Can your baby hear Dad in the womb?

If you're the non-carrying parent, it's easy to feel a step removed during pregnancy. Here's some good news: your baby can hear you too, and there's a simple way to be part of things before they arrive.

Lower voices carry through well

Sound reaches your baby muffled by the body and the fluid around them, and lower-pitched sounds tend to carry through more clearly than higher ones. A partner's deeper voice can come through to your baby surprisingly well. Many parents say their newborn seems to recognise and settle to a partner's voice in the early days, a sign of all that listening before birth.

You don't have to be a natural performer

Your baby responds to the rhythm and warmth of a voice, not the words or how polished they are. You really can't get this wrong. A few ideas:

• Say hello. Talk about your day, the weather, anything. The content doesn't matter.
• Read aloud. A few minutes of a book, any book, is one of the easiest ways to give your baby plenty of your voice.
• Sing. Even quietly, even badly. Repetition is part of the magic.

A small daily ritual

Pick a calm few minutes, often the end of the day works best, and make it a gentle routine. Doing a little most evenings does far more than a long session now and then, because it's the repetition and the familiar voice that count.

It's also a lovely way to share the load: while one parent rests, the other can have a quiet moment with the bump.

Make it easy on yourself

If you'd like something ready to read aloud, Dreamtime writes gentle, soothing pieces made for exactly this, and you can read more about the why in our guide to reading to your baby in the womb.