White noise machines for babies: safety and the right volume

What researchers found

The researchers tested 14 infant sleep machines at maximum volume, taking measurements at 30, 100 and 200 cm away and adjusting for the size of a 6-month-old’s ear canal. Here is what they reported in Pediatrics in 2014:

• Every machine was louder than 50 A-weighted decibels at 30 cm, which is the recommended noise limit for infants in hospital nurseries.
• Three of the machines went above 85 decibels, beyond occupational limits for cumulative noise exposure in adults.
• The authors concluded that these machines are capable of sound levels that may harm infant hearing, and that the loudest, if played for more than 8 hours, could put hearing at risk.

The machines were tested at full volume. The practical takeaway concerns volume and distance, not cutting out sound completely.

White noise is often what parents try when their baby keeps waking. Used safely, it can help, but it cannot solve waking caused by the way a baby falls asleep. That is what Actually Sleeping fixes.

Using white noise safely

1. Distance. Put the machine on the other side of the room, never on the crib rail or in the crib. Sound fades fast as distance grows.
2. Volume. Pick the lowest setting that covers household noise. If you would need to raise your voice to talk over it beside the crib, it is too loud.
3. Measure it. Hold a sound-meter app on your phone where your baby’s head rests for a rough reading. Aim for well under 50 decibels.
4. Cords. Keep the cord out of reach. The CPSC warns never to put corded baby cameras within three feet of a crib because of the strangulation risk; handle any corded device the same way.
5. Keep the crib empty. Plush toys with sound machines built in bring a soft object into the sleep space. Leave the crib bare and set the sound source on a shelf.
6. Running it all night at low volume is fine. The study was concerned about the loudest machines played for more than 8 hours, which is why distance and volume are so important.

Why families use white noise

A steady sound can cover the noises that rouse a light sleeper: a dog, a sibling, traffic, a door. It also works as a familiar signal that sleep is on its way, whether you are home or traveling. Many families find it particularly useful when siblings share a room or when naps fall during a noisy part of the day.

What white noise cannot fix

Parents frequently turn the white noise up, and then up again, because their baby keeps waking. That usually means noise is not what is waking the baby. A baby who wakes every hour or two in a dark, quiet room is typically surfacing between sleep cycles and needing help to drift off again: a feed, rocking, holding, or a pacifier. No volume setting will change that, and a louder machine simply adds risk.

That waking can be fixed, and fixing it is what Actually Sleeping does. Dr. Sam writes a plan for your baby that deals with how they fall asleep and how they get back to sleep, with bootcamp-style coaching ahead of the first night and 1:1 check-ins every day. White noise can remain part of the plan as a helper, at a safe volume. Parents talk about the difference in our 129 client video reviews, and we have coached more than 700 families.

You may also want to read how to get a baby to sleep through the night.

If the white noise is already as loud as you are comfortable with and your baby still wakes, book a free consultation with Actually Sleeping.