Is white noise safe for babies?

What the research found

• It can help some babies fall asleep. In a small 1990 study of newborns, 80% of those who heard white noise fell asleep within five minutes, against 25% in the comparison group [1].
• Machines can be too loud. Canadian researchers measured 14 infant sleep machines at maximum volume. At 30 cm, every one exceeded 50 dBA, the recommended limit for hospital nurseries, and three reached over 85 dBA — a level that, over 8 hours, exceeds adult workplace limits and risks hearing damage [2]. They advised placing machines as far from the baby as possible, at a low volume, for shorter periods.
• Continuous noise may change sleep. A 2026 sleep-lab study in adults found that all-night pink noise reduced REM sleep, and its authors advised caution about continuous noise for newborns and toddlers, who spend much more of their sleep in REM [3].

Put together: a quiet sound for settling is one thing; a loud sound right next to the cot all night is another.

How loud is too loud?

50 dBA is roughly the level of a quiet conversation or moderate rain. A practical check is to stand where your baby sleeps: the sound should be soft, and you should be able to talk quietly over it. If you have to raise your voice, it is too loud. A free sound-level-meter app on a second phone can give you a rough reading at cot height — rough, because phone microphones are not precise instruments.

Phone and speaker volume steps are not the same on every device, so “50 % volume” means nothing on its own. Always judge the level at your baby's ear, not at the speaker.

A simple safety checklist

1. Lowest volume that works. Start quiet; turn it up only if household noise still gets through.
2. Distance. Put the phone or speaker on a surface across the room — never in the cot, on the cot rail or within reach, and keep cables away from the cot.
3. Timer. Let the sound fade out after your baby falls asleep, instead of running all night by default.
4. Check you can still hear your baby. A sound playing in the nursery can also mask your baby's cries from the next room.
5. Safe sleep first. Back to sleep, a firm flat surface, nothing soft in the cot, and in your room for at least the first six months [4] [5].

Softer alternatives

If white noise seems harsh, pink noise, brown noise or rain have less hiss at the same loudness. Many parents also rely more on a predictable bedtime routine and a dim, warm night light than on sound alone. See our overview of baby sleep sounds.

This guide is general information for parents, not medical advice. Luleep Kids is not a baby monitor or a medical or safety device. If you are worried about your baby's sleep, breathing, hearing or health, talk to your doctor or health visitor.