White noise isn’t just for grown ups with tinnitus! It’s actually a great tool to help you get your infant or young child to sleep faster and more soundly. White noise machines are available all over the web and even on our smartphones as apps or YouTube videos, but what white noise product is best and is recommended by The Early Weeks? In today’s article, we’re going to explore white noise usage best practices and recommend some excellent white noise devices and apps that you can try today. Let us know in the comments your experience with white noise machines and share your favorite apps or devices as well! We can’t wait to hear from you.
Which Noise Level AKA Decibel Is Best? Setting The Scene
When doing sleep consults for families, we like to test the noise levels of the child’s sleeping room in order to establish a baseline for best restfulness. We then test with the white noise machine while it is on and active to ensure that the baby isn’t experiencing any noise levels that are too high, too low, or disruptive. We then demonstrate and walk the parents through testing by themselves on sleep training consultations.
For best results, download the sound meter app on your smartphone and then hold the device directly over where your child’s head will be during sleep. This will allow you to get the most accurate depiction of the sound levels they will experience during sleep. Here are two good (free) apps for you to try: Sound Meter for Android phones and Decibel for IOS phones. To ensure that your child is getting the best rest possible, we try to ensure that the decibel readings are between 50 and 60 DB while the white noise machine is running. Anything higher than that can be disruptive to their sleep patterns or even damaging to their hearing.
Recommendations For White Noise Devices And Apps
White noise can be a fantastic tool to help your child get soothed before sleeping and to help them stay asleep once down. It can even help them achieve a deeper and more restful level of sleep which sets them up for success for other important developmental milestones!
We recommend that families purchase a white noise app or buy a USB rechargeable unit for travel in the car or on walks.
Here are a few that we like and have experience with that you might enjoy!
- Hatch. Available on Amazon linked here.
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- This is good for mobile use and has soothing red or orange lights as well.
- Is a smart device that has a range of baby-specific white noise sounds.
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- Lectrofan. Available on Amazon linked here.
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- I personally use this device and can sing its praises!
- It is very reliable and won’t be disrupted or turned off if the home’s internet goes down.
- It has a wide range of white noises and volume levels. Perfect to customize to your baby’s needs.
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- Not recommended or can be used sparingly: Amazon Alexa.
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- While Alexa has a white noise app, it is unreliable and can be too easily disrupted by another person in the household and when it tries to reconnect to the internet, it lights up the darkened room like the 4th of July!
- Alexa will also have intermittent ads that interrupt the white noise.
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- Recommended for travel and on the go:
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- LectroFan Micro2
- Yogasleep Hushh Portable
- These have good battery life
- Great carrying cases to help keep everything together
- Excellent for walks and hikes with baby in a stroller or wearable baby carrier
Parting Thoughts
Establishing the perfect white noise routine for your child can be difficult, but it’s not impossible! We hope these tips have helped you along your journey. If you have any questions about helping your baby to sleep better, developing a conducive routine for your baby that works with your life, or about your baby in general, please reach out to us HERE. We are experts in all things baby and sleep and would love to help!
If you have questions about your child, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to help. Please reach out to us here! We always look forward to hearing from you.
