Why White Noise Isn’t a Sleep Prop
White noise is one of my FAVOURITE sleep-related products. In fact, I don’t start working with a family until they commit to using either white noise or a loud fan of some sort. The reason why is simple: we don’t want external noises waking your baby up!
However, I’ve had parents come to me and ask how white noise isn’t considered a sleep prop. First of all, a sleep prop is an external method that your child is using in order to fall asleep.
A few sleep prop examples are (but not limited to):
Mom/Dad laying with them at night
Nursing/Bottle Feeding to sleep
Rocking to sleep
Patting to sleep
Using a pacifier for sleep
Needing motion in order to fall asleep (swing, stroller, carrier, etc)
All of these sleep props require a parent or caregiver to execute them. The thing about sleep props is that it is not the props fault, it’s the association of the prop…to sleep.
Rocking, feeding, and cuddling your baby are all healthy and normal parts of parenthood. However if your child relies on these things to put them to sleep every time they wake in the night, then it becomes an issue.
Having a noise machine is different though. The reason for the noise machine isn’t to lull your baby into a deep, restful sleep. Its purpose is to prevent external environmental noises from waking your child up.
These external noises could be:
Your toddler running around and yelling
Having the TV on
Mailman ringing the doorbell
Dog Barking
Furnace or AC kicking in
These are just a name a few.
The beauty of white noise is that your child can be sleeping soundly in their room, while these other sounds are happening, and we aren’t worried about them waking up. It’s not fair to your toddler to have to continually shush them just because the baby is sleeping…again. It’s also not fair to your baby to be woken up 24/7 due to random noises waking them.
White noise CAN be a problem if your white noise machine runs on a timer and you have to put it on constantly throughout the night. I recommend using a noise machine that plugs in and can stay on 24/7 if needed.
My favourite noise machines are the Hatch Baby Rest and the Dream Egg.
I also find that I personally sleep better with a fan on in the room so that I’m not being woken up by every creak in the house at nighttime. White noise isn’t something that needs to be weaned out later on, but once your child is old enough to communicate, they can ask for it to be off if wanted - but I would recommend setting some bedtime boundaries around that. Ensuring that they remain in their room until morning and if they are woken up by a noise, they should stay in their beds.
White noise is a TOOL, not a sleep prop.
