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Story time usually calls for calm voices and gentle pages turning. But for 3-month-old Carter, it came with a beat. In a TikTok video that has now racked up 2.5 million views, North Carolina dad Austin Wade (@austinwade_) raps Llama Llama Red Pajama to the tune of Future’s Mask Off, and his baby’s reaction is priceless. Wide-eyed and bemused, Carter seems utterly perplexed—but in the best possible way.
“Llama, don’t you know? Mama llama loves you so. Mama llama’s always near, even if she’s not right here. Llama llama, red pajama, gets two kisses from his mama. Snuggle, pillow, soft and sweet, baby llama goes to sleep,” Wade raps, turning a simple bedtime story into a full-on performance.
@austinwade_ Kids rap album coming soon. Yes, I also do birthday parties. #dadsoftiktok #parentingtips #kids #dadtok #llama ♬ original sound – austinwade_
How rhythm, rhyme, and responsive play shape early development
According to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child, “serve and return” interactions—those back-and-forth exchanges in which adults respond to a child’s vocalisations, facial expressions, or movements play a key role in shaping brain architecture. These responsive moments, the centre explains, strengthen Communication skills, emotional regulation, and the parent–child bond.
Meanwhile, research in Frontiers in Psychology suggests that infants are “sensitive to rhythmic structures from birth,” and that rhythm “may be a key mechanism linking language and cognition in infancy.” Similarly, a 2023 review published in Children concludes that musical exposure influences “the development of phonological awareness, semantics, and grammar,” supporting language and attention growth in early childhood
The internet can’t stop dancing along
Comments poured in as viewers delighted in the father–son rap session.
“I think he likes it He look like he was tryin’ bob his head ,” wrote @shaquita300ll3229, while @julesh0417 joked, “The way he didn’t miss one beat tells me this wasn’t his first performance .”
Others reflected on their own childhoods, like @elizabethoffman53, who quipped, “Did your parents read or sing to you before bedtime?” followed by the deadpan answer, “Uhh… yes?”
The mix of humour, nostalgia, and genuine admiration captured exactly why the clip struck a chord, reminding parents everywhere that a little rhythm goes a long way.
The science behind why your baby’s confusion is actually connection
Wade told Good Morning America that he does two story sessions with Carter daily: a calm bedtime read at night, and a fun, lively session during the day. “He’s still a little confused when dad raps to him, but we think he likes it!” he said.
That confusion? Totally normal—and totally beneficial. According to ScienceDirect, rhythmically structured, socially contingent interactions keep babies engaged, regulate mood, and help lay the foundation for literacy and language skills.
How parents can use music to boost their baby’s brain
You don’t need perfect pitch or a TikTok following to give your baby the same kind of brain-boosting benefits Austin Wade’s rap provided. According to child-development researchers, what matters most is rhythm, repetition, and Interaction, not talent.
Here are simple, science-backed ways to weave music into your baby’s day:
- Sing during Routines. Turn diaper changes, bath time, or getting dressed into short singalongs. Predictable melodies paired with daily activities strengthen memory and emotional security.
- Use your baby’s name in songs. Research shows babies tune in more when they hear their own name. Adding it to a lullaby or rhyme helps with recognition and language development.
- Clap, tap, or bounce together. These rhythmic movements create “serve-and-return” moments, supporting coordination and social connection.
- Expose them to variety. From lullabies to jazz, babies benefit from hearing different rhythms and instruments. Just keep the volume low and the interaction high.
- Make it playful. Babies don’t care about lyrics or pitch, they care that you’re engaged. The joy in your voice and face matters more than the melody.
Musical moments like these matter less for how they sound and more for how connected they make you feel. Each shared beat, bounce, or hum builds the neural wiring that helps your baby understand language, rhythm, and emotion later on.
What looks like chaos might actually be brain-building magic
Parenting doesn’t have to look picture-perfect. Sometimes the best thing for a baby’s brain is laughing together at a dad who thinks bedtime stories deserve a beat. What looks like TikTok absurdity is actually a joyful, brain-boosting moment, proof that play, rhythm, and connection remain some of the most powerful tools in a parent’s toolkit.
Source:
- Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child. “Serve and Return.”
- PubMed Central. 2023. “The Association between Music and Language in Children: A State-of-the-Art Review.”
- Frontiers. 2022. “Rhythm May Be Key to Linking Language and Cognition in Young Infants: Evidence From Machine Learning.”
- ScienceDirect. 2021. “The multimodality of infant’s rhythmic movements as a modulator of the interaction with their caregivers.”
- Good Morning America. 2025. “Dad raps bedtime story ‘Llama Llama Red Pajama’”