White Noise and Shushing Sounds for Babies: How to Use Them Safely

Why babies often like shushing and white noise

A common explanation is that babies spend months surrounded by constant sound before birth, including blood flow, heartbeat, and muffled voices. A quiet, steady 'shhh' or whooshing noise may feel more familiar to them than a silent room. Many parents notice their baby calms more easily with it, though every baby is different.

Steady background sound can also soften sudden noises, like a door closing, a dog barking, or traffic outside, that might otherwise startle a light sleeper. The research on how much white noise helps babies sleep is limited and mixed, so it's best treated as one possible comfort, not a guaranteed solution.

Some babies don't seem to care either way, and some prefer quiet. If sound doesn't seem to help your baby, there's no need to keep using it.

Keep the volume low

Volume matters most. Babies' ears are small and sensitive, and some sound machines and apps can get surprisingly loud at full volume. A good rule of thumb is that the sound should be quieter than a normal conversation. Think of a soft shower running in the next room, not a hair dryer.

Set the volume while standing where your baby's head will be, not next to the speaker. If you have to raise your voice to talk over it, it's too loud. Start lower than you think you need. You can always nudge it up slightly.

Avoid turning it up to drown out a crying baby. If your baby is upset, they usually need attention, not more noise.

Where to put the device

Keep the speaker, phone, or tablet well away from the crib, ideally across the room. Never place it inside the crib, on the mattress, or hanging from the crib rails. Distance lowers the sound reaching your baby's ears and keeps cords and devices out of reach.

Safe-sleep basics still apply: a firm, flat sleep surface, baby on their back, and nothing loose in the crib. That means no toys, pillows, or gadgets. If you use a phone or tablet, put it on a shelf or dresser, with the cable tucked away where little hands can't reach it later.

If you're using a phone, consider turning on airplane mode or Do Not Disturb so notifications don't interrupt the sound or wake your baby.

All night, or just to fall asleep?

There isn't a single right answer. Some families play sound only while their baby drifts off and let it stop after a while. Others keep it on low through the night so it covers household noise. Using a timer that fades the sound out gently is a reasonable middle ground, and it limits how long your baby is exposed to sound.

If you do keep it on all night, be extra careful about volume and distance. Many parents also like to gradually reduce the volume or use it less as their baby gets older, so sleep doesn't depend entirely on it.

Sleepy: Sleep Sounds, an iPhone and iPad app, includes shush and heartbeat sounds for babies alongside white, pink, and brown noise, with seamless loops and a sleep timer that fades out gently. It plays with the screen locked, so you can set it and leave the phone across the room.

Choosing a sound

Shushing, heartbeat, white noise, and softer options like pink or brown noise (which sound deeper and less hissy) are all common choices. There's no strong evidence that one is better than another for babies, so pick whatever seems to settle your little one and isn't harsh to your own ears.

Look for sounds that loop smoothly. A sudden gap or a jarring jump in a looping track can be enough to rouse a light sleeper. Steady, unchanging sounds generally work better than ones with sudden peaks, like crashing waves or thunder.

Try one sound for a few nights before switching. Consistency is often part of what makes a bedtime routine feel predictable to a baby.

When to talk to your pediatrician

White noise and shushing are comfort tools. They won't solve feeding issues, illness, reflux, or other reasons a baby might sleep poorly. If your baby is often hard to settle, seems to be in discomfort, snores or breathes noisily, or you're worried about their sleep, check in with your pediatrician.

It's also worth mentioning at checkups if you use sound every night, especially if your baby has had any hearing concerns. Your pediatrician can give advice tailored to your baby, and that advice should come first.