I live on a busy street with traffic pretty much day and night, which means there’s the constant noise of cars, motorcycles and trucks, with the occasional horn blowing, not to mention emergency vehicles’ sirens blaring. I’ve learned to ignore the noise and sleep through it but it’s a different story for my daughter.

Many times she was woken up from her nap or in the middle of the night by sounds she hears outside. It’s even worse when I’ve been trying to get her to sleep for a while and she’s just about to fall asleep but gets distracted by a noise: her eyes open up and it’s like she’s not even tired anymore. Those of you with young children can probably relate with these situations.

I was very happy when I was offered to review Little Star Lullabies because I immediately thought that soft instrumental music would create a calm and relaxing atmosphere for her to fall asleep and stay asleep!

I’ll let you know how it worked in a moment but first let me tell you about Manor House Music. They are a group of highly skilled musicians in the UK who specialize in chamber music. They play in orchestras, concerts, festivals, weddings and private events. They also record their own CDs, one of which is Little Star Lullabies. On this CD, you’ll hear many instruments including harps, guitars, violins, flutes, recorders, piano, glockenspiels, etc. Each song has a unique melody played by a different set of instruments yet the whole CD is very harmonious and the transition between songs is very gentle.

We’ve been listening to the CD for a couple days now. We listen to it at naptime and also at night when it’s time to go to bed. I say ‘we’ because I enjoy listening to it myself, which is a bonus! The music definitely has more depth than most lullaby music I’ve heard. I believe that this CD would be perfect for babies as well as young children who can also benefit from the reassuring atmosphere it creates. I was pleased when I found out that there’s a mix of traditional melodies (e.g. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) and original ones created especially for Little Star Lullabies. My favorite song is ‘The Stars Come Out To Say Goodnight’.

As for my daughter, she never made it to the end. Actually, after the first night, she didn’t even make it past Track 5 (she falls asleep between Track 3 and 5)! Listening to the CD really seems to help calm her down when she’s not in the mood to sleep. So far, she hasn’t been startled by the noise from the street as she is falling asleep nor woken up while the music is playing.

I think I’ll bring this CD with us when we visit family. Sleeping in a new environment can be unsettling for a baby but I am sure that listening to familiar calming music will help her relax quickly. I can also see how it would be helpful if someone else, like a babysitter, would try to put her to sleep by creating a peaceful and comforting atmosphere even though Mommy and Daddy are not there.

It’s become part of our naptime and bedtime routine and I expect that we’ll be listening to it for months to come. I hope you and your little one will enjoy it as much as we do.

Rachel