Nearly every mother sings to her baby. It's practically written in our DNA. Whether it's an operatic voice or a shower-only voice, babies love to hear mommy sing. I'm in the "shower-only" category, unfortunately, but I've always sung to my five children, especially when they were very young. My husband has a beautiful singing voice, and he has always used his voice to comfort and encourage our kids. He sings "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" to the kids at bedtime every night. What a great message for sending them off to happy slumber. We've used little jingles or short songs throughout our parenting and have found them to be very helpful. For example, two of our sons who have Down syndrome struggle with many sensory issues. Brushing their teeth felt very overwhelming for them, so we came up with a tooth-brushing song: "Brush, brush, brush your teeth. Brush them all day long. Brush them 'til they shine all pretty. Brush them all day long." When we get in the car to go somewhere, we sing: "Off we go into the wild blue yonder. Off we go! Look at us go!" Not profound, but it definitely works!

Mommy Jingles was created by Amy Robbins-Wilson, M.A., to help busy moms integrate simple jingles into their baby's routine. She covers all of the normal, daily routines and challenges, such as brushing your teeth (her song is much more ingenious than mine!), coming to the table at mealtime, waking up and going to bed, bath time, etc. There is also a very clever song called "Popping In and Popping Out," and it is for those times when you've just gotten your child settled with a sitter and realize you have to go back into the house--preferably without upsetting your child! Mommy Jingles is an Internet subscription service ($197 for a one-year subscription with a 30-day money-back guarantee). Each week for eight weeks a new category is opened up which includes the jingles relevant to that topic; the songs are presented first in video format with some explanation about using the jingles effectively. You can watch the video and listen to each individual song as many times as needed, and you can print out the words to the jingles or helpful Reminder Cards. Scattered throughout are additional helpful videos and ideas, such as MP3 files for lullabies and videos about making a Nap Blanket.

My family loved the concept of Mommy Jingles. Rituals, including special songs or jingles, provide predictability, stability, and calmness to our children when the world feels big or out of control. Jingles can be calming for both mother and child, helping them feel more bonded and ready to face the challenges of a new day. Mrs. Robbins-Wilson is very upbeat and positive in her presentation of the jingles and in her encouragement to parents. She obviously feels passionately about the value of what she has to teach and wants the jingles to be helpful to parents. However, we were less than enthused by the price of a one-year subscription! I would love to see an option to purchase the series in DVD format so it could be viewed again later, perhaps after the birth of another child a few years later. We were impressed, though, with the variety of songs, the cleverness of the material, and the effectiveness that would surely be realized by a parent using these jingles on a regular basis. Advertisers have found jingles to be extremely effective in selling their wares. Why can't parents utilize this tried and true tool to help nurture and teach their children?