Is white noise safe for babies?

Does your baby have trouble sleeping? When nothing seems to be working for sleep, the popular white noise can be an alternative solution. It reminds the baby of the sounds he knows from the womb and it calms him down. While white noise can help your baby fall asleep, there are some potential side effects.

White noise. These are monotonous sounds that mask other disturbing environmental sounds. A good example is the sound of rain or a vacuum cleaner. White noise helps adults and babies to drown out the surrounding sounds, calm down and fall asleep. There are special devices and apps on the market that create white noise and are intended for use by children.

The benefits of white noise for babies

• Babies may be able to fall asleep faster with white noise in the background.
• White noise can block out noise in the home, such as older siblings.
• Some white noise baby monitors have a heart rate setting that mimics the mother's heartbeat, which can be soothing for newborns.

The most obvious benefit of white noise for children is the fact that it helps them fall asleep. If you find that your child has a tendency to fall asleep in a busy environment outside of their regular sleep time, they could be reacting positively to white noise. Your baby was surrounded by noise in the womb, so a completely silent environment is, paradoxically, not the most suitable for a newborn's sleep.

Disadvantages of white noise for children

• White noise machines may exceed recommended noise limits for children.
• Babies can become dependent on white noise machines to help them fall asleep.
• Not all children respond well to white noise.
• Potential developmental problems caused by white noise

Despite all the benefits, white noise doesn't always offer peace and quiet without risk.
It is important to be careful that white noise does not exceed the recommended noise limits, which are set at 50 decibels. If they reach higher values, it can cause developmental problems in children. These are mainly hearing problems, but also problems with speech and understanding.

Pediatricians recommend that all white noise devices be placed at least 1.5m from your child's crib. You should also keep the volume on the device below the maximum volume level.

It is important to note that white noise does not work for all children. Every baby is different when it comes to sleep needs, so white noise could end up being trial and error. If you decide to try white noise, make sure you do it safely.