4 Reasons Why White Noise Improves Newborn Sleep

Newborn sleep can always be improved in the first few weeks. Remember what we always say here: sleep is a learned behavior. That means that as our baby grows, we can always improve their sleep patterns, dialing in exactly what we need to in order to create a successful sleep schedule. One of the best ways to improve newborn sleep is white noise.

Improve Newborn Sleep with White Noise

Babies LOVE white noise.  They have been living in your womb for 9 months hearing the loud swooshing of your heartbeat, organs working, the rumbles of your belly; the vibration of your voice; and the chatter outside!  Next time you are taking a bath, turn the faucet on full blast and put your head under the water- that is very similar to what your baby has been hearing her entire life!  When babies are born, their world becomes uncomfortably quiet, which is why white noise is so beneficial!

4 Benefits of White Noise

Babies should be sleeping with continuous white noise until they are at the very least, two years old. While mimicking the sound of their 9-month stay in mommy’s womb, white noise offers comfort for a few different reasons.

1. Helps Babies Sleep Longer

White noise helps babies sleep longer by helping them feel more secure. While falling asleep in a room that doesn’t have mom and dad in it, the white noise offers a comforting familiarity that allows baby to relax and fall asleep more easily.

2. Drowns Out Background Noise

Your baby’s new world is an odd dichotomy of silence and out of control sounds. On the one hand, your baby feels the loss of that comforting rhythm of your body, making the world seem unnaturally quiet. On the other hand, sounds like siblings, traffic, the television, and the like can make the world seem too loud. White noise helps drown out those distracting sounds with something familiar.

3. Calming

Because white noise drowns out distracting sounds and replaces them with a more familiar sound, it is quite calming to babies.

4. Familiar

Continuing with the theme of calm familiarity, white noise creates a cocoon-like bubble for your baby to fall asleep in. It actually switches on the calming reflex in your baby’s brain, allowing him or her to fall asleep more easily.

Placing the Machine for Better Newborn Sleep and Safety

You should always place your white noise machine across the room from your baby. This serves two purposes. It keeps your baby from reaching the machine as they get older and more ambulatory. Secondly, it helps ensure that the white noise you are using to help him or her fall asleep doesn’t inadvertently cause auditory issues.

White Noise Won’t Interfere with Long-Term Newborn Sleep

Are you afraid that your baby could become addicted to the white noise while you try to give him or her better newborn sleep?  Don’t be!  White noise is easy to wean off of.  If you choose too, you can gradually start decreasing the volume each night.  If your baby continues to sleep well, then there’s no more need for white noise.  If your baby starts waking up, then stick with it.

Why should the sound machine be placed across the room?

  • To ensure the noise doesn’t cause auditory issues
  • So that your baby cannot reach it

Our favorite sound machine brand? Marpac Dohm!

Adapted from Dr. Harvey Karp

 

If you need a sleep refresh schedule a 45 minute consultation today…sweet dreams!

www.dreambabysleep.com

 

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