Free White Noise for Baby

A continuous background sound can make a door closing or a sibling moving around feel less abrupt because the contrast between the room and the new sound is smaller. Some families also use the same quiet sound as one part of a repeatable nap routine. The useful part is consistency and sound masking. The audio does not replace attention to feeding, comfort, illness, temperature, or sleepy cues.

The NHS says you do not need to keep the house silent while your baby sleeps. Everyday sound is normal. If ordinary household noise is not causing a problem, there is no need to add white noise simply because it appears in a sample routine.

A 2014 study in Pediatrics tested 14 infant sleep machines at full volume. Measured 30 cm away, every one was louder than 50 dB, the limit recommended for babies in hospital nurseries, and three were louder than 85 dB. The authors advise placing a sound machine as far from the baby as possible, never in the cot or on the rail, keeping the volume low, and playing it for a short time. The American Academy of Pediatrics also advises placing sleep machines as far away as possible, setting the volume as low as possible, and limiting how long they play.

Phone volume percentages are not decibel readings: speakers, cases, rooms, and distance all change the sound reaching the cot. Start quieter than you think you need, check the level where your baby lies, and move the source farther away before raising it. NIDCD explains that hearing risk depends on how loud, how close, and how long a sound continues. If you cannot speak quietly over it beside the cot, turn it down.

• Keep the volume below about 50 dB where your baby sleeps.
• Put the device at least 2 metres (about 7 feet) from the cot.
• Never put a phone, speaker, cable or sound machine in the cot or on the cot rail.
• Turn the sound off, or let a timer stop it, once your baby is asleep.

Use it during the wind-down and while your baby settles, then turn it off once your baby is asleep. Do not leave it playing all night. Noise exposure adds up over time, and the study authors advise short use.

This player and the Wake Wise app loop the sound and have no timer of their own. On iPhone, open the Clock app, tap Timers, choose a length, tap When Timer Ends and pick Stop Playing. The sound stops when the timer runs out.

Do not leave audio playing just because a nap runs long. Check that the device is not warming, charging in bedding, interrupting alarms, or stopping you from hearing your baby. White noise never replaces normal supervision or safe-sleep guidance.

You can reduce white noise whenever it stops being useful. There is no milestone at which every child must stop. Try lowering the volume a little every few nights, shortening the timer, or using it only when the house is unusually noisy. Change one thing at a time so you can tell whether it matters.

If your baby settles in a reasonably calm room without it, leave it off. A portable routine such as a short song, dimmer light, or familiar phrase is easier to reproduce away from home. Aim for a sleep environment that is predictable enough for your family, not perfect silence.

For a broader routine, see our baby sleep tips and wake-window guide. Seek advice from a health visitor, GP, paediatrician, or hearing professional if you are worried about hearing, breathing, sleep, or development.