Classical music for babies: listen and download the ultimate playlist

1. The most famous lullaby: Brahms - Wiegenlied

This is definitely the most famous lullaby in the world - you can't help but sing 'Go to sleep, go to sleep,' along with it, which may or may not aid your child's sleeping patterns.

2. The most calming: Bach - Sheep May Safely Graze

A beautiful pastoral melody, tranquil and perfect for lulling a little one off into a slumber.

3. The most relaxing: Jules Massenet - Meditation from Thaïs

This is another favourite for creating the right tranquil atmosphere. And as the name suggests, Massenet's most famous work is perfect if you want to indulge in a moment of reflection.

4. The most gentle: Johann Sebastian Bach - Air on the G string

A gentle, heartbeat-like pulse is the key to this beautiful piece - and because it's Bach you can be sure the melody's going to be pretty good too.

5. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonata no. 11 in A

The Andante from this sonata is a lilting, lullaby-like skip that should hopefully do the trick for any parents tearing their hair out at baby's bed time.

6. Victor Herbert - March Of The Toys

It's not all about sleeping, though - it's important to mix it up and give your little one some lively numbers to enjoy as well. This toy-inspired fantasy is a great place to start.

7. Claude Debussy - Clair De Lune

Back to sleep again with Debussy, and one of the most famously relaxing pieces for the piano.

8. Frederic Chopin - Berceuse, Nocturnes Op. 57

Despite having a rather busy right hand melody, this is another remarkably beautiful little piano number. Chopin specialised in the Berceuse (French for lullaby, basically), and this is a good one to start with.

9. Ottorino Respighi - Pines Of Rome

If you want to create an amazingly tranquil atmosphere for your baby, then the closing moments of this tone poem are perfect - Respighi was clever enough to include recordings of actual birdsong in his score.

10. Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending

Another bird-related piece (kids love birds, don't they?), this time from the truly Great Brit Ralph Vaughan Williams. It's long been a favourite here at Classic FM, and its easy to see why when you let it work its magic.

11. Edvard Grieg - Sov du dyreste guten min (Solveig’s lullaby)

Just look at the words to this little ditty: "Sleep, my most precious boy, I shall cradle you, I shall watch over you. The boy has been in his mother’s arms, the two have played together for all the life-long day..." All together now, "aah..."

12. Maurice Ravel - Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré

Another French lullaby, but this time Maurice Ravel takes inspiration from his fellow countryman Gabriel Fauré.

13. George Gershwin - Lullaby for Strings

When we think of George Gershwin, we tend to think of his bombastic, jazzy orchestral statements or his show-stopping Broadway tunes. But this delicate little work for string orchestra shows a different, reflective side to the composer.

14. Feruccio Busoni - Berceuse élégiaque

This is one for the slightly more highbrow babies out there - a plaintive, frequently confusing but ultimately rather uplifting work of hushed beauty.

15. Gustav Holst - Lullay My Liking

A choral favourite, and very possibly your baby's favourite too. This is simply and effectively gorgeous, turned from a devotional song into something quite spectral by Holst.