Why Babies Love White Noise
Why do babies love white noise and how does it help with sleep?
White Noise Mimics being in the Womb
When your Wee One makes their appearance in the world everything is much quieter in comparison to living in the cozy womb. While in the womb your baby was exposed to continuous rhythm motion and noise…LOUD noise! Once you get home with your Wee One it’s likely more of a quiet environment, unless you have a toddler running around!! You shouldn’t play white noise all day as you want to expose your baby to the normal noises in your home and allow their brain to differentiate voices and sounds!
But, you DO want to use white noise when your baby is sleeping. Sleeping in a quiet environment is unfamiliar. Babies love white noise as it’s familiar to being in the womb. On top of that, your newborn spends about 50% of their sleep in a lighter more active stage of sleep where they are more likely to wake up due to startling and noises. By playing white noise when your newborn is sleeping you are helping to recreate the ideal environment that can help promote some longer stretches of sleep.
Helps Block Out Noise from the Environment
Once you’re out of the fourth trimester, you want to set your baby up for sleep success by creating a nice dark environment, a predictable sleep routine, and turning on white noise! Using white noise overnight and for naps can help drown out noises from around the home and outside that could potentially wake up your Wee One leading to a short nap or an early morning wake up from the trash truck or a dog barking! As the morning approaches your baby spends more time in REM (active sleep) and are more likely to wake up if disturbed. White noise can help prevent this! A few of my favorites include: Lectrofan Hatch Rest Plus, Yoga Sleep Dohm
White Noise Creates a Positive Sleep Association for your Baby
By using white noise routinely for sleep your baby may develop a Pavlovian response to condition your baby to sleep where once you turn the sound machine on their brain learns sleep is near! One study showed newborns who were exposed to white noise repeatedly were then able to fall asleep within 5 minutes of being exposed to white noise.
White noise is a positive sleep association that can eventually be weaned. It’s important to use it continuously overnight and for every nap to give your baby the signal to keep sleeping! Don’t use the auto shut off feature!
What Kind of Sound Should I Use for Sleep?
Research shows babies respond well to low frequency rhythmic or static-like white noises to promote deep sleep compared to musical noise which is stimulating to the brain. The low-frequency tones are monotonous and lull your Wee One into dreamland.
Deep sleep is important for your child to build memories and to wake up refreshed the next day. Consolidated sleep helps to build neural connections for all the new skills being learned throughout the day.
How Loud Should my White Noise Machine be Set For?
It’s important to use white noise at an appropriate volume that helps to promote sleep but also protects your baby’s hearing.
- Do not put a sound machine in the crib with your baby
- Place the sound matching ideally across the room, but a minimum one foot away
- Volume should be at 65 decibels or below when testing the volume from where your baby is sleeping
- The farther away the sound machine, the louder you will need the volume set compared to if it is one foot away
- Use a free decibel reader app to test your volume level to ensure the safety for your baby’s hearing
- Research shows prolonged noise exposure to noise over 85 decibel can cause hearing loss
What should I use if I’m traveling or on the go with my baby?
If you’re out and about or over at the grandparent’s house and need to put your baby down for a nap bring a portable white noise machine that can clip to your stroller and doesn’t require any batteries! The Lectrofan Alpha is a great portable travel-ready option! This will give your baby the positive sleep cues to fall asleep while in an unfamiliar environment or while on the go!
Need more help with your Wee One’s Sleep?
Set up a consultation to discuss which sleep plan option is best for your family!
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