No Baby, No Cry

Well, the whole hipster parent thing is so well-established by now that it's barely even a cliche.  Baby fauxhawks, anarchy onesies, Strokes cover bands at the talent show, whatever.  I'm not saying I'm immune to it: my kid's been to the Echo.  So, the Rockabye Baby line makes perfect "why didn't I think of that?" sense.  Lullaby renditions of bands like the Beatles aren't that much of a stretch, but it's the ones like Green Day and Nirvana and Bjork that I think are the most fun.  They're put out by the cool kids at CMH Records (I heard their art director is pretty cool, hi Argee!) based in Silverlake.  Pick some up and enjoy the soothing sounds of glockenspiel and xylophone with your little monkey gone to heaven- the perfect iron(y)-enriched musical formula! 

A word on music and babies: there's no doubt that playing music for your child is an enriching experience.  But make it one you give in small doses- your newborn is stimulated enough by just by living in this crazy world.  Like, clothes touching my skin and look at that dust floating in the air, wow!  If music's playing all the time it'll eventually become more background noise.  It can be part of your routine, like playing soft music before a nap or bedtime.  Better yet, make music an active experience, rather than a passive one, by singing together or letting him play with musical instruments as soon as those wild flails become a little more controlled.  Shaking a maraca or banging on a drum help refine motor control and teach your baby learning schemes like cause and effect, providing a great foundation for future development.

Rockabye Baby!  Available through the Rockabye Baby store and probably at lots of other places, too.