Baby sleep machines sound ideal: they are touted to help infants fall asleep and to stay asleep by comforting them with soothing sounds. Turn them on and they play calming white noise or the echoes of a babbling brook or maybe the familiar sound of a heartbeat.
But a new study shows they can be harmful to a baby’s hearing when the volume is set too high. In the study, all 14 sleep machine models tested were capable of breaking the noise limit recommended in hospital nurseries.
Worse yet, some of the 14 models could surpass the noise decibel level limit recommended for an adult workplace.
The Problem
Why would a machine meant to help soothe a baby be capable of volume levels so high? No regulations to “meet a safe sound limit.” However, in the absence of regulations, experts say there are ways you can protect your baby’s hearing.
First, and foremost, keep the volume set low and place the device well away from the crib.
Unfortunately, that all-important advice does not appear on the product packaging, notes Dr. Blake Papsin, the senior researcher on the study and chief of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada.
He also points out various parenting websites encourage the use of sleep machines all night long, and at a volume capable of overriding other sounds that could potentially drift toward the child’s bedroom.
Papsin sees this habit as “overexposing babies to noise.”
The Actual Decibel Levels
The 14 infant machines tested are readily available in both the United States and Canada.
When volume levels were maxed, three reached just over 85 decibels (workplace maximum). All of them were able of producing more than 50 decibels (nursery maximum). And 13 of 14 were capable of exposing the baby to over 50 decibels even when placed on the other side of the room away from the crib.
The idea is to provide a soothing sound for your baby. They are not intended to be used to drown out your television. When used properly, there shouldn’t be any risk to tiny ears, Papsin says.
Papsin doesn’t necessarily have a problem with parents using a sleep machine in their baby’s room, but he does question the practice of exposing developing infants to a specific sound all night.
He wonders if it might be better for babies to be exposed to the varying sounds of their actual environment. Hearing parents talking or the neighbor’s dog barking is more natural.
Papsin is concerned about the auditory pathways, which are developing during infancy because animal research suggests prolonged exposure to white noise during this life stage can change the way sound is processed and the animals’ behavior.
Whether or not it is better to have silence and some occasional noise or white noise to sleep by is an unanswered question. We really have no evidence either way.
While long-term consequences are unknown, Papsin worries about training a child to require a specific sound to go to sleep.
In lieu of a sleep machine, Papsin suggests a warm bath shortly before bedtime, followed by a familiar lullaby.
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