Won't settle? Give the room a heartbeat.
The short answerNewborns and babies settle to steady sound because the womb was never quiet. A white noise machine with a cry sensor restarts the sound the moment they stir, so you don't have to.
Why sound works, and how loud is too loud.
The womb runs at about the volume of a vacuum cleaner. Silence is the strange part. Steady, low sound gives a baby something to settle into.
Low, steady, boring.
Heartbeat, rain or a slow shush. Avoid music with a tune; the brain follows tunes. Pick one sound and keep it.
Quieter than you think.
About the level of a soft shower, a metre or more from the cot. Loud enough to mask the house, not loud enough to fill the room.
Let the cry sensor do the 2am shift.
Dex and Emmy switch back on when they hear a cry, then time out again. You stay in bed.
Pick by age.
Suzy Portable Baby Soother
A heartbeat that clips to the pram.
$39.95
Emmy the Elephant
White noise plus a breathing light to copy.
$69.95
Asked at 5am, answered here.
Is white noise safe all night?
Yes, at a sensible volume and distance. Keep it about a metre from the cot, at the level of a soft shower, and use the timer if you'd rather it switch off once they're asleep.
Will they become dependent on it?
They'll come to expect it the way they expect a dark room, and that's the point. When you want to stop, turn the volume down a notch every few nights.
Heartbeat, rain or shush?
Newborns often settle fastest to heartbeat. From a few months, rain or shush. Try one for three nights before switching.
