Baby White Noise: Sleep and Safe Volume

A baby lies on their back in a clear crib, with a sound machine on a distant cabinet. — Back to sleep, clear crib.

White noise may help some babies settle; if you use it, keep it quiet, far from their head and brief.

For caregivers of newborns and babies under 1 year who are deciding whether and how to use a sound machine.

SUMMARY

Keep it quiet, far away, and brief.
Aim for 50 dB or less at your baby’s ear position.
Use it briefly for settling, then switch it off once your baby is asleep.
Turn it off during awake play and conversation.

What benefit can you expect?

A sound machine supplies a steady background sound that can mask other noises.

A small trial in newborns aged 2–7 days found that more babies fell asleep within five minutes with white noise, but that finding does not establish longer sleep for every baby.

If your baby already settles in a quiet room, you can keep that routine without adding a sound machine.

If the sound does not help your baby settle, switch it off rather than turning it up.

How quiet is quiet enough?

Some sound machines can produce sound loud enough to damage hearing.

Aim for 50 dB or less at your baby’s ear position.

Treat 50 dB or less as a target drawn from a US hospital nursery reference, alongside low volume, distance and brief use.

The 50 dB figure is a reference target, not a guarantee that unlimited exposure is safe.

Volume, duration and how often the sound is used all matter.

Never use the machine at full volume.

A hand lowers a sound machine’s unmarked dial. — Turn it down.

A phone sound-meter app gives an approximate reading; check at the baby’s ear position, not beside the speaker.

Check with the crib empty and remove the phone before putting your baby down.

A parent holds a phone at the head position of an empty crib. — At the ears, aim for 50 dB or less.

If you need to raise your voice to talk near the crib, turn the machine down or off.

Set up the room before bedtime

Choose a stable surface away from the crib, such as a cabinet across the room.

Keep the machine and phone out of the crib.

Decision	What to check
Placement	Place the machine as far from your baby’s head as possible.
Volume	Aim for 50 dB or less at your baby’s ear position.
Duration	Use it briefly for settling, then switch it off once your baby is asleep.

When to switch it off

Use it briefly for settling, then switch it off once your baby is asleep.

A shut-off timer can help keep use brief.

A hand presses a sound machine button outside the crib. — Switch it off after settling.

Do not treat a low reading as permission to leave the machine on all night.

Background noise can make speech harder for babies to hear clearly.

Turn it off during awake play and conversation.

An awake baby and parent look at each other during quiet interaction. — Off for awake play.

Keep the usual safe sleep setup

For babies under 1 year, start every sleep on the back on a firm, flat surface with only a fitted sheet.

Keep pillows, toys and loose bedding out of the sleep space.

When hearing worries need a check

A parent holding a baby talks with an audiologist. — If you are worried about your baby’s hearing, ask your clinician about a hearing assessment.

Questions about phones and sound limits

Can I use a phone instead of a sound machine?

A phone playing white noise still needs the same low-volume, distance and short-use precautions.

Is the adult noise limit suitable for my baby?

Adult workplace noise limits should not be used as a safe-volume rule for babies.