Viral TikTok Begs The Question: Why Do Babies Like Falling Asleep to Metal?

You’ve tried “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and “Rock-a-Bye Baby” but you still can’t get your newborn to stop crying and fall asleep. Well according to a viral TikTok, you may want to give up the nursery rhymes and try using heavy metal to get your kid to go to bed peacefully.

“Why did this song reliably put my daughter to sleep for all of the newborn phase?” Mary O’Brien wrote as the caption of a viral TikTok she posted of her baby crying, and then instantly not crying when some heavy metal starts playing in the background.

In the video, Mary O’Brien’s partner, and the dad of her infant, is holding their crying newborn when the opening riff of “Jezebel” by Memphis May Fire starts to play. At first, the baby continues to cry but once they seem to recognize that heavy metal is playing, they quickly switch from crying mode to sleep mode, much to their dad’s immense relief, based on the massive grin on his face.

The adorable TikTok ended up going viral, as it has been viewed more than one million times in just a few days. It also received thousands of comments, including several people claiming that metal music can be calming for people when they are feeling anxious and stressed, especially babies.

But is there any evidence to back that claim up?

Well, kind of! There is definitely anecdotal evidence, including this hilarious video of a baby falling asleep to Slipknot. But in terms of actual research, there is certainly some merit to the idea that music can help a baby fall asleep, especially music that relies heavily on rhythm because that can soothe a baby and put them in the right headspace to finally pass out.

It’s really more of a matter of what kind of music your kid responds to. Maybe they’ll love falling asleep to Metallica, or maybe they’re more into Cardi B or the Grateful Dead. But it’s important to note that if you do try using heavy metal or any type of music with sleeping, don’t turn the volume up too high, because it can affect a baby’s hearing in the long run. Quiet, white, rhythmic noise — whether it’s death metal or hip hop — can help soothe a crying baby.