Every new parent wonders what baby products they absolutely need versus what may just be nice to have. The baby product market is flooded with tried and true items as well new novelty items. You will see a handful of items on every baby registry though and white noise machines are one of those items!
Why White Noise Machines Are So Comforting
Babies spend the first nine months of their lives cozy in their mother’s womb. This environment has constant noise from the amniotic fluid and their mother’s heartbeat. They then enter the world and experience silence for the first time. White noise machines are capable of mimicking the sounds that infants find comforting and familiar from the womb.
Benefits of White Noise Machine As Children Get Older
As infants become more comfortable with life outside of the womb, new benefits come from using white noise machines. Environmental sounds become a challenge by waking sleeping children. Whether it’s siblings, pets or traffic outside, the list of disturbing noises seems to never end when trying to keep a child asleep. White noise machines can play a key role in drowning those sounds out.
Getting The Most Out Of Your White Noise Machine
These machines come with numerous noise options to select from. We suggest avoiding anything with varying sounds like lullabies. A baby’s brain can actually be stimulated by the variation of sounds. Instead, stick with something consistent and deep sounding. Noise should be left on for the entire duration of your child’s sleep. Your little one may be startled awake if the noise shuts off during their sleeping period. Because of this, timers should not be used to turn off white noise machines. When determining the volume level, aim for something similar to the volume of a shower. You can use a decibel reader to try to get the volume around 60 decibels if you like precision. To measure this, place the decibel reader in the crib to get an accurate reading.
Concerns Of Using A White Noise Machine
A main concern parents have when it comes to using white noise machines is dependency. Consider it a tool to ensure that your child sleeps as peacefully as possible. They may prefer it rather than depend on it. Once your child is older, say around 4, you can begin to wean them off of using it if you’d like. There are so many changes, milestones and challenges in the first few years of life. Why not add something to your toolbox to help make sure the family is well rested through it all?
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Having a sleep plan in place and personalized care is what we at Rocky Mountain Sleeping Baby are known for. Call or email us to get started on your sleep training journey today! We work with families all over the world! We are personally located in Denver, Aurora, Arvada, Englewood, Kansas City & Fort Worth Texas!
