Do Baby Heart Rate Apps Work?

When I was pregnant, I was surprised to find apps that claimed they could detect a baby’s heart beat. As a professional audio engineer, I didn’t think it was even possible for a microphone to pick up sounds deep inside the body. So, I decided to prove it by testing … Read more

What are the loud sounds at your school? A science project

In 2000, a group of fifth graders in Centerville, Ohio took on a research question: “Are there times or activities in our school when the noise level becomes dangerous to people’s hearing?” They discovered a number of places where sound levels were not safe and their article was published in Hearing Rehabilitation … Read more

Why Babies & Toddlers Need A Quiet Background to Learn

Babies and toddlers listen differently to the world and too much sound can affect their ability to learn. For most adults, it doesn’t take effort to filter out sounds we don’t want to pay attention to and focusing on the ones we do (like someone speaking when there’s light/moderate background music … Read more

Rap and heavy metal music during pregnancy

Some websites say to avoid music like heavy metal or rap during pregnancy and only play gentle music (like classical) to not startle your unborn baby. I’ve seen references to “research” but I can’t find any real studies about the effects of listening to dissonant, “harsh” or atonal music during … Read more

Do belly headphones work?

Belly headphones are a popular registry item (“headphones” designed for mom’s belly so baby can listen to music). Before you go buying buds for your bump, consider this: No research shows that playing music to a baby in the womb makes them smarter. Many of these belly headphones can’t even recreate … Read more