DD is 16 months old and I’ve been using white noise to aid her in sleeping since birth. Not loud by any means, but it’s always been there in the background.
I had a conversation with my mum earlier who mentioned it critically (‘isn’t that annoying for both of you? Maybe it’s damaging?’) I batted away her questions and didn’t really entertain them, but I did some random searching afterwards, and came across this study from 2003:
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030418081607.htm
Summary:
Exposure to continuous white noise sabotages the development of the auditory region of the brain, which may ultimately impair hearing and language acquisition, according to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.
——
Now I’m panicking and thinking I’ve damaged my daughter’s hearing/language acquisition for good She doesn’t have many words at all, which I’d just put down to her being raised in a bilingual household, and to her age of course. She doesn’t imitate sounds particularly well either, although she follows and understands most instructions very well. I don’t know, maybe I’m overthinking, but I just assumed white noise was something so many people, including myself, used for their children. It couldn’t possibly be harmful. I’d never read anything to suggest that - just to moderate the volume.
What do people think? What are your experiences with white noise?
Please or to access all these features
Please
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AIBU?
To be terrified that I’ve damaged my daughter’s hearing?
31 replies
Redolent · 10/06/2020 23:33
OP posts:
Am I being unreasonable?
27 votes. Final results.
POLL
You are being unreasonable
70%
You are NOT being unreasonable
30%
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