Oh my gawd, news came out that white noise machines could hurt babies ears and I freaked the funk out! A friend of mine who doesn't have kids just did NOT get my alarm and was all like, Is it really that big of a deal? Uh, yeah, it is a HUGE friggin' deal! Wait until you have a baby and can't get that baby to sleep and you are desperate. You'll do every dang thing you read about in all the baby books to get your baby to go to sleep and your baby will let you know with cries and wails that they don't give a damn what the baby books say, that they will stay awake all night long. See if you don't go running to your nearest retailer or app store to get yourself a white noise maker. You'll turn on that white noise and your baby will fall asleep and stay asleep and you will pray at the altar of white noise ever after. But not at the risk of hurting your baby's hearing. So what's up?
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Well, researchers tested 14 popular white noise machines and found that they could end up harming a baby's hearing. "Used too loud or too close or too long, these machines can exceed safety standards and potentially damage the hearing of the infant," Dr. Blake Papsin, the lead researcher and chief otolaryngologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, said. The maximum volume on all of the machines tested exceeded recommended noise limits for infants in hospital nurseries.
So what can you do? Well, Dr. Papsin says, "None of our sleep specialists recommend them," and suggests you read to your baby or sing them a lullaby to get them to sleep. To that I say, HUSH UP! I read to my kids, sing to them, and then turn on the white noise. You get over here and spend the whole night reading to them and singing to them to keep them asleep because I am TIRED!
The good news is that you can still use white noise to help your baby sleep, just be careful. Do not put the machines right up next to your child and keep the volume low. Keep in mind that babies have delicate ears, do not turn the white noise up to the maximum volume available.
Good luck and I hope you are getting some sleep!
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