18 Songs For Moms Who Want More Than Kidz Bop

When we had our first baby, there was one thing my husband and I agreed that we wanted to avoid: children’s music. Don’t get me wrong, I love to sing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “The Wheels on the Bus” with my boys. But as musicians and songwriters, we didn’t want our kids growing up with the sort of soulless, overproduced corporate songs made specifically to hook their ears and endlessly annoy us. We also didn’t want to have to vet a whole new genre of music, knowing that much like kid’s shows, kid’s music produced in the last twenty years is more likely than not to include some sort of propagandistic messaging. 

When our first boy was a baby, this meant we still listened to pretty much whatever we normally would. As he grew into a toddler and I realized he could understand far more than he could speak, things got trickier. I suddenly became aware of profanity in songs I normally wouldn’t question putting on for us, and I didn’t think it made sense anymore for him to mostly hear songs about falling in and out of love. Children’s music, I realized, existed not only for profit, but to offer children songs that they can relate to and enjoy on levels other than pure musicality. 

When I joined a Music Together class with my toddler and my new baby, we got to take home CD’s of children’s songs that were actually bearable. The recordings used real instruments, some of the songs were classics, and some were instrumental or in other languages. I realized I could curate something similar with the music I already knew and loved by crafting a playlist of songs that feature a variety of moods, languages, and themes, without the unrelenting sexualization of most modern music or the irritatingly upbeat nature of so much contemporary children’s music. 

Music, as we all intuitively sense, has so much power, for children as well as adults. It can change our mood in mere moments. It can externalize our most complex emotions. It can teach us about other people and other cultures, and it can help form our imaginations. Not only that, but developing a sense of rhythm and tonality while we are young can influence things like whether we are confident dancing later in life, whether we are willing to sing in front of others, or whether we pursue real skill on an instrument.

When I’m with my kids, listening to music like this instantly brings us into deeper levels of play, creativity, and harmony. When I press play, I might see my boys go from whining and bugging each other to contented parallel play, or feel my own mood shift from irritated and impatient to reflective and calm. In the hopes that they may bring you some of these same results, I’m sharing the songs we’ve been listening to lately with you. 

I titled the playlist “Songs for the Short Years” as a play on the oft-quoted idea that when it comes to raising little ones, “the days are long but the years are short.” Although it’s a cliche, like many cliches, it’s actually true. So let’s romanticize the long days and make the most beauty that we can out of the short years. You can find the playlist on Apple Music or Spotify.

1. “Gobbledigook” by Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós is generally an easy choice for avoiding bad words with kids because they usually sing in their own made-up language. This Icelandic band’s focus is instead on melody and mood, and “Gobbledigook” in particular is sure to switch a dull moment to an exciting, playful one. My baby especially gets amped up when this song comes on, and I love dancing around with both of my boys to this fun track.

2. “Octopus’s Garden” by The Beatles

The Beatles have several great songs for younger ears, but a family favorite is definitely “Octopus’s Garden.” Your kids will love the imaginative lyrics and you’ll love that they’re developing a taste for music made well before 2025. I also teach this song to many of my beginning guitar or ukulele students because of its simple chord progression, so it would be a great one to introduce for starting an instrument, too.

3. “Train Song” by Benjamin Gibbard & Feist

If you have boys who are between two and five years old, there’s a good chance they’re into trains. This cover of Vashti Bunyan’s “Train Song” takes place entirely on a train. While it is a love song, the train imagery captures children’s imaginations while familiarizing them with a minor key. It’s important for kids to hear songs that feature varied emotions and musical keys so that they can explore not just the variety of musical scales but the variety of their own internal worlds through sound.

4. “Meadowlarks” by Fleet Foxes

A favorite of my husband’s, this gentle song’s lyrics include so many things kids can recognize: meadowlark, golden crown, hummingbird, olive eyes. The melody can soothe just as much as inspire, so this is a great one for encouraging both a love of nature’s wonders and a calmer home atmosphere. Plus the singer even mentions “little children laughing at the boys and girls” which probably makes it officially a children’s song. 

5. “Junun” by Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajasthan Express 

A collaboration between Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, and Indian ensemble The Rajasthan Express, “Junun” is a compelling sonic experience from a documentary film of the same name. This song’s language barriers (for most of us) keep the lyrics a non-concern for kids while exposing them to creative and emotive music influenced by music traditions we often don’t get the chance to experience. Lest you think this song is too adventurous for kids, my toddler asks me to play it on repeat and even said earlier today, “‘Junun’ is my favorite song.”

6. “Apple of My Eye” by Dolores O’Riordan

This solo song by The Cranberry’s Dolores O’Riordan came on in the car when I was driving with my baby and he was instantly calmed and cooing. While it is a love song, I could just as easily interpret it as a song about the love I have for my kids, with lyrics like: “and what I would not do for the love of you, will you hold onto me?” With Dolores’s gorgeous voice and the “apple of my eye” image, it’s a fun song for both moms and kids. 

7. “Arabesque No. 1” by Claude Debussy

I’m probably not the first to tell you that studies show that classical music is great for brain development, impacting everything from spatial reasoning to memory and learning to emotional regulation. That’s why so many kids' toys include twinkly twee versions of pieces by composers like Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. One of my personal favorite composers is French Impressionist Claude Debussy, because his painterly melodies move through tones and emotions with such unique ease, just like in this piece.

8. “Edelweiss” by Bill Lee & Charmaine Carr

One of the fun things about being a parent is that you get to relive things from your own childhood, like this classic song from The Sound of Music. Even if your kids haven’t seen the movie yet, they’ll still enjoy picturing the sweet bright flower described in the lyrics of this song’s blend of musical theater and Austrian folk music. Plus, voices singing in harmony also musically illustrate what it means to play well and joyfully together.

9. “You Are My Sunshine” by Gene Autry

We like to listen to the Johnny Cash version, too, but the Gene Autry rendition of “You Are My Sunshine” is our go-to for a more playtime feel. While the lyrics are pretty sad if you listen closely, I think there’s a reason old folk music and fairy tales so often touch on darker themes and emotions. It’s important to let our kids hear and feel those things in art so that they know how to handle them when they meet them later in the real world. 

10. “I Can See the Pines Are Dancing” by A.A. Bondy

Near our house is a nature trail framed by rows of tall, tall pines. I like to think of those pines and mention them to my son when we listen to this folk song by A.A. Bondy. The title is apt because I usually find myself grabbing one of my boys to dance with me when this one comes on. Moving and music are so intertwined that many cultures just have one word that means both music and dance, and songs like this really illustrate why. 

11. “Circle of Life” by Elton John

Another childhood gem from my personal favorite movie as a kid, Elton John’s “Circle of Life” makes a fun play-time song for both mom and kids. Although your kids may not catch all of the life lessons this song holds in lyrics like “all are agreed as they join the stampede, you should never take more than you give” and “some of us sail through our troubles and some have to live with the scars,” they’ll still enjoy the song’s uplifting and energizing sound.

12. “Carolyn’s Fingers” by Cocteau Twins

This colorful and vibrant song’s lyrics, although not in a made-up language like “Gobbledigook,” are more like sound-poetry than a clear narrative. As an adult, I love this because you can interpret what you’re hearing in many ways and develop your own relationship with the song and what it means to you. For kids, it may provide a similar experience, but it also keeps things from any questionable territory, lyrics-wise. Instead the emphasis is on the music itself.

13. “Musique de nuit” by Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal

It’s important for kids to hear music without words—instrumental music—as much as music with singing. Research shows that because children are naturally focused on learning language, their brains will automatically prioritize lyrics over things like melody, rhythm, and harmony. Offering them instrumental music lets them pay more attention to musical elements they might otherwise miss. This gorgeous instrumental song by Malian kora player Ballaké Sissoko and French cellist Vincent Segall is much beloved in our house.

14. “Surrey With the Fringe On Top” by Miles Davis Quintet

Another instrumental song, this Miles Davis Quintet track is on the longer side but that only adds to its perfect pairing with extended imaginative play. Exposing kids to improvised music can inspire their own creativity and boldness as they make their own experiments with things like sound, toys, and interactions with friends. The interplay of structure with spontaneous expression helps illuminate how following the rules can actually lead to the most rewarding freedoms.

15. “Amazing Grace” by Judy Collins

This point in the playlist feels like a shift from playtime to quiet time, from collaborative creativity to more internal reflection. Every child should have the opportunity to hear timeless songs like “Amazing Grace,” and Judy Collins’s version is as contemplative as it is cathartic. The well-known lyrics are soothing and healing and I can’t help but feel calmer if this song is playing.

16. “Crying in the Chapel” by Elvis Presley

When my older boy was a week or so away from turning three, I told him that on his birthday I might be so excited that I cry. This fascinated him—“you’re going to cry?” he asked me. I had to explain that it’s possible to cry because you’re happy and proud, and he proceeded to demonstrate by laughing while pretending to cry.  While we like to listen to this whole Elvis album, I would say this track is our favorite, possibly because it helps teach this same message of the bittersweet nature of life: “you saw me crying in the chapel, the tears I shed were tears of joy.”

17. “He Woke Me Up Again” by Sufjan Stevens

I am a fan of most of Sufjan Stevens’s music, but there are definitely songs I wouldn’t put on for my kids. This one, however, is him at his best—uniquely and whimsically folky with lyrics that tell a relatable and poignant narrative that upon closer examination reveals deeper spiritual meaning. Relatable words for kids, like “father,” “bedroom,” and “asleep,” might stick out most to them, but deeper truths like “I know there is joy endowed” and “you woke me up to be holy” will simultaneously make an impression on their souls.

18. “My Peace I Give You” by Poor Clare Sisters

If there’s one thing moms need more of, it’s internal peace. Peace helps us let go of our plethora of hypothetical worries, our need to get everything right, and our often sleep-deprived shortness of patience. This stunning choral piece sung by a community of enclosed and contemplative nuns is sure to bring you and your kids to a calmer, more peaceful state.

I think it’s important to say that it’s not the case that I’m entirely puritanical with what my kids hear: sometimes we put on a cheesy overproduced version of “Row Row Row Your Boat” or “Happy Birthday” to please my toddler, and we often listen to “The Happy Song” by Imogen Heap on repeat to keep my baby from fussing on car rides (yes, it really works!). We’ll also listen to great albums of heartbreak and love songs, as long as there’s no overt profanity or sexualization. 

Right now, though, this playlist is our go-to for anything from breakfast to car rides to playtime at home because I know it’s safe and nurturing for their ears, minds, hearts and souls. One thing I’ve learned as a mom is that if there’s anything that can lift my own mood and open my own willingness to be creative, in-the-moment, and playful, then it’s bound to be positive for my kids, too. I hope this playlist helps you romanticize some of the time you spend with your little ones in those sweet, short years, too.