White noise

[AndIAskMyself]

We have always used white noise with our DS, to begin with we just used Ewan. But at some point we started using a white noise app and leaving it on all night. He's always slept well at night, and I do think this has helped.

However, he's now 6.5 months old, and I just worry about using it forever, and would ideally like to stop using it. But I worry he will begin waking frequently. Has anyone else used white noise in the same way, and managed to stop using it?

I wonder maybe if it's best we keep using it until DS is a bit older. Basically, I just don't want him to grow to be a weird adult who can only sleep with a hairdryer on or something.

I have a white noise machine for DD1...she is nearly 3 and sleeps with it on every night...it's part of her bedtime routine now and she turns it on herself every night lol! I love it because we can make as much noise as we want and she doesn't wake. She is a gr8 sleep...12 hours straight per night so the white noise is staying for now! She sleeps out at grandparents tho and doesn't have it and still sleeps through so I wouldn't worry...if it ain't broke don't try fix it haha! X

I just worry about using it forever

Why is it a problem?

White noise is a way to block out background noise. I leave a desk fan on all night next to me, for the purpose of white noise. It means I cant hear the kids the creeks and noises of our old house. When I am more anxious than normal, i like louder white noise. Because I start convincing myself I can hear someone down stairs, when no one is there.

So white noise is really useful. I'm 40. I can't see it as a problem.

Because I have white noise at night, all 9f my children got used to it as babies, when in my bedroom. So 3 of my 4 children like a fan on in their room, for white noise.

This includes my 12 year old, 1w year old and 7 year old.

I cannot see why this is a big problem? They sleep fine on sleepovers or holidays without a fan. But at home, they sleep better with the white noise of a fan (even if the fan is pointing away from them).

Sleeping through background noise, so sleeping more deeply and waking less, can only be a good thing. I cant see why it's a problem?

Anyway, for what it's worth my youngest (now 2y6m) had white noise (of my bedside fan) from birth to 12 months, because she was in my bedroom. She now doesn't like white noise on to sleep. Her preference. So it's not set in stone that it will be forever anyway.

To be honest, it's mainly my partner who objects to it so much. And some of his reasonings I do agree with - mainly about continuing it as he gets older it will make it hard for him to sleep soundly if he's in a different environment without it.

For now though, I am happy to continue with it. My feeling is probably that I would definitely continue for a year or so. This totally contradicts my OP, but Tabitha I do like the idea of it being eventually part of his routine that he can choose to turn on or not. What machine do you use? I just use an app on an old iPhone at the moment. But I like the idea that one day he might just decide himself not to use it.

My husband started using white noise as a child as he suffers tinnitus. Since we've been together I have become used to it and can't sleep without it either. I have an app on my phone that I start when we go to bed. Because it's on my phone you can use it anywhere.
I really wouldn't worry about the long term ramifications of it, I think nowadays it's fairly normal 🙂

ha ha - hes 6.5 MONTHS!!

I thought you meant 6.5 YEARS

honestly I know it doesn't seem like it but your life with ds now bears no resemblance to life with your ds in a few years.

What you decide to do now for the sanity of your family will not affect him one jot in later life. Just do whatever you need to do and don't worry.

My son had white noise from birth until around 20 months. I just didn't put in on for his nap one day to see what happened and he slept as normal. So then we just stopped cold turkey and There was no change to his sleeping. We've used it a couple of times since when he's woken up really early but that's it.
I was so nervous about stopping in, but I guess if you try it for a couple of naps you'll know if he's ready.
We used a white noise playlist through a sonas speaker that you control with an app on your phone.

http://www.hearingdirect.com/products/tinnitus-relaxation-therapy-ball.html?gclid=Cj0KEQiA56FBRDYpqGa2pp_e1MgBEiQAVEZ6-2tqAcUX46FcL8XVkf1v5HjV0PU2YPmqXl40dVjDJmIaAtc28P8HAQ

We used it until around a year I think. Don't remember it being an issue stopping.

Thanks so much. That makes me feel a bit better to know that quite a few of you stopped and it was no issue at all.

I know, he's still so little, and for now it's just important we just do all we can to promote a healthy sleep routine and I know white noise really helps with that. It's just in day to day life I don't actually know many people who use white noise for the entire night, so it's good to know it isn't all that strange and it doesn't necessarily mean he will use it forever.

We had the same as you but we got annoyed with it because we could hear it over the monitor. At a year I just turned it off one night and she slept as badly as she had with it, but no worse so we binned it there and then.

If you want to wean it gradually you can just turn the sound down each night slightly

Yeah, I had started doing that, but he got quite ill a few weeks ago and stopped being able to settle himself as well so I turned it back up. I think I will start turning it down week by week, but keep it on low maybe. Perhaps that's more of a compromise for me and my partner.

TBH, I wouldn't stop now. One of the
main reasons we started using it with my eldest was the lighter mornings combined with morning sounds meant we started being blessed with 5am wake ups! I think we stopped using it at around a year when the clocks changed again.

Agreed. If you want to stop doing this, light mornings is the wrong timing. You want to do it as winter starts.