(That’s why white noise-aka Shushing-is an integral part of the 5 S’s for soothing babies.) A study in the journal Child & Family Behavior Therapy even found that white noise machines set at 75 decibels at bedtime-and used all night-improved sleep and reduced night-wakings in 1-year-olds with no ill effects. I assure you that white noise can be safely played at that level all night…and it works! This is just enough white noise to activate a baby’s calming reflex, which is their inborn “on switch” for sleep. To help any baby get to sleep, I whole-heartedly recommend playing white noise at 60 to 70 decibels. For some volume perspective, studies show that the sound inside the womb can reach over 90 decibels, so Baby is very used to that level of sound! To help a calm baby sleep with white noise… Fifty decibels is quieter than normal conversation, softer than background music, and about the same decibel count as a quiet refrigerator.and it offers absolutely no benefit for your baby’s sleep! Sound doesn’t even start improving sleep until it gets to 60 to 70 decibels. Let’s look at the researchers’ recommendation of playing white noise at 50 decibels. But white noise only works if it is loud enough! How loud should white noise be? Here’s why: By reducing infant crying and boosting a baby’s (and parent’s) sleep, white noise may prevent many of the terrible problems triggered by these stressors. That advice may seem logical, but I strongly believe it’s wrong.and even dangerous. (The study itself did not examine hearing loss.) They advised parents to move their babies’ white noise machines as far away as possible, playing the machines at 50 decibels, and shutting off the sound after their baby falls asleep. The researchers warned that, if sound machines were played at 85 decibels (dB) for eight hours straight, the sound would exceed safety standards and might reach a level that could hurt a baby’s hearing. (Eighty-five decibels is like a noisy restaurant or a wee bit louder than an alarm clock.) (Instead of actual babies, this study used equipment to measure sound.) When researchers then measured how much sound reached the “babies,” they found that three sound machines exceed 85 decibels. Here, researchers tested 14 white noise machines (marketed specifically for sleeping babies) by placing them a mere 12 inches from the “babies’ heads”-and cranking the sound up to max volume. Does white noise damage a baby’s hearing?īack in 2014, there were some alarming headlines circulating about the dangers of white noise, like: “White Noise Machines Could Hurt Babies’ Hearing,” “Sound Machines for Babies: Too Loud? Too Close?” “White Noise: Not the Right Noise.” All of this uproar was over a study in the journal Pediatrics about white noise. But I’m here to tell you that these are white noise myths! Here, I set the record straight on white noise. They may worry that their baby will become too reliant on white noise or that white noise may damage their baby’s hearing. Some even think that white noise is bad for babies. But even with all the (well-deserved) hype, some parents are skeptical about using white noise to help their children sleep. As babies get older, white noise becomes a learned sleep cue. That’s because white noise helps turn on your baby’s innate calming reflex, which is their built-in “on button” for sleep. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends white noise to improve a baby’s sleep. Research shows that white noise can help 80% of infants fall asleep in just 5 minutes and it can increase sleep in colicky babies. I love white noise! After all, white noise is a key element of my 5 S’s for soothing babies. What’s a safe white noise machine for Baby?. Are white noise machines safe for babies?. Does white noise damage a baby’s hearing?.
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