White noise is probably one of the most commonly recommended tools for baby sleep.

I recommend it. I've used it with families for years. And there is research suggesting it can help babies sleep.

But there's another question we need to ask:

Is it safe to have white noise playing beside a baby for hours every night?

You've probably heard all sorts of rules:

“Never go above 50 dB.”

“60 dB is perfectly safe.”

“Make it as loud as a shower.”

“Put it beside the cot.”

“Put it across the room.”

So I went back to the research.

And, as is so often the case, the science is a little more nuanced than a single number.

First: does white noise actually help babies sleep?

There is evidence that it can.

One of the classic studies was published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood in 1990.

Researchers studied 40 newborns aged between 2 and 7 days.

Of the newborns exposed to white noise:

80% fell asleep within five minutes.

In the control group, only:

25% fell asleep within five minutes.

That's a pretty impressive difference.

However, this was a small study involving only 40 newborns, so we shouldn't take it to mean that white noise has been “proven” to make every baby sleep better.

What it does give us is evidence that white noise can help facilitate sleep onset in newborns.

 

And newer research continues to investigate the benefits

Research into white noise hasn't stopped since that original study.

Studies in infants and children have investigated its effects on sleep, settling, crying and physiological measures.

Research involving premature infants has also found potential benefits from controlled white-noise exposure, although we need to be careful about applying findings from premature babies in neonatal settings directly to healthy babies sleeping at home.

So there is a reasonable scientific basis for using white noise as a sleep tool.

But...

Something being effective doesn't automatically mean that more of it is better.

And this is where the safety research becomes important.

 

How loud can baby white noise machines actually get?

In 2014, researchers tested 14 commercially available infant sleep machines.

They measured the sound produced at three distances:

30 cm
100 cm
200 cm

from where the baby's ear would be.

The machines were tested at their maximum volume.

At 30 cm:

Every machine produced more than 50 dBA.

And even more importantly:

3 of the 14 machines produced more than 85 dBA.

That's significant.

But this finding is also where some of the messaging around white noise has become oversimplified.

 

Does that mean anything over 50 dB is dangerous?

No.

And this is an important distinction.

The 2014 study compared the machines with a 50 dBA recommendation for hospital nursery environments.

That doesn't mean the researchers discovered that:

49 dB = safe

and

51 dB = dangerous.

The study did not establish 50 dB as a biological threshold at which white noise suddenly becomes harmful to a sleeping baby.

What it demonstrated was that some infant sleep machines are capable of producing very high sound levels, particularly when they are placed close to a baby's head and operated at maximum volume.

Three machines exceeded 85 dBA at 30 cm.

But even the 85 dBA comparison needs context.

That number comes from adult occupational noise exposure standards. It wasn't designed as a safe overnight white-noise limit for babies.

So I don't think we should simply take an adult workplace exposure limit—or a hospital nursery environmental recommendation—and turn either one into a definitive “safe white noise number” for babies.

What does more recent research say about safety?

This is where it gets particularly interesting.

A 2024 scoping review looked specifically at continuous white-noise exposure during sleep and childhood development.

Researchers reviewed 20 studies—13 involving children and seven involving animal models.

Their conclusion wasn't:

“White noise is dangerous.”

But it wasn't:

“Use as much white noise as you like.”

either.

The researchers found concerns around prolonged exposure to moderate or high-intensity noise, particularly from animal research, while some human research suggested that lower-intensity noise may have benefits during sleep.

Most importantly, the authors concluded that more research is needed to establish the optimal intensity and duration of white-noise exposure in children.

And I think that's an incredibly important point.

We simply don't have high-quality long-term trials where babies have been randomly assigned to different white-noise volumes every night for years and then followed for hearing, language and cognitive development.

So there are still things we don't know.

 

What does the American Academy of Pediatrics say?

The American Academy of Pediatrics addressed infant sleep machines in its 2023 policy statement on excessive noise exposure.

It acknowledges that studies have found potential benefits from infant sleep machines, including helping babies fall asleep.

But because some machines are capable of producing high sound levels, the AAP recommends a precautionary approach.

If an infant sleep machine is used, they suggest:

Positioning it as far away from the infant as possible.

Setting the volume as low as possible.

Limiting the duration of use.

That's a little different from the very specific rules you often see repeated on social media.

And importantly, the AAP also points out that when we're thinking about noise exposure, we need to consider more than volume.

We need to think about:

HOW LOUD × HOW LONG × HOW OFTEN

because total noise exposure matters.

 

So... is white noise safe?

This is where I think we need to be comfortable with a little scientific uncertainty.

There is evidence that white noise can be a useful sleep tool.

There is also evidence that some white-noise machines are capable of producing unnecessarily high sound levels.

What we don't currently have is strong evidence establishing one perfect decibel level and one perfect duration that guarantees safe overnight exposure for every infant.

So my approach is not:

Don't use white noise.

It's:

Use it thoughtfully.

 

How I recommend using white noise

Based on the evidence we currently have, I take a precautionary approach.

1. Don't put the machine beside your baby's head

Distance matters.

Move the machine away from the cot rather than placing it directly beside your baby's head.

2. Louder isn't better

You don't need to blast white noise for it to be useful.

Use the lowest effective volume that helps mask sudden changes in environmental sound.

3. Don't automatically use maximum volume

Some commercially available machines are capable of producing surprisingly high sound levels.

The fact that a machine can go that loud doesn't mean your baby needs it that loud.

4. Measure from where your baby actually sleeps

If you're checking the decibel level, measure it from approximately where your baby's head is positioned—not by holding your phone beside the white-noise machine.

That's the sound exposure you're actually interested in.

5. Think about duration as well as volume

This is one of the most important messages from the newer research.

Sound exposure isn't simply about:

“What number does my app say?”

It's also about how long and how frequently that sound is being played.

A sound played briefly isn't the same exposure as that sound playing beside a baby for 12 hours every night.

 

But what about the famous 50 dB rule?

This is probably the part I want parents—and sleep consultants—to understand most.

You'll see statements online such as:

“White noise must be below 50 dB.”

But the evidence doesn't give us such a neat cut-off.

The 50 dBA figure used in the influential infant sleep-machine research relates to recommendations for hospital nursery environments.

That's useful information.

But it's not the same thing as a clinical trial establishing 50 dB as the maximum safe dose of white noise for babies sleeping at home.

This doesn't mean we should turn the volume up.

It means we need to be accurate about what the research actually tells us.

 

My takeaway

I still think white noise can be a fantastic baby sleep tool.

It can provide a consistent sleep cue and help mask sudden environmental sounds that might otherwise disturb sleep.

And research suggests it may help babies fall asleep and potentially improve some aspects of sleep.

But I also don't believe we need to have a white-noise machine blasting beside a baby's head all night.

Use it. But use it sensibly.

Keep the machine away from your baby.

Keep the volume at the lowest effective level.

Don't assume louder means better.

Consider how long you're using it for.

And remember that there isn't currently one magical decibel number where everything below it is proven safe and everything above it is proven dangerous.

That's what evidence-based practice actually looks like.

Sometimes the answer isn't a neat rule.

It's understanding what the research shows, what it doesn't show, and making sensible decisions with the evidence we currently have.

 

Research referenced

Spencer JA, Moran DJ, Lee A & Talbert D. (1990). White noise and sleep induction. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 65, 135–137.

Hugh SC, Wolter NE, Propst EJ, Gordon KA, Cushing SL & Papsin BC. (2014). Infant sleep machines and hazardous sound pressure levels. Pediatrics, 133(4), 677–681.

Balk SJ et al. (2023). Preventing Excessive Noise Exposure in Infants, Children, and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 152(5).

De Jong RW, Davis GS, Chelf CJ, Marinelli JP, Erbele ID & Bowe SN. (2024). Continuous white noise exposure during sleep and childhood development: A scoping review. Sleep Medicine, 119, 88–94.

 

Emma Purdue

Emma is the owner and founder of Baby Sleep Consultant, she is a certified infant and child sleep consultant, Happiest Baby on the block educator, has a Bachelor of Science, and Diploma in Education. Emma is a mother to 3 children, and loves writing when she isn't working with tired clients and cheering on her team helping thousands of mums just like you.