Hairdryer on, baby calm. Vacuum cleaner on, baby calm. Many parents have had this experience, and a whole product category grew out of it. White noise, a steady hiss without rhythm, is now standard in many nurseries. Here is what it actually does, what it does not do, and what to watch for with volume and distance. You will not find a sleep promise here, because there is none.
What white noise does
Two things. First: it masks. A steady hiss at 50 dB makes the slamming door, the neighbour's dog or the dishes from the kitchen less abrupt, because the gap between silence and sound gets smaller. That is the main benefit, and it is purely physical. Second: it becomes a cue. If the hiss starts at the same time every evening, after a few weeks the child links it with going to sleep, much like dimming the lights or the lullaby. That does not work for every child, and it does not work from the first night.
What it does not do
It does not put a baby to sleep. A baby that is hungry, has a full nappy, teething pain or is overtired sleeps as little with hiss as without. White noise is one building block in a bedtime routine, not a switch. Knowing that, you are less disappointed and use it more sensibly.
Volume and distance
The hiss should cushion everyday noise, not become noise itself. Paediatricians usually recommend that no more than about 50 dB reaches the child's ear, roughly light rain or a quiet conversation. Three rules follow. The device stands at least one metre, better two metres from the cot, never in the cot and never on the rail. Choose the lowest level that just covers the ambient noise, not the highest the child still tolerates. And if you stand in the room and find the hiss loud, it is too loud for the child. The Calm+ go is limited to a maximum of 60 dB at the device; at two metres and a medium level, the level at the cot is well below that.
All night or only to fall asleep?
Both are done. For falling asleep an hour is usually enough. If you let the hiss run all night to support sleep phases, stay on a low level and at the larger distance. From toddler age it is worth turning the hiss down step by step and eventually leaving it out, so the child can also sleep on holiday or at the grandparents' without it.
The Calm+ go in brief
12 sounds, including classic hiss, rain and heartbeat, 5 volume levels, maximum 60 dB, 125 g so it fits in the changing bag and runs along in the pram or car. For babies where hiss is not enough and noise is the problem, say fireworks or family gatherings, the MINI+ earmuffs are the right tool; more in the article When everything is too loud for a child.
When to see the paediatrician
If a baby barely settles for weeks, breathes very restlessly or is noticeably drowsy during the day, that is not a question for a noise device but for the paediatrician.
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