‘I wish my baby would sleep better’ is something most moms have said at some point in time!
Have you tried white noise?
Your baby’s hearing develops by week 16 in utero. From week 16, the sound of your stomach growling and gurgling, your lungs filling with air and your heartbeat provides constant ‘white noise’ to your little one throughout your pregnancy. That’s one of the reasons white noise is so effective in helping babies sleep; it reminds them of the safety and comfort of the womb.
One study of newborns found that 80% of babies exposed to white noise fell asleep within 5 minutes, while only 25% of babies who were not exposed to white noise fell asleep in the same time. A separate report found that white noise even reduces crying and increases sleep in babies with colic.
Another reason white noise is so effective, is that it helps to minimize or mask other noise in the area. This helps to prevent your little one waking up from the neighbor’s dog barking or the genius with the new car testing out his engine.
How to use white noise:
*White noise can be a store bought machine, or something you already have such as a fan. There are also lots of white noise apps available.
*Sources vary on how loud it should be, but within the range of 60 to 70 decibels (similar to normal conversation) is most cited. In utero, babies are mostly exposed to sound levels less than 72 db. For premature babies in hospital, no louder than 45db – more information on premature babies’ special care to follow in later posts.
*Leave the white noise on for the whole night. With that in mind, ensure the white noise device you choose can run without electricity otherwise your little one may be disturbed during load shedding.
* Ensure that there are no wires near your baby’s crib that he/she could be entangled in.
* Some literature recommends that the white noise source is at least 2m away from the baby. Objectively my opinion is that, as long as the decibels measured at your baby’s ears are within the recommended range, and there are no loose wires in the way, the distance can be influenced by practicality.
* If your baby is upset, increase the white noise to match their crying (this can reach up to 100db) and turn the white noise down again once the baby is calm again.
Give it a try!
