Is White Noise Safe for Babies? Volume, Distance and Duration
By the Growbaby team · Published Aug 3, 2026
Written against AAP, CDC and WHO guidance. How we write these guides
At a glance
- White noise is widely used and generally considered safe when the volume is kept moderate.
- A 2014 study in Pediatrics found many infant sleep machines could exceed safe levels at maximum volume.
- A common reference point is keeping sound below about 50 decibels, the level recommended for hospital nurseries.
- Place the machine across the room, not in or on the crib, and never at maximum volume.
- Sound that adapts and fades once your baby settles limits total exposure without giving up the benefit.
White noise works because it does something specific: it raises the background sound floor so that the door closing down the hall no longer stands out as a startling event. For a newborn who is still learning to filter the world, that is genuinely useful, and it is why so many parents end up with a sound machine within the first month.
The safety question parents ask is the right one, and it has a concrete answer. The risk is not white noise itself, it is volume and proximity. Get those two right and the practice is uncontroversial; get them wrong and you are running a loud, continuous sound a few centimetres from a developing ear all night.
What the research actually found
The study parents are usually pointed to is a 2014 paper in Pediatrics that tested 14 infant sleep machines. Measured at 30 centimetres, at maximum volume, all of the machines exceeded 50 decibels, and three exceeded 85 decibels, a level that in an occupational setting would call for hearing protection over an eight-hour shift.
The conclusion of that work was not that white noise is dangerous. It was that these devices are capable of dangerous levels, and that the way they are commonly used, close to the crib and turned up, is the problem. The authors recommended placing machines as far from the infant as possible, running them at a low volume, and limiting duration.
How loud is too loud?
The number that keeps coming up is roughly 50 decibels, the sound level recommended for hospital nurseries. As a rule of thumb, 50 dB is around the level of a quiet refrigerator hum or soft rainfall: clearly audible, easy to talk over.
A practical check that needs no equipment: stand where your baby sleeps and speak in a normal voice. If you would have to raise your voice to be heard over the machine, it is too loud. Many phone apps can also measure decibels well enough for this purpose; hold the phone where your baby's head rests, not where you are standing.
- Aim for roughly 50 dB measured at the baby's head, not at the machine
- Never run a sound machine at maximum volume
- Place it across the room, at least a couple of metres away
- Never in the crib, attached to the crib rail, or under the mattress
How long should it run?
There is no strong evidence that continuous overnight white noise at a moderate volume causes harm, and there is no rule that says it must be switched off at a certain hour. The reasonable position, and the one the sleep machine researchers took, is that less exposure is better when the benefit is the same.
That is a practical argument for sound that stops when it is no longer doing anything. A baby who is deeply asleep is not being helped by another four hours of noise. Fading the sound out once your baby has settled gives you the same benefit at the moment of falling asleep with a fraction of the total exposure.
This is exactly how Growbaby's soothing engine is designed to work: it listens on your device, responds when your baby is unsettled, and fades out when calm returns, rather than looping at a fixed volume until morning.
Will my baby become dependent on it?
Babies do form sleep associations, and white noise can become one. This is worth understanding rather than fearing: a sleep association is only a problem if it is one you cannot reproduce when you need to. White noise is about the most portable association there is, which makes it a fairly benign one compared with, say, needing to be walked around the room.
If you want to move away from it later, the usual approach is gradual: lower the volume slightly over a stretch of nights rather than stopping abruptly. Many families simply keep it, and that is a legitimate choice too.
The rules that matter more than the sound
Whatever you do about noise, the sleep environment itself is the thing with the strongest evidence behind it. Place your baby on their back for every sleep, on a firm and flat surface, in their own crib or bassinet with nothing else in it: no blankets, pillows, bumpers or toys. Room-share without bed-sharing for at least the first six months.
A sound machine must never become an object in the sleep space. Keep it on a dresser or shelf across the room, with its cord well away from the crib.
Growing with your baby, week by week
Growbaby adapts to your baby's age: soothing that reacts to crying in real time, sleep routines for this exact stage, and Growy, an assistant that remembers your child. One subscription covers the whole family.
Frequently asked questions
Is white noise safe for newborns?
For most newborns, yes, when it is used at a moderate volume and placed away from the crib. The concern raised by research is not white noise itself but sound machines run at high volume close to the baby. Keep the level around 50 decibels at your baby's head and the device across the room.
How loud should white noise be for a baby?
A common guideline is about 50 decibels, the level recommended for hospital nurseries, roughly a quiet refrigerator hum. A simple check: if you have to raise your voice to be heard over it while standing at the crib, it is too loud.
Can white noise damage a baby's hearing?
At moderate volumes, there is no evidence of harm. The 2014 Pediatrics study showed that sleep machines can produce levels above 85 decibels at maximum volume close to the crib, which is the scenario to avoid. Volume and distance are what determine the risk.
Should white noise play all night?
It can, at a low volume, and many families do it without issue. Since the main benefit is at the moment of settling, reducing total exposure by fading the sound out once your baby is asleep is a reasonable middle ground.
Where should I put the sound machine?
Across the room from the crib, at least a couple of metres away, on a shelf or dresser. Never inside the crib, clipped to the rail, or under the mattress, both for sound exposure and because nothing should be in the sleep space.
Sources
This guide is for general informational purposes only. Growbaby is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Every baby develops at their own pace; for any question or concern about your baby's health or development, always consult your pediatrician or another qualified healthcare provider.