a mother’s and a father’s are important for a child’s growth. By using the strengths of both parents, families can create a supportive environment that helps children grow emotionally, socially, and intellectually. This is something that a sleep consultant can share with parents to help them better support their child’s development.
How to Become a Sleep Consultant
If you have a genuine interest in making a meaningful impact on the lives of families struggling with sleep challenges, you might consider to become a sleep consultant. You need a degree or a certificate to enter this field. All you need is a passion for helping families and a commitment to understanding the science and behavior behind sleep. How to become a sleep consultant? The International Institute of Infant Sleep offers a comprehensive training program that simplifies complex sleep science into actionable strategies for healthy children with behavioral sleep issues.
References
Anthony J. DeCasper William P. Fifer, Of Human Bonding: Newborns Prefer Their Mothers’ Voices. Science208,1174-1176(1980). DOI:10.1126/science.7375928
Olena D. Chorna, James C. Slaughter, Lulu Wang, Ann R. Stark, Nathalie L. Maitre; A Pacifier-Activated Music Player With Mother’s Voice Improves Oral Feeding in Preterm Infants. Pediatrics March 2014; 133 (3): 462–468. 10.1542/peds.2013-2547
Seltzer, L. J., Prososki, A. R., Ziegler, T. E., & Pollak, S. D. (2012). Instant messages vs. speech: hormones and why we still need to hear each other. Evolution and human behavior : official journal of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, 33(1), 42–45.
Amato, P. R., & Rivera, F. (1999). Paternal Involvement and Children’s Behavior Problems. Journal of Marriage and Family, 61(2), 375-384. https://doi.org/10.2307/353755
Pruett, K. D. (2000). Fatherneed: Why Father Care is as Essential as Mother Care for Your Child. New York: The Free Press.
Keizer, R. (2019). Handbook of Fathers and Child Development: Prenatal to Preschool. SpringerLink
Rohner, R. P., & Veneziano, R. A. (2001). The Importance of Father Love: History and Contemporary Evidence. Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 382-405.