DaddyDJ: iLullaby

What I’d heard all along was true — the first few months of daddydom are the least restful you’ll ever have in your life. And you find you’ll try anything to get the ‘lil nipper back to sleep after his 2am feeding: butt-patting, head-rubbing, pacing, bouncing, infomercials… you name it, I tried it.

One particularly frustrating middle-of-the-night, I trudged down the hall to my office, wee one in tow, and plopped down to check emails and assess the currently pitiful state of my career. As I always do, I cued up my iTunes DJ, and only then did I remember a long-forgotten and rarely used feature — the Visualizer.

I quickly scanned my inner playlist, settled on Coldplay’s “Clocks”, set iTunes to Full Screen and started Visualizer up. JJ was instantly mesmerized by the swirly, digitized kaleidoscope and earnestness of Chris Martin’s piano playing. I added a slow side-to-side swivel in the office chair, and by the end of the song, he was fast asleep.

Thank you, Apple. Forgive me for not coming to you first.

* * * * *
Here are a few of the songs/artists that have worked their best lullaby-magic for us (these aren’t just the slowest, mellowest songs I could find — sorry Jewel — but ones that also created the trippiest Visualizer pattern):
“Dreaming My Dreams With You” – Alison Krauss
anything by Cocteau Twins
“Greek Song” – Rufus Wainwright
“Beach” – Mew
“The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” – The Postal Service
“Little Star” – Madonna
“While the Earth Sleeps” – Deep Forest & Peter Gabriel
anything by Frou Frou
“Wild Horses” – The Sundays
“Blackbird” – The Beatles

So what tricks worked best in getting your kids to sleep?