White noise: sedative for a newborn

Good afternoon “kid.htgetrid.com/en/”! I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown and really hope that you can help me. My little daughter is only a month old, but I'm already tired of chronic lack of sleep. I can’t manage to get a child’s sleep. Masha falls asleep for a very long time and wakes up from the slightest noise (even a quiet sound can wake her up). I don’t get enough sleep at all, get annoyed at the child, I have neither the time nor the strength to do my household duties, I have almost no time to do anything!

My neighbor said that there is one way: white noise for newborns. When using the method, the kids quickly calm down, sleep long and hard. But, unfortunately, she really does not know how to organize white noise and how to use the method correctly. I ask you to tell in detail about the wonderful way that allows kids to sleep sweetly, and give parents a little time for themselves.

Many young parents are faced with the problem of sensitive intermittent sleep in a newborn. A similar problem can be easily dealt with using this method.

What is white noise: types of white noise

The technique of white noise for a quiet sleep of newborns is used relatively recently. However, some methods of this method to lull a baby and provide him with a long, sound sleep have been used for a long time.

What is this wonderful white noise? Everything is simple.

White noise is a combination of sounds of different frequencies, loudness and intensity, creating a monotonous acoustic background. Such noise evenly fills the entire auditory range. The result is a monotonous sound without sudden changes, which allows the baby to calm down and fall asleep.

White noise is found in nature (natural white noise). The sources of such sounds are:

• the murmur of a stream;
• the sound of a waterfall;
• sounds of the rain;
• the noise of the ocean, the surf, the rustle of leaves, the roar of the wind, etc.

White noise also includes sounds that many household units emit during operation (technical white noise):

• air conditioning;
• hair dryer;
• vacuum cleaner;
• Washer;
• fan;
• pump.

You can create such noise artificially. For this you can:

• turn on the water tap (shower);
• find an unoccupied wave in the radio (hissing free radio frequency or television channel);
• by including the appropriate audio recording;
• use a device that generates white noise.

By the way, a whisper and a lingering “shhh”, which mothers intuitively try to calm the baby, is also a form of white noise.

The origin of the theory

The idea that the acoustic background does not irritate infants, but promotes sound sleep, appeared after studying the conditions of the fetus in the mother’s womb. In the maternal womb of the unborn baby, there is no complete silence at all; the fetus hears many sounds. The little man hears how his mother’s heart beats, how blood moves through her vessels, how her lungs work, inhaling and exhaling air. Some sounds from the outside world penetrate him. This background noise accompanies the fetus throughout its formation. The noise level can reach 90 - 100 dB.

The child gets used to this background. White noise is very reminiscent of the crumb this "speaker system", which was for him a guarantee of security. That is why the baby automatically relaxes and calms down under its influence.

However, many parents, trying to create ideal conditions for the baby, do not think about the conditions under which the baby remains before birth, and make a fatal mistake, artificially protect the newborn from any sounds during sleep. Careful protection of the newborn from all sounds does not calm the baby, but enhances his anxiety and sensitivity in a dream. But it’s worth trying to organize a “white noise”, and you can forget about the problems with long falling asleep and intermittent sleep.

If you are not sure of the effectiveness of the white noise method for lulling a baby, then remember that all mothers absolutely involuntarily make such sounds lulling their baby. Holding the newborn in their arms, the mothers say: “shhhhh” or: “hhhh.” These sounds are classic white noise. And this method really works!

Many parents say that newborns fall asleep better if a hairdryer, fan or even a vacuum cleaner is working. Some parents specifically buy indoor fountains or include aquarium compressors to “lull” the baby. An indisputable fact is that on the street, where there are many extraneous sounds, the child sleeps better than in home silence. All these cases confirm the effectiveness of white noise.

We also read: How much time does a newborn baby sleep during the day

What is white noise for?

White noise contributes to the activation of the mechanism of complacency, which is formed in the infant before birth, and a correctly selected acoustic background contributes to its activation. You can use the method for a variety of purposes:

• Fast falling asleep. Under the correct acoustic background, the baby relaxes and falls asleep faster. Monotonous sounds help him to feel safe, just as it was inside the mother’s womb;
• Deep sleep. White noise provides sound sleep for the newborn. Scientists have long established that human sleep has two alternating phases: superficial and deep. Their change is accompanied by short-term awakening. In this short moment, any rustle or other extraneous sound will cause the baby to wake up completely, and it will be difficult to lull the baby again. The usual cycle of deep sleep in babies is only 20-30 minutes, and then the phase of superficial sleep occurs, when even a slight cough can tear Morpheus out of his arms. After that, the child is unlikely to be able to sleep soundly. This phase in infants occurs twice as often as in an adult. The effect of white noise does not interrupt sleep at the moment of transition from one phase to another.

Also, calming and relaxing from white noise often helps the baby if he refuses to take breasts due to overexcitation or severe fatigue. White noise for newborns is also an assistant in relieving stress.

Against the background of white noise, extraneous sounds will not be so noticeable as long as white noise sounds, sleep will be sound and calm, and transitions between phases of sleep will be smoother.

• Elimination of extraneous sounds. White noise effectively absorbs extraneous sounds.The sharp barking of a dog outside the window, the signal of a car, the cries of children playing (even if children are playing in the next room), all this is successfully suppressed by the general sound background;
• Soothing. Monotonous noise reminds the newborn of the intrauterine condition and has a very beneficial effect on the nervous system. The kid begins to feel protected, he is comfortable, he quickly calms down. If the child is overexcited, cannot stop crying or has a tantrum, turn on white noise, this will help to calm the baby quickly. Also, calming and relaxing from white noise often helps the baby if he refuses to take breasts due to overexcitation or severe fatigue. White noise for newborns is also an assistant in relieving stress;
• Relaxation. Monotonous sound background is also useful for adults. Everyone knows how pleasant it is to relax and forget about current worries to the sound of rain outside the window or to the murmur of a brook. If you need to restore strength, calm your nerves or just relax, sit in a comfortable position and turn on white noise. In normal situations, our brain constantly analyzes the sound background, the uniform noise does not require special efforts for scanning, which allows us to completely disconnect and indulge in a relaxing rest.

White noise can help parents get enough sleep due to the same principle of shortening the REM sleep phase. The child sometimes simply tosses and turns, but does not wake up completely, and the mother immediately reacts to any rustle and cannot fall asleep for a long time. White noise will allow her to sleep harder and feel better.

We also read: Why does a child sleep poorly at night: how to establish a child’s sleep?

Benefit and harm

1. The most effective white noise method for children in the first 4 months. This is due to the fact that intrauterine sensations are preserved in the infant's memory. The child remembers the sounds that he heard in the mother’s womb, white noise calms him and provides psychological comfort.
2. An important advantage of white noise is enhanced sleep. Healthy sleep in the most favorable way affects the baby’s nervous system, the baby gets a good night's sleep, which means that during the wake the baby will feel fine, will not be naughty, will be happy to communicate with his mother and study the world around him.
3. White noise will give mom free time. Instead of rocking the baby for hours and running to the cradle with every sound heard from the street, she can calmly take care of herself, other children, or household chores. After all, the time to lull a baby takes less, and his sleep lasts longer. And you do not need to constantly monitor the baby while he sleeps, hoping to notice the period of awakening in time and try to rock the baby again.
4. This method is completely harmless. Sounds that make up white noise fall into the range that is comfortable for humans. White noise does not affect the subconscious processes, the mental and physiological development of the child, and cannot cause hearing impairment.
5. The method is not addictive (studies have proven this). The kid will grow up and develop and eventually will begin to control his own sleep, and the need for an additional acoustic background will simply disappear.

It is interesting! There is a version that the use of white noise during a baby’s sleep reduces the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This is a very controversial statement, since a study of foreign scientists using a fan in a child’s room was aimed at testing the theory of the effect of carbon dioxide accumulation on the breathing of babies. The fan was supposed to disperse it. And an unreasonable concentration of carbon dioxide is one of the possible causes of SIDS. Nothing is said about the white noise in the results of the experiment.

Thanks to a more even sleep due to white noise in children, the tendency to somnambulism (walking in a dream) is reduced.

How to use the method

The use of white noise is recommended only during the period of sleep of the baby.Depending on the characteristics of the child, you can turn on the sound background only for the duration of falling asleep or leave sounds for the entire period of sleep.

If you want to calm the newborn, then the noise is used in accordance with certain rules:

• to reassure the baby when he is crying or acting up, the acoustic background should be louder than the baby crying. This is necessary so that the crumb hears a sound and listens. For example, for that mother’s “booing” to work, it is necessary that the volume of her mother’s voice exceeds the baby’s crying;
• when the baby stops crying, the volume is reduced;
• during sleep, the volume should not exceed 50 dB. A louder noise will be harmful to the psyche and hearing;
• the noise source must be at least one meter away from the child.

Parents also need to know that using the method it is possible to calm the baby only if the tantrums and moods are caused by nervous tension, fatigue or psychological discomfort. If the child is not healthy, he suffers from colic, sick or hungry, white noise will not help solve the problem.

Today, there are even special devices that generate a pleasant noise for newborns. They may have a different construction from each other, but the basis for the majority is the same - a fan whose sound helps to calm the child. Some devices generate acoustic noise or are regular players for recorded audio files.

Also, the devices are packaged in various toys that the baby can take with him to the crib and sleep, hugging. Such options are convenient in the case of trips, you can take them on trips - a toy will always help reassure the child. There are even pillows for feeding, inside which are built-in devices that reproduce a uniform sound. This option is especially good, mommy can do two things at the same time, and feed the baby, and lay him.

White or pink noise - differences

In addition to white noise, pink noise is used to calm newborns. There are very slight differences between these methods.

By the way, there are other color noises: pink, red, blue, purple, brown, and gray.

• Pink noise is “filtered” white. All sharp sounds are removed from the range;
• Pink noise is not so diverse. The resulting acoustic range turns out to be poorer and monotonous, but many believe that it is he who is more tender and this option is more suitable for babies.

There are no unequivocal research data that would confirm what type of noise was more effective and more beneficial for children. Focus on your baby’s tastes and use the acoustic range that most favorably affects your baby. Experiment, pick up different sounds and their combinations, and soon you will understand which acoustic line evokes the most positive emotions in your child, and what noise he will like the most.

I hope you have received all the necessary information and will be able to establish a dream with your little daughter. You can be sure, thanks to the white noise, you will have time for rest and for household chores.

I also hope that after this you will no longer have problems with lulling your daughter and you will have free time for which you will not only have time to cope with all your affairs, but also be able to pay a little attention to yourself.

We also read: how to put a child to sleep without tears and vagaries

Video: White noise for babies. Sounds of the Pacific

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjTzLfz0xhw