WHITE NOISE
I love providing chiropractic care for babies – they are so adorably cute and cuddly. Until they cry! Unsettled infants are a common presentation in chiropractic practices – bubbas who cry when they should be feeding, playing, connecting, doing tummy time or, most importantly, sleeping. When baby is not sleeping, neither is mum or dad, and it gets distressing very quickly. And they will, as we all would, do anything to get a few winks.
One thing parents will often try is ‘white noise’. You have no doubt also observed the increasing popularity of devices hung on capsules and strollers emanating muffled, scratchy ‘static’ used to help calm baby and induce sleep. These sounds supposedly replicate the din of the world heard from inside the womb. They are thought to mask other sounds from the environment which may otherwise have kept baby awake, such as traffic or siblings playing. There are ‘white noise’ machines, some incorporated into soft toys and bassinets and a multitude of phone apps allowing the sound to be played through a speaker placed near the child.
Research has demonstrated that babies settle quicker and sleep better when exposed to white noise (1, 2). Distress levels in response to pain are also decreased when experiencing white noise (3).
However, there are a few drawbacks:
It is quite common for baby to get dependent on the shield of noise around them to be able to sleep. In other words, the baby never learns to fall asleep on their own, creating challenges when the device is not available as well as the need to teach bub to fall asleep at a later stage.
There is no research on safe noise levels for babies. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) points out that 1 in 6 middle and high school children have hearing loss, which is often undiagnosed (6). Many machines emanate noise louder than what is recommended in hospital nurseries, and indeed for adult work environments (4,7).
Parts of baby’s brain are active during sleep. Certain networks process sounds to make ‘acoustic maps’, which are used for later language and cognitive development. The white noise masks these sounds and may cause language delays (5, 6).
So, is white noise a no-go? As sleep is essential for the health, development and even safety of both bub and parents, I reckon if it works, why not take advantage of it? That being said, there are a few things to consider for safe and sensible use of the device (6,7):
Keep the volume down (50 decibels or less),
Keep the device at least 30 cm from baby’s ears,
Keep noise on for as short a time as possible (30 min). Once baby is settled, turn it off.
And of course, as always, if you have any questions or concerns, we are always here to help.
Yours in health,
Dorte and The Family Chiro Team