Noise for babies

Shush, brown or dark noise for a baby, with a sleep timer that fades out gently.

Many parents use steady sound to help a baby settle and to cover household noise: shushing, white noise, or the hum of a fan. Start with Shush while settling, then switch to brown or dark noise, which are deeper and less hissy for the rest of the night. Set the timer if you only need it while they fall asleep.

Volume and distance

A 2014 study in Pediatrics measured 14 infant sleep machines at full volume and found that nearly all of them were louder than 50 dBA, the limit recommended for hospital nurseries, even 2 meters away; some could exceed adult workplace limits if played all night up close. The authors advise placing the sound source farther than 2 m (about 7 ft) from the baby, keeping the volume low, and running it only as long as needed (Hugh et al., 2014).

In practice: put the phone across the room, never in the crib, start with the volume low, and turn it up only until it covers the noise you want to cover. It should be quieter than normal conversation where the baby lies. A phone’s speaker at a moderate setting usually is, a Bluetooth speaker turned up may not be.

This page isn’t medical advice. Ask your pediatrician if you have questions about your baby’s sleep or hearing.