Cerys Matthews: music to get your toddler dancing their socks off

Our musical agony aunt’s alter ego, Dr Crotchety, helps a parent looking for tunes to get a two-year-old shaking some serious dance moves

My 18-month-old has a penchant for wild dancing. At the moment he likes Balkan brass and anything by Harry Belafonte – any other suggestions to ensure he’s entirely worn out by bed time?

Lord, you have a musical genius on your hands. Get that child some music lessons and quick – what taste!

If he’s a wild dancer, let’s start with Born To Be Wild, not the Steppenwolf version, but a Balkan take by the Doctor’s current favourite live band, the Romanian brass firebrands, Fanfare Ciocarlia, for proper high-energy stuff.

Next, tie a cape around your neck, transform your kitchen into the streets of Gotham, and line up the Batman Theme, by Sun Ra and the Blues project – a song everyone in the family knows the words to. Your little chap will run circles around himself like human bath water: this is a song guaranteed to wind up even the most chilled child. Being a crime fighter uses up a lot of energy.

It was Mardi Gras this week, or Fat Tuesday, or carnival (from the Latin: your meat, taken away), so throw off that cape and burn off those pancakes with Cajun Stripper, by 75-year-old Louisiana accordionist Belton Richard. The energy pouring out of Belton’s bellows is très, très bon; add some pans and wooden spoons to the mix, and watch your drumming, tornado toddler go.

You could keep your personal school of rock open with some classics: Motörhead’s Ace Of Spades, followed by some gymnastic air guitar with AC/DC’s It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock’N’Roll).

Children never seem to tire of repeat performances of things they like, so expect to play these songs over and over – until at least one of you is flat out.

• Post your questions to Cerys below.

Contributor

Cerys Matthews

The GuardianTramp

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