What It Means
A white noise machine, sometimes called an infant sleep machine or sound machine, plays a steady background sound to cover other noises in the room while a baby sleeps. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes that some studies show possible benefitsBenefits packageEverything an employer offers on top of wages, such as health insurance, paid leave and a retirement plan, which can be worth thousands of dollars a year. See more, and that one study found machines loud enough to raise concern for babies' hearing. Its advice, if you use one, is to place it as far from the baby as you can, keep the volume as low as you can, and limit how long it runs.
Try It: Check Your Baby's Sound Machine Setup
Tick each one that's true of your setup. The first three are the AAP's advice; the last two come from its safe sleep and noise guidance.
All five. That matches the AAP's advice on distance, volume and time.
Not all five yet. Move it farther away, turn it down, or set a timer, and ask your pediatrician at the next checkup.
How Parents Say It
- "She won't sleep without the rain sound on."
- "Turn the sound machine down, it's blasting."
- "We put it across the room, by the door."
The Breakdown
What the research and the AAP say
| Question | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Do they help? | Several studies show potential benefits | AAP noise guidance |
| How loud can they get? | 14 machines tested at full volume all topped 50 dBA at 30 cm, the recommended limit in hospital nurseries, and three topped 85 dBA | Pediatrics study |
| Where should it go? | As far from the baby as possible | AAP noise guidance |
| How loud should it be? | As low as possible | AAP noise guidance |
| How long should it run? | Limit how long it's used | AAP noise guidance |
| Is too loud for me too loud for the baby? | Anything that sounds too loud to an adult is probably too loud for a child | HealthyChildren.org |
Why babies are different. HealthyChildren.org explains that children's smaller ear canals make higher-pitched sounds more intense, and that the 85-decibel, eight-hour workplace standard was written for adults and shouldn't be assumed safe for children.
Setting one up, by stage of the night. At bedtime, put the machine across the room rather than beside the crib, and start at the lowest setting. If the machine has a timer, use it so the sound doesn't play for hours after your baby is asleep; that last part is Buhata's suggestion for limiting run time.
When to talk to the doctor. The AAP says pediatricians can counsel parents on using sleep machines safely, so ask at a checkup. Mention any worry about your baby's hearing too.
Good to Know
The machine belongs outside the crib: the AAP's safe sleepSafe sleepThe AAP's rules for lowering the risk of SIDS and suffocation: baby on the back, alone, on a firm flat surface in their own sleep space, every sleep. See more advice puts every sleep on the back, alone, in the baby's own sleep space. HealthyChildren.org adds that noise above 70 decibels over a long period may begin to damage hearing.
FAQ
Is white noise safe for babies?
The AAP says several studies show possible benefits, but one found machines can get loud enough to concern pediatricians. If you use one, keep it far from the baby, set it as low as you can, and limit how long it runs.
How far should a sound machine be from the crib?
The AAP's advice is as far from the baby as possible. A Pediatrics study found every machine it tested topped 50 dBA at 30 cm, the recommended limit in hospital nurseries, when played at full volume.
Should white noise play all night?
The AAP advises limiting how long a sleep machine runs. A timer that shuts it off after your baby falls asleep is one way to do that.
Do It in Buhata
Handoff Card (Premium)
Write your sound machine setup, its spot across the room and its volume setting, on a Handoff Card (Premium) in Buhata so every sitter uses it the same way.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Safe sleep
The AAP's rules for lowering the risk of SIDS and suffocation: baby on the back, alone, on a firm flat surface in their own sleep space, every sleep.
- Room sharing
Having a baby sleep in the parents' room in their own crib, bassinet or play yard. The AAP advises it for at least the first 6 months, without bed-sharing.
- Crib nap
A daytime nap a baby or toddler takes in their own crib, instead of in arms, a car seat or a stroller.
- Drowsy but awake
Laying a baby down in the crib when they're sleepy but still awake, so they practice falling asleep on their own.
Sources
American Academy of Pediatrics, "Promoting Healthy Environments for Children: Noise" (clinical guidance); HealthyChildren.org (AAP), "AAP Sounds Alarm on Excessive Noise Risks to Children"; American Academy of Pediatrics, "Preventing Excessive Noise Exposure in Infants, Children, and Adolescents," Pediatrics (2023); "Infant Sleep Machines and Hazardous Sound Pressure Levels," Pediatrics 133(4):677
- downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/HealthyEnv_Noise.pdf
- www.healthychildren.org/English/news/Pages/sounds-the-alarm-on-excessive-noise-and-risks-to-children.aspx
- publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/152/5/e2023063752/194468/Preventing-Excessive-Noise-Exposure-in-Infants
- publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/133/4/677/32749/Infant-Sleep-Machines-and-Hazardous-Sound-Pressure
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