White Noise for Babies: Effects, Volume, and Safe Use

The baby is tired but can't fall asleep, and every noise in the hallway wakes it up again. This is where white noise is often recommended: a steady "shhh" that is supposed to soothe babies and help them fall asleep.

In short: white noise can help some babies, mainly because it masks distracting noises. However, the evidence is thin, and volume, distance, and duration matter greatly. Here you'll learn what studies show, how loud and how long it should run, and what makes pink or brown noise different.

For transparency: We are Lenabo and make stuffed animals with speakers that also play sleep sounds. We introduce our product in a separate section at the end.

The most important things in brief

• Effect: Can help some babies fall asleep, mainly because it masks distracting noises. There are hardly any good studies on this.
• Volume: as quiet as possible. 45 to 50 dB, the guideline for neonatal units, serves as a reference—about as loud as a quiet conversation.
• Distance: never in the bed and never next to the head, but as far away in the room as possible.
• Duration: until falling asleep, not necessarily all night long. A sleep timer helps.
• Pink or brown: sound deeper and softer. There is no evidence that they are better for babies.

What is white noise?

White noise contains all frequencies we can hear at the same intensity. It therefore sounds like a steady hiss, similar to a fan, a hairdryer, or a radio between two stations.

In everyday life, many parents also mean other steady noises by white noise, such as rain, ocean waves, or a heartbeat. They work similarly: in a quiet, steady soundscape, individual noises such as a slamming door, a barking dog, or voices from the next room are less noticeable. Experts call this masking.

White, pink, or brown noise: What is the difference?

The colors describe how strong the high and low tones are in the noise.

Tabelle seitlich wischen

Classification according to Cleveland Clinic, 2024.

Pink and brown noise sound softer because the high, sharp tones are quieter. Whether this helps babies fall asleep better is not proven. For safety, the same points apply to all colors: volume, distance, and duration.

Does white noise really help babies fall asleep?

The best-known study dates from 1990: 40 newborns aged 2 to 7 days were divided into two groups. With white noise, 16 out of 20 babies fell asleep within five minutes, without noise, 5 out of 20 (Spencer et al., 1990). That sounds clear. However, the study was small, only examined newborns, and only falling asleep, not the whole night.

Overall, the data is thin. A review of 38 studies concluded in 2021 that the evidence for continuous noise as a sleep aid is of very low quality, although it is so widespread (Riedy et al., 2021). The Australian organization for safe baby sleep, Red Nose, summarizes it like this: The few pieces of evidence suggest that it can help some babies, and babies can get used to any sleep aid (Red Nose Australia, 2025).

Results from clinics, for example with premature babies, cannot simply be transferred to healthy babies at home. A review describes findings of effects at the start of sleep, stress, and pain (Öz and Demirci, 2025), but in a completely different environment with devices and alarms.

If your baby regularly sleeps very poorly, cries a lot, or seems ill, the pediatrician's office is the right place to go. White noise is a possible sleep aid, not a treatment.

Is white noise criticized for babies?

Yes, and it mainly concerns the volume. In a study with 14 sleep devices, at full volume at a distance of 30 cm, all were louder than 50 dB, the recommended limit for neonatal units. Three devices were over 85 dB. If they ran for eight hours like that, they would even exceed the noise limits for adults at work (Hugh et al., 2014).

A review from 2024 compiled what is known about continuous noise during sleep and children's development (De Jong et al., 2024). The authors refer, among other things, to animal experiments in which continuous exposure to 60 to 80 dB delayed the development of auditory processing in the brain. This cannot be directly transferred to babies, but it is a good reason to keep noise quiet and not let it run for hours. The authors recommend the lowest volume that helps with falling asleep.

How loud can white noise be for babies?

As quiet as possible: The noise should remain in the background and not fill the room. The guidelines for neonatal units of 45 to 50 dB serve as a reference—that is about as loud as a quiet conversation. There are no binding limits for devices at home.

The American Academy of Pediatrics AAP advises placing sleep devices as far away from the baby as possible and setting them as quiet as possible. It does not state fixed values for distance or decibels. One thing is clear: a device should never be in the baby's bed or next to the head.

Tip: Hold the device to your own ear once to hear what reaches the child. This is recommended by Berlin pediatrician Jakob Maske in the Apotheken Umschau. A sound level app on your phone, held at the head of the bed, will additionally give you a rough idea.

How long can white noise run?

There is no fixed duration. However, the AAP advises limiting the duration of use of sleep devices. In practice, this means turning on the noise for falling asleep and letting it turn off after a while with a sleep timer, instead of letting it run loudly all night. If your baby wakes up at night, you can turn it back on briefly.

Because babies can get used to any sleep aid, it is worth trying from time to time whether your baby also falls asleep well without noise.

Using white noise correctly: 6 tips

1. Start quiet. If you yourself perceive the noise as clearly audible and dominant, it is probably too much for a baby.
2. Keep your distance. The device should be placed as far away in the room as possible, never in the bed and never next to the head.
3. Use a timer. Turn it on for falling asleep, then off. Continuous exposure without a break is not necessary.
4. Incorporate it into the evening routine. Always in the same place, for example after the sleep sack and song. This makes the noise a signal for bedtime. You can find ideas for this in our sleep routines for babies.
5. Observe your baby. Some babies relax, others hardly react or become more restless. Then it is better to turn it down or leave it out.
6. Safe sleep comes first. On their back, in a sleep sack, and in a bed without stuffed animals, pillows, or devices.

Important for babies: In the first year of life, no stuffed animals, crib bumpers, furs, or similar items belong in the baby's bed, as recommended by the Federal Institute for Public Health. This also applies to speakers and stuffed animals with music. More on this in our guide to a safe sleep environment.

White noise during pregnancy: What does the baby hear?

From about the 20th week of pregnancy, a fetus perceives its first noises, muffled by amniotic fluid and tissue. Lower tones pass through better than high ones (Trafton, 2022; Hepper, 1994). So it is not quiet in the womb: heartbeat, breathing, digestion, and voices form a steady soundscape. This makes it plausible why steady noises soothe some babies after birth.

However, there is no evidence that white noise has a special effect during pregnancy. Voice and music are better studied: A systematic review found in 2023 that music and speech leave traces of memory before birth and can influence the newborn's later brain reactions (Movalled et al., 2023). In premature babies, recordings of the mother's voice and heartbeat were associated with measurable changes in the brain's auditory center (Webb et al., 2015). For closeness and bonding, voice, touch, and recurring rituals count more than noise alone.

Anyone who wants to give expectant parents a gift can start right here, for example with a sleep melody that can sound in the evenings from the last weeks of pregnancy and be familiar to the baby after birth. You can find more ideas in our guide to gifts for expectant parents.

White noise, music box, or stuffed animal with music?

The three fulfill different tasks. White noise primarily creates a steady soundscape and masks distracting noises. A music box is a short, recognizable ritual: always the same melody at the same time. A stuffed animal with music combines sound with a familiar companion that your child can also feel. And nothing replaces your own voice, more on why familiar voices give babies a sense of security.

It doesn't have to be one or the other. Many families combine dimmed light, a calm voice, a song, and if needed, quiet noise. What the devices differ in is shown in our guide to music box, music box, or stuffed animal with speaker. Which listening boxes and stuffed animals with speakers are designed for from birth is shown in our comparison.

Sleep sounds in the stuffed animal: Lenabo

Lenabo is a speaker in the stuffed animal. Every Lenabie comes with its own sleep sound: with Aaron, the bear, classic white noise, with Lina, the cloud, crackling rain, and with Nalu, the surfboard, ocean waves. In addition, there are sleep melodies. You can find audio samples in our audio content.

In the first year, the Lenabie stands far away next to the bed, not in it. In the app you set the volume, you can additionally limit the maximum to 60% and set a sleep timer. The maximum volume of the speaker is limited to 85 dB, measured at a distance of 50 cm. This is a technical upper limit, not a recommendation: For babies, as here, as quiet as possible also applies.

Later, the same Lenabie tells bedtime stories and audio plays with its own voice. This way, the familiar stuffed animal remains, while the evening routine changes with your child.

To be honest: For pure noise, you don't need a special device. A phone or a fan also works, if they are far enough away and run quietly. A Lenabie is worth it if you are looking for a stuffed animal that grows with your child.

Price: The Starter Kit with speaker, one Lenabie of your choice, and its contents costs €99.99, with free shipping in Germany.

Discover Lenabies

Frequently Asked Questions

Is white noise good for babies?

It can help some babies fall asleep, mainly because it masks distracting noises. This is not well proven. If you use it, then quietly, with distance from the bed, and not all night.

How loud can white noise be for babies?

As quiet as possible. The guidelines for neonatal units of 45 to 50 dB serve as a reference—about as loud as a quiet conversation. The device never belongs in the bed or next to the head.

Can white noise run all night?

Better not. The AAP advises limiting the duration of use of sleep devices. Let the noise run for falling asleep and set a sleep timer.

Which noise is best for falling asleep?

That is a matter of taste. Pink and brown noise sound softer than white noise because the high tones are quieter. Whether one color helps babies fall asleep better is not proven. What is important for all are volume, distance, and duration.

Is white noise criticized for babies?

Yes. Many devices can become significantly louder than recommended for babies, and in animal experiments, loud continuous exposure delayed the development of auditory processing. Therefore: quiet, with distance, and time-limited.

Can my baby get used to white noise?

Yes, like any sleep aid. Therefore, try from time to time whether your baby also falls asleep well without noise, for example during a nap.

Does white noise help during pregnancy?

Babies hear their first noises from about the 20th week of pregnancy. However, a special effect of white noise during pregnancy is not proven. Voice and music are better studied.

Sources and status

Status as of November 10, 2026. If you have questions about your baby's sleep, your pediatrician's office is the best contact person.

• Studies on noise and sleep: Spencer et al.: White Noise and Sleep Induction, Archives of Disease in Childhood 1990, Riedy et al.: Noise as a Sleep Aid, Sleep Medicine Reviews 2021, Hugh et al.: Infant Sleep Machines and Hazardous Sound Pressure Levels, Pediatrics 2014, De Jong et al.: Continuous White Noise Exposure During Sleep and Childhood Development, Sleep Medicine 2024, Öz and Demirci: Applications of White Noise in Maternal and Neonatal Care, 2025
• Hearing before birth: Trafton: Early Sound Exposure in the Womb Shapes the Auditory System, MIT News 2022, Hepper: Development of Fetal Hearing, 1994, Movalled et al.: Sound Stimulation During Pregnancy and Fetal Learning, 2023, Webb et al.: Mother's Voice and Heartbeat Sounds, PNAS 2015
• Recommendations and context: AAP: Noise, information on sleep devices, Red Nose Australia: Can White Noise Help Settle Your Baby? (2025), kindergesundheit-info.de (BIÖG): Sleep recommendations for the first year of life, Apotheken Umschau: Why noise can help babies fall asleep (20.12.2024), Cleveland Clinic: Brown Noise (2024), De Jong and Erbele: Are White Noise Machines Bad?
• Lenabo: Starter Kits, Audio Content, FAQ