As a new dad who is constantly drenched in exhaustion and no longer capable of multitasking, middle of the night bottle feedings have become one of life’s biggest challenges.
It’s not the actual preparation of the bottles that make things tough (pro tip: make the bottles before you go to sleep), but the simple task of waking up itself. After that the whole routine basically runs on muscle memory.
I cuddle my newborn, change her diaper, grab a bottle and toss on our favorite playlist to help keep her relaxed — at least I’m assuming it’s her favorite playlist, too, since she can’t really tell me otherwise at six weeks old.
But even if the playlist is just for me (it is) I’m in love with baby music. Because rather than play those dull and creepy old lullabies, I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of Rockabye Baby! covers.
For the non/new parents, Rockabye Baby! covers artists of all generations and genres, turning pop, rock, synth and hip hop songs into perfectly minimalist and instrumental lullabies.
They are as cute as they are fantastic to the point where sometimes I’ll just play them instead of the actual version of the song I want to hear.
My current playlist has more than 70 songs and runs for more than four hours, but I keep finding myself going back to the same handful of songs. So it’s only right to share what I’ve come to cherish during these 3 a.m. sessions.
10. Don’t Speak - No Doubt
Gwen Stefani’s voice perfectly translates into the melody for this cover which still finds a way to build from understated verses to a rocking chorus in an almost effortless way. Plus, the pacing of this one helps you avoid bouncing around and instead lets you sing slowly to your baby so they can hear each lyric the way Gwen intended.
9. Somebody To Love - Queen
Another track that’s perfect to sing along with and remains as fun as ever (especially if your partner is also awake and in the mood to harmonize as you take turns trying to mimic Freddie Mercury’s incomparable talents). I’ve found myself using this one to mostly rock my baby to sleep in the middle of the night before placing her back in her bassinet. Then I hum this version to fall back asleep myself. It’s just that good.
8. Golden Years - David Bowie
I shouldn’t be surprised David Bowie’s singing translates perfectly to the xylophone but man oh man does it work so well. This one starts kind of slow but it’s fully an ear-worm by the time it wraps. Plus it’ll have you wanting to teach your child how to dance like Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein.
7. So Fresh, So Clean - Outkast
Actually, this is not a midnight feeding song. This is bath time music. Simple as that. It really gets the vibes right for what’s either about to be a very soothing soak or hand-to-hand combat with a one-month old who does not want to be cleaned.
6. Someone Like You - Adele
It maintains the beauty of the original song while also adding in hilarious little noises like the type of honking horn you expect to hear from a clown. And yet, it’s still somehow soothing? I’m telling you these covers are addicting.
5. Blinding Lights - The Weeknd
We’ve now reached the part of the list where these songs begin to get a little bit more explicit and unsuitable for children, but whatever, there are no lyrics, my child couldn’t understand them even if there were and it turns out The Weeknd makes incredible baby music, as well as baby-making music.
4. Santeria - Sublime
It’s absurd how fun this cover is considering how little it’s really doing. It barely needs any of the back-up instruments, just the xylophone melody alone does all the work.
3. Nine in the Afternoon - Panic! At the Disco
The best song on the best Panic! At the Disco album. If you can’t have fun singing along to this one while dancing with your child then parenthood might not be right for you.
Side note: As the hours blend together and I lose my grip on reality, every moment now feels like nine in the afternoon, so maybe this song was written for new parents.
2. Heart Shaped Box - Nirvana
I’ll be honest, this might be the best of the Rockabye Baby! cover albums. Every Nirvana track they remixed is simply perfect, but Heart Shaped Box is the track I keep coming back to in the middle of the night. It’s slow and steady and the best pace for putting your child back to sleep.
1. No Surprises/Karma Police - Radiohead
Ok, I cheated a little bit, but hear me out: These songs are the first two that play every time I turn this playlist on. I absolutely think of them as a package deal (kind of like We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions).
No band in the world is better set up to turn their songs into lullabies than Radiohead, and I wouldn’t even consider myself one of their bigger fans. Just try not to think about what the songs are actually about as you finish feeding your child.
Honorable Mentions
Gin and Juice – Snoop Dog
SpottieOttieDopalicious – Outkast
Dammit – Blink 182
Heroes – David Bowie
All Apologies – Nirvana
Fat Bottomed Girls – Queen
