Since the first baby boy came home from the hospital, I’ve been rocking and singing, patting and swaying, humming and snuggling our bundles of joy to sleep.
Sweet friends, I don’t do a consistent bedtime routine every night. We have plenty of evenings where we come home late from teeball games or church choir practices. Far too many of our evenings end with us hustling everyone to their rooms, into jammies, and leaving them with a quick, “Nigh-night! See you in the morning!! Sleep well…and don’t come out of this room until morning, please!” I say those things in a fairly pleasant voice at 8:00pm. If I have to say those same words again at 8:15, my tone becomes a bit more authoritative and less patient. You get the idea. You’ve likely been there. Yes?
Bless the nights that end quietly after a peaceful evening of family time. Bless them forever and ever amen. I love those nights. I like to end those evenings with bedtime songs at each little bed in each little room. It’s a blessing to know that my sweet boys are closing their eyes with reminders of my love for them.
Maybe you’d like to add a little peace and quiet to the end of your days? Well, hey. Me too! Today, I’m sharing my top 5 bedtime songs. Top 5 meaning that these are the ones I recycle most often as my baby bears head to dreamland. I’d love to share these with your family too. In a world of uncertainty, our little ones need to know they are loved. Singing is just one of the ways we might reassure them of our abundant love.
Our favorite tunes for bedtime:
1) “A Bushel and a Peck”: This is my number one! I’ve been singing this to my boys for years. Last year, my cousin taught me the correct words and now, I no longer make up the ending. So, there’s that. Friends, if you forget the words at the end, the song will repeat itself nicely forever. The trouble is that it quickly becomes one of those pesky songs without an ending. Yeah…just remember the lyrics. May the odds be ever in your favor. Listen to A Bushel and a Peck here.
2) “Jesus Loves Me”: Our babies need to know of the Savior’s love. I was blessed to learn the chorus in Haitian Creole a few years ago during my first visit to Haiti. My boys love for me to sing it in both languages. If I knew it in a thousand languages, I’d likely sing them all. That would delay bedtime a bit, wouldn’t it?! Thankfully, I only know the two. This simple truth is perfect for the end of the day. Listen to Jesus Loves Me here.
3) “Count Your Blessings”: I love this song from White Christmas. If I’m being honest, I usually think of this song as the duet between CeCe Winans and Amy Grant on Amy’s Christmas special in the late nineties. Perhaps that doesn’t make me extra cool. Still. A beautiful message for little ears! Listen to Count Your Blessings here.
4) “Tender Shepherd”: This is from the Mary Martin version of Peter Pan. I’ve loved this tune since my own childhood. The lyrics are fitting for our crew since it speaks of three little sheep and we have three littles. Precious, no? My boys call this “the sheep song.” You might like the sheep song, too. Listen to Tender Shepherd here.
5) “Blessed Assurance”: This was the very first song I sang to my first baby boy. As I rocked my tiny guy in our first little duplex, this was his song. I will always think back to the faithful glider, in our first home, tucked inside our little college town when I hear this hymn. We still sing this at bedtime. It soothes my soul every bit as much as theirs. What greater peace have we than the peace we have in Jesus? Listen to Blessed Assurance here.
Fellow moms, may our children deeply know our love for them. May they close their eyes each night with the promise of our unwavering commitment to their tiny souls. May we nurture their hearts from childhood to adulthood.
May even our lullabies add to the goodness of humanity. May peace on earth begin with small acts of love.
May our life’s song be known in the hearts of our babies and carried to the ends of the earth.
World changing begins in the nighttime hymns sung from the swaying glider of the most humble beginnings. Love begins in small ways such as this.
From my heart to yours,
~Courtney
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