THE ADVANTAGES OF WHITE NOISE MACHINES

White noise machines offer several benefits to babies to help them to sleep, when used appropriately.  

You can include white noise into your sleep time routine, which creates a cue for your baby that it is time to sleep. It helps to create a predictable routine, so that when you start playing the white noise, your baby knows it is nap time. 

White noise also provides a consistent, calming background noise that can help babies and toddlers fall asleep and stay asleep by masking out startling sounds like hadidas, dogs barking and older siblings! White noise machines can disguise these sounds so that they do not interfere with your baby's sleep. 

WHITE NOISE MACHINE SAFETY GUIDELINES

In its guidance on preventing excessive noise exposure in children, the AAP recommends that if a sleep machine is used, parents should:

1) Keep it as far away from your baby as possible 

Do not place the machine in or directly next to the cot, pram or car seat. Position it across the room, away from your baby's head and sleeping space. The further away the machine is, the lower the sound exposure at your baby's ears. Other experts advise that white noise machines be placed 2m away from your baby. 

 2) Keep the volume as low as possible 

It is recommended that white noise machines be set to the lowest effective volume. This should be at the lowest setting that is sufficient to mask out external noise, but it should not be turned up to compete with other noises. 

The AAP does not prescribe a specific decibel limit for home white noise machines, but other experts recommend using it at or below 50 decibels. There are smartphone apps available that can measure the volume, if you are unsure. 

3) Limit the duration 

Avoid running a white noise machine continuously for long periods. Once your baby has fallen asleep at night, you should turn it off. Some white noise machines have timers you can set to switch off automatically. But if yours does not have this feature, it might be helpful to set a timer to remind you to turn it off before you go to bed. This will help your baby to fall into a deep sleep, but not be exposed to continuous white noise throughout the night. 

A white noise machine should provide gentle background sound, not dominate the room. If you need to raise your voice to talk over it, it is probably too loud.