Should white noise play all night for a baby?
Children's hospitals generally suggest using it to help your baby fall asleep, then letting it fade, rather than playing it until morning.
The short answer
You don't need to run white noise all night. Use it to help your baby settle, keep it soft, and let a timer fade it out once they're asleep. If your baby wakes and fusses, bring the sound back for a while, then let it fade again.
Why not just leave it on?
There are two concerns with sound that runs for 10 or 12 hours every night.
Volume adds up. Hearing risk depends on how loud a sound is and how long it lasts. A machine that is fine for 20 minutes is a different story over a whole night, especially if it sits close to the crib.
Babies learn from the sounds around them. Specialists in children's hearing and speech point out that babies' brains are tuning in to voices and everyday household sounds. A 2003 study in rats found that constant, unchanging noise during early development delayed how the hearing part of the brain matured. Animal studies don't translate directly to babies, and nobody has shown that normal, quiet white noise harms a child. But it's one reason experts lean towards using sound when it's needed rather than all the time.
What experts suggest instead
- Play sound while your baby falls asleep and for naps in noisy or unfamiliar places.
- Keep it at about 50 dB and at least 2 m (7 ft) from the crib.
- Use a timer so it fades out once your baby is in deeper sleep, often after 30 to 60 minutes.
The catch: night wakings
A timer solves the all-night problem but creates a new one. When your baby stirs at 2 a.m., the room is silent and someone has to get up to start the sound again.
That's the gap Shushy was made for. It plays only when it's needed: after the sound fades, it listens quietly for a cry. If your baby stirs, it fades back in, holds until they settle, then goes quiet again. Over a night that means short stretches of soft sound instead of eight hours of it.
When to talk to your pediatrician
If your baby wakes very often, seems unusually hard to settle, or you have any concerns about their hearing, talk to your pediatrician. Sound can help a baby settle, but it isn't a fix for a sleep or health problem.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you're worried about your baby's sleep, hearing or health, talk to your pediatrician.
Sources
- Henry Ford Health: "Are white noise machines safe for your baby?" (2026)
- Children's National Hospital: "Baby sound machines and hearing loss"
- ScienceDaily: "Noise may delay brain development" (on Chang & Merzenich, Science, 2003)
- Hugh SC et al. "Infant sleep machines and hazardous sound pressure levels." Pediatrics, 2014