Should My Baby Sleep With White Noise?

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I've talked about white noise more than once, but I'm always getting questions about it (is it safe?, is it a sleep prop?) so I thought it was about time I
gave my (expanded) two cents on it.

Should my baby sleep with white noise?
In short, yes. And in answer to your "really?"... did you think I'd change my answer so quickly?  ;)

Babies have just come from an incredibly loud womb. As in as loud as busy city traffic! They are used to loud. And if you know anything about babies, you know they like what they are used to. If you want to set your baby up for the best sleep possible, use white noise.

Why I love white noise

• It's cheap, super effective and easy!
• It helps to calm and de-stress baby, even those are are especially fussy or those with colic (see Happiest Baby on the Block 5 S's).
• It's been proven to help your baby go to sleep and stay asleep longer. It helps block distracting outside noise that could potential wake baby and it helps baby more easily make it through those sometimes frustrating sleep transitions.
• If you're sleeping in the same room as baby, you'll probably sleep better too! It'll help drown out baby's loud noises so you stop waking to every little sound he makes (it is the only thing that gave me any sleep with my first child who, I swear, was as loud as a pack of animals when he slept).  More importantly, if you stop waking to every little sleep sound, you'll also stop trying to feed or comfort baby with every little noise he makes which can lead him to wake more frequently than he needs to. Plus, many of you will notice, even if you've never slept with it before, that white noise is really soothing for you too (ever notice that you are suddenly able to fall asleep when the ac/heat kicks in?). You'll probably miss it when baby moves out of your room and takes it with him! 
• It's considerate of baby. Would you want your sleep disrupted by noise all the time? Even if they sleep through it (which they probably won't unless they're super young or way overtired), their sleep is likely disrupted at times by it. Plus, pretty much every baby thinks that playing with mom, dad or siblings is a heck of a lot more fun than sleeping. So why shove it in their face that you are having the time of your life without them while they sleep. If they can hear you, you can bet that is what they're thinking.
• It's a good substitute for when your about to pass out from too much shushing during those fussy evening witching hours.

Is white noise a sleep prop?
I've thought about this for a while, and I've decided that it's no more a sleep prop than a lovey or crib is.  You turn it on and then leave. All done. You aren't having to go in all night long to keep it running. Yes, baby often gets used to it, but he gets used to lots of other stuff too. These are sleep associations. We all have them. I for one can't sleep without 2 pillows! Given how easy white noise is to use wherever and whenever, how much it can add to your pre-sleep routine and what a strong sleep cue it can be, I'd say it is a pretty positive sleep association.

Are you still scared it'll turn into a huge sleep prop that you'll be dragging around with you for the next 16 years? Relax! Don't worry. Most kids wean off of this pretty easily and many young babies will still sleep OK without it even if they're used to it. It's easy to wean from too. All you have to do is turn the volume down. My 2 year old still sleeps better with his sound machine, but my 4 year old sleeps fine (and has done so for a while) with or without one.


Can't I just get my baby used to loud every-day noises?
You can try, but you will likely fail. And is it really worth possible weeks, months, or in the case of kids who don't get used to the noise (which, by the way, is most) forever worsened sleep? This 'sleeping with noise' might work if you have a newborn, but you'll need lots of luck to have it work later on unless (and this is a big maybe, too) your child is totally dirt tired.

I know you've probably heard that children can get used to lots of noise, but in my experience, it isn't true for most children. Noise is simply distracting when your trying to shut off your mind and sleep. People can only get used to so much.


Is white noise safe? How loud should it be?
Generally, yes, it is safe.

You might look at this study and get a bit scared to use white noise. But notice that 1) this was done on rats which we are not and 2) white noise was used all the time. As in no breaks. If you are using white noise when a baby is sleeping and sometimes when he is awake and fussy, I doubt there is an issue as long as you have quality "noise time" when he is awake. As in you talk and read and sing to your baby.

Sound is measured in Decibels (dB). The farther you get from a sound, the less the decibles. How loud the sound is along with how long you hear the sound determines if your going to have hearing damage (there can be other things that add to this too, like antibiotics, but I'm not going to get into those rare instances). The current recommendation is that a sound machine should be no louder than 50 db and that you should use them for the least amount of time and at the lowest volume necessary.

You can buy devices that measure decibels (remember to take in account distance from the object) and there are even apps that'll do it for you. Or you can buy a sound machine like the marpac that has two settings-- 50 dB and 70 dB (from 6 inches).

Dr. Karp (you know, the happiest baby on the block guy) suggests you keep your shushing or white noise as loud as baby's cry, which can be quite a bit louder than 50 dB. Remember that dB, as well as length of exposure, is important so keeping a sound a little above 50 dB for a short time is fine. Many sounds around your house on a daily basis will be above 50 dB.

How to effectively use white noise to help your baby sleep
First off, it needs to be loud enough, but not too loud. So keep it below 50 dB but keep it loud enough that it blocks out sounds. Use a little trial and error to see what your baby likes best.

Next up, it should be played continuous while baby sleeps. If you buy a sound machine, make sure it can be run without a timer. You can try it with the timer, but it might not work so well, especially with older babies. Once the machine turns off, baby often wakes up.

What is the best kind of white noise?
I personally prefer a sound machine. I like how portable they are (my family travels a lot) and how easy it is to adjust their volume. Be sure to measure how loud they are as many of them are apparently much louder than 50 dB. For a mid-range price, my new favorite sound machine is the LectroFan (keep in mind that it is not battery operated). For really cheap, I prefer the HoMedics (runs on batteries or via plug and is sometimes glitchy--you get what you pay for).

• Box fans are one of the cheapest options. And they are loud enough that your baby won't even know you've just had the neighborhood over for a party. But they can make baby cold and aren't the most convenient to port around to the babysitters. I keep one of these on hand as a back up for when we have lots of people over.
• Overhead fans. My overhead fans aren't loud enough to make much noise, but the ones I grew up with sounded like an airplane. If you're using a fan, you can also potentially reduce your child's SIDS risk.
• Cds work OK but you need to be able to play them continuously on repeat. 
• Static radio is a favorite of many people. Obviously it has the benefit of being free. The sound has always irritated me and I have a hard time finding a station with no interference (outside of the static!) so it isn't my personal first choice.
• Your own voice shushing (not recommended as your only method unless you want to pass out after 10 minutes!) 
• Humidifiers. The ones with fans aren't especially loud for newborns, but they work well for some young babies and many older children.
• Youtube has some white noise you can play. And you can of course find plenty of apps with white noise.

What do you think about White Noise? Love it? Hate it?