Is a white noise machine necessary?

AppleMuffins

I keep seeing white noise machines for babies and I just read a snippet that they're a must have, but are they really? STMs, did you use one with your first? This is our first child and our house is generally pretty quiet except for the TV and a bit of noise from outside. One one hand, I don't want a baby who a baby who can't sleep unless it's totally silent, but on the other, I can't imagine having to make noise just so baby can sleep. I know if a baby has an older sibling, they generally do just fine learning to sleep through the noise, but maybe that's just luck of the draw? I don't know! I just want baby to adapt baby's sleeping to life as is, not change the environment, because I'm afraid it will make sleeping harder to manage later on. But if it's really a must, then I'll invest.

ravenclaw1

I know that all my friends who've had kids lately do think the white noise machines are pretty crucial.

DonnaMartinGraduates

Our kids loved the sound machine. We had one with a timer so it shut off after a certain amount of time so it wasn't on the entire time they were in bed.

waterfall11

We didn't use one with DD. DH saw that my cousins kids could only sleep with them and didn't want her to be reliant on one.

AppleMuffins

waterfall11:

We didn't use one with DD. DH saw that my cousins kids could only sleep with them and didn't want her to be reliant on one.

 

This is what I'm worried about! I've heard of people who couldn't get their kids to sleep unless they had the vacuum running. And my cousin had to sleep with a fan blowing on him for the longest time, even in the dead of winter. 

sprocketsmom

We went without one at first, but my son is just inherently a light sleeper, like me, so having one has made life easier. His room is right next to our living room, and facing a fairly busy street, so it helps block out that noise. I'd wait to see if you can get by without it.

jeb2013

I don't think it's a must but personally I use one bc I have always had a difficult time sleeping. Ever since I started to use one two years ago I have slept a thousand times better. My friends son never used one but her daughter did, the sound it soothing. Also blocks noise out. I think you should see how well ur baby will sleep first.

EOB584

No white noise here. I didn't want DD to have to rely on having specific sounds to fall asleep. Thankfully she can sleep anywhere! I don't plan to use one with this baby either.

jeapplegate

We have one.  She can sleep without it and doesn't wake of if it turns off.  The main thing it was helpful for for us was that it drowns out outside noise.  She is less likely to wake up if the dog barks etc with it on.  We will probably use the same machine with the new baby. We don't use white noise setting though.  We used "jungle nights"(chirping birds) at first, then switched to "summer night"(crickets) later  I have no concerns about M not adjusting to sleeping without it.  We don't have a baby specific one.  We just have a plain homedics brand - it cost like $15 on amazon. 

You have think about how many adults have to sleep with some sort of noise like a fan etc...  I don't think noise machines were common when we were babies, so that need probably isn't always caused by having a sound machine.  I think a good chunk of kids that are "addicted" to their sound machine are kids who would have needed a sound to sleep no matter what.   

Mon715

White noise helps a tiny baby sleep better at night according to The Happiest Baby on the Block because it mimics the sound in the womb. It's never quiet in there, so a baby has a hard time sleeping when it's super quiet. We didn't have one at first would turn on the bathroom fan to make noise it totally helped! So now I just play an ambient sleep song on the iPad for DD at night. It's also nice because she sleeps next to the living room, so we don't have to be super quiet for her to sleep. I am definitely going to have one for new baby!

NNGnome

I never used one, and DS is a great sleeper, although he never slept without me near him for the first 5 months, and was sleeping on our room for the first 7 months (This is recommended to lower SIDs risk as a child who can hear their mum breathing is able to regulate their sleep better).

Now he sleeps in his own room and can sleep through most things, sometimes the doorbell or a phone call will wake him up from a nap, but only if it was almost time to wake up anyway.

For this baby I will do the same, they will sleep downstairs with me in the daytime and with me at night for about 6 months, I am not opposed to using white noise to sleep (If DS #2 needs on we will get one), but I can't sleep without the TV on, and I wish I could get to sleep on my own, so I am trying to give my sons good sleeping habits to begin with.

Shanmarie1083

Yes they are a necessity for us. Not only do the block out the sounds of a 4 year old and an occasionally barking dog, but they also help baby associate the sound with sleep. You turn the sound machine on while they are getting ready for bed and nursing them, and they know that bedtime is near. 

They won't rely on them forever and most are small and completely portable for travel. We have the Graco Sweet Slumber one and I love it, it even has a built in nightlight. I am thinking about getting the A+A Serenity Star for this LO.  

AshleyPT

We didn't get a white noise machine, but our whole family sleeps with fans. She is fine with outside noise if she is in a deep sleep, but if she can hear people talking when she's in between sleep phases then it's terrible. Plus without a fan you can hear dogs barking and the garbage truck, things that are quite jarring. 

aschnee

We didn't use one at first, but now we do and starting from the very first night with it, she slept much better! I know that she won't need it forever and the one we have is so small that its no problem to take it with us when we travel, which is fairly frequently. The really nice thing about it is that it also helps condition her that it is time to sleep...and DH and I sleep better when it is on!

DaisyZH

For my DS the white noise machine has been really important, but it is pretty noisy in our neighborhood, like car doors slamming, the garbage truck rumbling by, etc.  It's also a very small house so his room shares walls with the living room where we are talking, watching tv etc. and the bathroom when we take showers.

I understand wanting baby to adapt, and DS only uses it at night not during naptimes, but hey even I like a little white noise when I sleep, I don't think it makes sleeping harder later on.

JocelynB0911

We never had one of DD but got one out of despriation for DS. It never worked though. I personally would wait until you knew what you were dealing with before making a purchase like that.

kje120

We don't have a white noise machine, but we use a box fan in his room for noise. DH and I sleep with one, too.

A37licia

We have used fans for our two kids and will continue to do so. It gives a little bit of white noise while they still hear and adjust to sounds. Our kids are great sleepers (2 & 4) and we can do all sorts of things after they go to bed and nothing wakes them up.

I'm glad to hear other people use fans themselves. I have to have one on, for the fresher air, and our room is right by the street and our windows are thin, so things wake us up.   I usually ask for one when traveling or take one along, sometimes it's to get cooler if the room we're in is too warm. We're people also who like our window open all year round (barely a crack in the winter) as I hate sleeping in a room above, say, 65'.

RunningGal900

We wouldn't have survived without it. It's not that our house is noisy, but new babies are used to the wooshing of the womb and the white noise is comforting for them.

RunningGal900

AppleMuffins:

waterfall11:

We didn't use one with DD. DH saw that my cousins kids could only sleep with them and didn't want her to be reliant on one.

 

This is what I'm worried about! I've heard of people who couldn't get their kids to sleep unless they had the vacuum running. And my cousin had to sleep with a fan blowing on him for the longest time, even in the dead of winter. 

My son is now 2 and we don't use it anymore. We had no problem going off it and if we didn't have it for some reason, he didn't have issues

REG316

We have used one since my DD was born. She can sleep without it too, but if we are at home I have it one. In the beginning we used it not only to mimic the womb, but also to set a routine for sleep. She is a great sleeper and has been sleeping through the night since 8 weeks old. Not sure if it is the machine or just the way she is... Hope this next one is a good one too! We will be using a sleep machine again I'm sure.

kdv77

We use my old iPod nano and dock. We have an ocean song on replay. She also has an air purifier that makes white noise. She can sleep without both if needed. 

OpheliaChem

I will never get rid of DD's. Never. We used it from the first night home and we still do today. It helps her sleep and it masks noise, like the idiot dog barking at a leaf that blows by the window. I use a sound machine (set to crickets) so why can't DD use it for the rest. of. her. life.

LoriLee14

 You can wait and see how baby sleeps but I (and little man) loved ours. Inside the womb is loud. (even if you think it is quiet, baby is still listening to your blood circulate.)  It calms them.

https://www.troublesometots.com/why-babies-love-white-noise/

Jarangela

We use one still for our almost two year old.  It is especially helpful when we stay in a hotel or are camping. I love it! That being said, I don't think it's necessary.