Nothing calms a restless infant or prevents them from falling asleep faster than some soft white noise. If you’re worried about your infant growing reliant on a white noise machine, you’re not alone; many parents ask when the ideal moment is to wean their child off of utilising white noise to fall asleep.

However, after reading this post, you won’t have to be concerned: we’ll tell you precisely when you should stop using white noise for your infant, as well as some useful suggestions on using white noise properly.

Stuff You Should Know

When your baby is a toddler, or between the ages of 2 and 4, you should stop utilising white noise.

Wean your infant off white noise gradually by lowering the volume and length of time you play it.

White noise is harmless for newborns as long as it does not exceed 50 dB. (or around medium volume).

When should you quit using white noise?

When their child is a toddler, most people stop using white noise.
This might range from 2 to 4 years old for your child.

There are no hard and fast rules on when your infant should stop listening to white noise, and lots of older children and adults like it as well. If you’re concerned about your kid becoming reliant on it, gradually wean them off of it when they start sleeping through the night more frequently.

How to Wean Your Baby Off of White Noise

Reduce the use of the white noise machine gradually.

It is preferable to wean your kid off white noise gradually rather than abruptly. Instead of leaving the white noise machine on whole night, merely leave it on for a few hours. Your baby may wake up the first few times, but after a few tries, they will naturally go back asleep on their own.

You may also try progressively reducing the volume of the white noise machine so that it becomes quieter and quieter.
How to Use White Noise Safely

Adjust the level to less than 50 decibels

Even if it runs all night, your white noise machine is safe for baby to listen to at 50 decibels. You probably won’t be able to accurately measure 50 decibels, but for most white noise machines, this is around a medium volume level.
White noise devices are typically harmless, but many of them may reach 85 decibels, which is as loud as a hair dryer. Listening to a too loud white noise machine might cause long-term hearing loss.

The general guideline here is to never put the white noise machine to maximum level, since this will be far too loud.
Keep the white noise machine as far away from your kid as feasible.

The closer the machine is to your infant, the more probable it is to be overly noisy. Doctors recommend keeping the white noise machine at least 7 feet (2.1 metres) away from your kid, or further if possible.

When your infant is sleeping, utilise white noise alone

Keeping white noise on all the time might potentially be harmful to your baby’s growth. It is critical for your infant to hear natural background noises such as people conversing, children playing, and automobiles honking. Drowning out these noises might be perplexing for your infant, so use white noise to relax your baby carefully.

It’s acceptable to leave the white noise machine on all night, as long as it’s loud enough and far enough away from your baby’s cot.

Best White Noise Devices for Babies

The famous LectroFan EVO white noise machine has been around for a long time. It not only creates white noise but also heartbeat sounds and other relaxing noises that are ideal for newborns.

Yogasleep Dohm

The Yogasleep Dohm emits a real fan noise, as well as pink and brown noise (suitable for adults). Many frequently equate its relaxing tones to being near the water or holding a seashell to your ear.
White Noise vs.

Pink Noise

White noise is better for newborns, whereas pink noise is better for adults. While there have been several research on white noise for newborns, the only studies on pink noise have been done on adults. Pink noise is lower-pitched than white noise and has been demonstrated to boost adult memory when sleeping.

You may have also heard of brown noise (sometimes called red noise). Brown noise is akin to the sound of rain or a waterfall, and it has been demonstrated to benefit patients with ringing in their ears. Unfortunately, no research on its effect on sleep have been conducted.

References

Loud Noise and Pregnancy
COVID-19 in Pregnancy: A Current Review of Global Cases
Cerclage Use: A Review of 3 National Guidelines
Opioid Use in Pregnancy: A Review
White noise facilitates new-word learning from context
How Noise Affects Children
Swaddling: Is it Safe for Your Baby?