White noise for babies
A steady whoosh can help babies settle and stay asleep through household noise. The sound matters less than how loud it is and how close it plays.
The player is set to the Nursery mix: low white noise with a fan. Start it quietly and use the timer for naps.
Three rules: keep it at or under 50 dB at the baby's head; put the speaker at least 2 m from the cot, never inside it; and choose a steady sound with no sudden changes.
How far away should the speaker be?
Sound spreads out as it travels. From a small speaker, the level falls about 6 dB every time the distance doubles, the inverse-square law. Measure the level 30 cm from your phone or machine with a free sound-meter app, enter it below, and drag the cot.
Why white noise can help babies sleep
Inside the womb, blood flow and the mother's body make a constant whooshing sound. After birth, a quiet room with sudden noises is a big change. Steady noise smooths over the doorbells, dogs and siblings that could otherwise wake a light sleeper. A small 1990 trial in Archives of Disease in Childhood (Spencer et al.) found that 80% of newborns fell asleep within five minutes with white noise, compared with 25% without.
Safe-sleep checklist
- Under 50 dB at the cot. The American Academy of Pediatrics has advised keeping infant sound machines well away from the cot and at low volume.
- Phone or speaker out of reach, cable secured, nothing inside the cot.
- Steady sounds only: white, pink, fan or rain. No thunder, birds or fire crackles.
- Phone on flight mode with Wi-Fi if you use it as the player, so calls don't wake the baby.
Need the device side? Read our notes on choosing a white noise machine.
Questions
Is white noise safe for babies?
Used quietly and at a distance, most paediatric guidance treats it as acceptable. A 2014 study in Pediatrics (Hugh et al.) found that some infant sound machines could exceed 85 dB at full volume at 30 cm, so volume and placement matter far more than the type of sound.
How loud should white noise be for a baby?
Aim for no more than 50 dB at the baby's head, about the level of a quiet conversation or a gentle shower in another room. Use a sound-meter app at the cot to check.
How far should a white noise machine be from the crib?
At least 2 metres (about 7 feet) is common guidance, and never in or on the cot. Use the calculator above to see what distance your volume needs.
Should white noise play all night?
It is fine to run it through the night at a low level, or you can use the fade timer for nap-time only. Some parents gradually lower the volume over weeks so the baby does not come to rely on it.
White noise, pink noise or a fan sound for babies?
All work. Many parents like white noise or a fan because they resemble the whooshing a baby heard in the womb. Avoid sounds with sudden events such as thunder or birdsong.