Numerous conducted research across Europe and the US have studied the effects of music on children, and how this helps boost their IQ and development. It has been reported that music, most especially classical music, helps prime the brain, inducing short-term improvement of spatial-temporal reasoning. This is better known as the “Mozart Effect.”
In students, listening to Mozart is said to help boost their memory and performance on tests. But the effects are not long-term, diminishing within just an hour.
But music has an even more amazing effect on babies. In the womb, babies can hear and decipher different sounds such as their mother’s voice, the muffled noises, and yes, even music.They respond to the sounds by moving their mouths, tongue and hands.
Babies respond most to this form of stimuli in the womb because hearing is the first sense to be fully developed in the embryo. In fact, their hearing system begins to come together at 16 weeks, and by 26 weeks, babies can already perceive sounds.
NEXT PAGE: Learn more about how you and your baby can bond through music
Building on this, a company in Spain has developed the Babypod, a small speaker that can be inserted into the vagina, which deliver soft ambient sound and music. Babypod claims to be the only product of its kind in the market, approved by the Institute of Marques, an internationally renowned center in gynecology, obstetrics and assisted reproduction.
You are assured that no harm will come to your baby as the Babypod emits sound at an intensity of 54 decibels, which is equivalent to the volume of a conversation in a hushed tone or ambient music. In addition, the Babypod is designed to work without any battery, bluetooth or radiofrequency. A control system has also been designed into the product so that sound does not exceed the recommended levels.
The mother can enjoy the music as well thanks to the Babypod’s auxiliary earphones. Taking technology and convenience to another level, you can download the Babypod app on Googleplay for your Android smartphone. Soon it will also be available on the Appstore for iPhone and Windows.
Once you download, you get to enjoy 5 free songs. But for more songs, you can also access the Babypod’s playlists on their Spotify.
The Babypod is suitable for babies 16 weeks (in the womb) and older, and it is recommended that mother and child enjoy the music in 10-20 minute intervals.
What mothers have to say
According to the site, the Babypod is quite small, the size of a tampon, which makes inserting and removing the product easy. Made from hyper-allergenic silicone, the babypod is cushioned for your comfort and can easily be cleaned.
Here are what some mothers had to say about the Babypod.
“The scan with Babypod has been an exciting and positive experience. I felt no discomfort whatsoever and was impressed to see that the baby reacted to stimuli. I can’t wait to try again,” shared Isabel.
“It’s a great experience, highly recommendable, and also exciting! In our last scan with Babypod, the baby barely moved, but he opened his mouth three or four times in a very visible way. Awesome!” said Beatrix.
Find out more about the Babypod here.
