Why is white noise so important?

• White noise, by 'technical' definition, is a consistent noise that comes out in an equal amount at every frequency, from low to high, that a human being can hear.

  When a noise wakes you or your child up in the night, it's not the noise itself that wakes you, per se, but the sudden change or inconsistencies in noise that jar you. White noise creates a masking effect, blocking out those sudden changes that wakes us or make it difficult to fall asleep.

• We know that the trick to helping children sleep better is to re-create the conditions that they experienced in the womb, and the womb is a noisy place. Baby is soothed by the sounds of mom's heart beating, her stomach growling, and muffled voices from the outside. And it is LOUD - slightly less loud than a lawnmower. Now imagine going from that constant deafening sound to utter silence. Not comforting for little babies!

• White noise reduces stress in babies. Every day babies are inundated with new faces, new places, and more stimulation than they can handle. White noise creates a safe place for them by helping them to block out this stimulation.

• White noise helps babies sleep better. It helps to block out the sounds from dogs barking, doorbells, older children, and whatever else is going on in the house while they are trying to sleep.

• White noise needs to be LOUD. Not just quiet background noise, crank that baby up! You want it about as loud as if you were standing in the bathroom while someone was showering [to be precise, it should read between 50-60 dB]. It also needs to be boring - no classical music or twinkle twinkle on repeat. Radio static is perfect, and most white noise machines come with a 'white noise' option. Even a box fan works perfectly if you don't want to invest in a machine. Bonus: fans in baby's room has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS.

• Your child won't become 'addicted' to white noise. Just the same as they won't become 'addicted' to needing a dark room to sleep in. Sure, most adults would prefer to sleep in a dark room, or with a little white noise (a fan, the hum of a humidifier) but we aren't dependent on it.

• Make sure the white noise is CONTINUOUS. It needs to play for the entire nap and bedtime. Avoid the popular products that have a timer - those will work against you as baby will wake up at that 45 minute mark and wonder where that nice sound went.

When should I stop using white noise?

The short answer - never! White noise can be used safely and effectively with people of all ages - babies, toddlers, school-aged children, and even adults!

The effects of white noise have been studied for many years, and when used safely [meaning used at an appropriate volume, as per above] it has been shown to reduce crying in infants, improve cognitive performance, counteract symptoms of ADHD, enhance deep sleep, and so on!

You may wish to discontinue the use of white noise with your child for your own personal reasons, but ask yourself the following questions first before doing so:

1. Are you planning more children? Using white noise to mask internal sound [noise coming from within your house] can be extremely helpful. We all know how loud and disruptive a newborn's cries can be [at all hours of the day and night!] so if you are planning to expand your family, keeping white noise around until your youngest is sleeping soundly at night is worth considering!

2. Is your child a light sleeper? For those of us that are light sleepers, white noise is a very effective tool at improving quality of sleep. It is much more difficult to recreate absolute silence for sleep vs. a bit of ambient sound and for those that require silence, any small change in sound has the potential to disrupt sleep [either waking us or just decreasing the quality of sleep].

3. Does your child enjoy white noise? My motto with sleep is always 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it!' If your child is enjoying using white noise, there is no need to eliminate it. I promise you won't need to pack it in their bags when they go for sleepovers at their friend's houses ;)

   Conversely, if your child is at an age where they can vocalize their likes and dislikes and they have requested that we no longer use white noise for sleep - that's okay too! You might first try and see if perhaps they prefer the white noise to be a bit quieter or at a different tone/frequency, but as long as the noise machine doesn't become a stall tactic ["I want it on! No off! No on!"] then discontinuing the use of white noise at your child's wishes is always okay!

4. Will your child ever be sharing a room with a sibling? When kids are sleeping in a shared room situation, there is always the potential for extra stimulation [either while falling asleep or in the middle of the night]. Using white noise to mask some of these sounds as a way to help both children fall asleep more easily and stay asleep longer is a consideration! If you know that down the road your children might be sharing a room, continuing to use white noise is a good plan!
   

5. Is there a potential for external noise where you live? Do you live on a busy street? Are you near a hospital or fire station? Is there a lot of thunderstorms or strong winds? Does your neighboorhood love fireworks for every occasion? Do you have a neighbor with a very loud truck or a dog that barks all hours? All things to consider when thinking of eliminating white noise as these are all external factors that can impact the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep!

6. Do you travel often? While we may be able to control the volume [to some degree] at our own homes, controlling the volume when we are away from home is a lot more challenging. Whether it's a busy hotel and a room right near the pool or a family member's house with lots of cousins running around [nobody wants to shush somebody in their own home!], using white noise to mask sounds when we are less in control of the amount of sound can make for a less stressful travel experience. An added bonus is that white noise can help children feel at home so it may help them to feel safe and secure in an unfamiliar environment.

7. Does your child struggle to fall asleep? In a recent study, adults were found to fall asleep 38% faster while listening to white noise. If your child has a difficult time 'shutting down' their brain or has FOMO when they can hear the rest of the family going about their evening while they are in bed trying to fall asleep, white noise can be helpful for blocking out that stimulation. As well, once children reach the age of imagination [around 3 years of age], hearing the creaks and cracks of the house can feel like monsters or boogeymen are lurking in the dark, and waking up at night and hearing that familiar and comforting sound vs. unfamiliar noises can help ensure you don't have a scared toddler in your bed at night.

Does the type of sound matter?

The 'color' of a noise [pink, brown, white, violet, etc.] refers to the frequency and changes in power of frequency within the sound [pink noise emphasizing lower frequency sounds, white noise emphasizing higher frequency sounds, brown noise having a distinct change in the power of frequency, etc.] White noise is what you might liken to the sound of TV static, pink noise is more similar to a rain sound, and brown noise is what you might connect to a strong wind. The type of sound itself is not as important as choosing a sound that you or your child prefers. Pink noise is more universally preferred as it's less of a 'harsh' sound than white noise, but choosing it based on something your child and yourself can tolerate [if you're listening to it over the monitor!] is most important. You'll also want to ensure that your white noise does not have a discernible 'loop' [where the sound fades out and then back in], that there is not too much of an 'ebb and flow' to the sound [a plain, boring white noise sound would be preferable to waves crashing] and that the noise plays continusosly througout the entire duration of the night/naps if applicable [not shutting off after X minutes/hours].

You can find my favorite white noise machines and other sleep products here! I gravitate towards white noise machines that are fan-based 'natural' sounds [or mechanically produced sounds] vs. digitally produced sounds [i.e. an audio track of white noise] and the machines you will find on the above link fit the bill!