White Noise and Your Baby’s Sleep

If you follow me on social media, belong to my e-mail list, or have spoken to me personally, you know that I love white noise.  I use it in my room, my kid’s room, and I recommend using white noise to all of my clients!  It’s easy to love.  It blocks out noise, helps induce sleep (and keeps you asleep), and when used properly, is harmless.  So, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty about white noise.

White noise is great for newborns

White noise mimics the sound of the womb.  It can instantly calm the fussiest baby.  Studies have shown that newborns are able to fall asleep quicker with white noise than without.  I like to use white noise for naps and nighttime sleep, and you can start as soon as you get home from the hospital.  Is your baby fussy?  Just turn on white noise while calming your baby.  Unsure of the best way to calm your fussy newborn?  Check out my Newborn Guide!  

For older babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and beyond, white noise can still help your child to fall asleep and stay asleep.  No age is too old to use white noise!

White noise blocks out other noises that are disruptive to sleep

Even when asleep, our brains continue to process sensory stimuli.  This means that the mail truck, the sound of dishes being put away, the dog barking, etc. are still heard when asleep.  Sudden changes in sound levels (such as a toilet flushing) can awaken babies easily.  White noise is constant, so it isn’t intrusive to sleep.  It is a great way to block out every day sounds that may awaken your baby.  

In fact, when my home is going to be particularly loud, I add some extra white noise outside of my son’s room.  This keeps him from hearing what is going on outside of his bedroom, without the white noise being at an unsafe level in his room.

How to safely use white noise

When used improperly, white noise can potentially damage your child’s hearing.  In a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics,  it was found safe to use white noise at 50dB.  This is the current recommended noise level for hospital nurseries, as well.

A good way to test this out at home is to download at least two decibel meters on your phone.  Since these aren’t completely accurate, I suggest trying 2 or 3 apps and taking an average of the readings.  Take your readings from your child’s crib.  A good rule of thumb is to have your white noise playing at the same loudness as light rain.  If it is as loud as a vacuum, it’s likely too loud.  Most vacuums clock in at about 70-80 decibels.

I also suggest placing white noise as far from your child’s crib/bed as possible.  If you can, put the white noise machine near your child’s bedroom door, to block out noise while keeping it from being too close to their little ears.

When your baby is awake, white nose should be off. Your baby still needs to hear everyday sounds while awake.

Weaning white noise

Parents have asked me when to wean white noise.  In my opinion, it never needs to be weaned off.  Many parents feel that their child has become “addicted” to white noise, and won’t be able to sleep without it.  This can be true, some kids (and adults) can have trouble sleeping without white noise.  *raises hand* Personally, I will trade the harmless addiction for more restful sleep.  Our family travels with a chargeable, travel white noise machine.  My son does not seem to have any issue napping at daycare, where they play lullabies instead of white noise, but theoretically it could be an issue for some kids.  

If you want to stop using white noise, I would wean it off (instead of stopping cold-turkey).  I suggest at least using white noise through infancy, when sleep is most unpredictable.  

If your child’s sound machine has volume control, go down just a tad every few nights.  If there is no volume control, I would start by moving your child’s white noise machine a little further from their bed each night. You may even need to run the white noise machine outside of your child’s door for a few nights, before you turn it off completely.

What about other types of sounds?

Many sound machines are programmed with a multitude of sounds- ocean waves, lullabies, nature sounds, brown noise, pink noise, the list goes on and on.  The only sounds that  I approve of are white, pink, or brown noise.  The change in sound level (even from something as innocent as ocean waves), can awaken your baby prematurely.  Brown and pink noise can be used instead of white noise for your baby.  Some adults may find brown or pink noise more soothing for sleep. 

Recommended products

There are many brands of sound machines out there.  Here is what you want to look for:

1.     White noise is an option, not just sounds like lullabies or ocean waves.

2.     It needs to play nonlooping white noise (no break in the sound, some will play on a loop and restart every 5 minutes or so, usually with pause between).  Since the break in sound could wake your baby, I would not suggest that you use a smart speaker with white noise played on a “loop”.

3.     Volume control

4.     If there is a night light built in, make sure it can be turned off for sleep.

My favorite white noise machine  I like this one because it doesn’t play a recorded sound- there is actually a fan inside of the machine!

My favorite for travel We regularly use this one in my son’s room because it keeps playing if the power goes out! However, there is a new version of this and I think this is what I would purchase if mine every broke!

I hope this has been helpful!  Have I convinced you to use white noise to calm your baby and get them to sleep?

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