While some parents worry that white noise can become a “sleep crutch,” there’s actually no evidence to suggest that long-term white noise use is a bad thing. The only reason why you’d want to wean your baby off of it is if you’re tired of using the white noise machine and want your baby to fall asleep on their own.
You can also try gradually lowering the volume on the white noise machine so it gets quieter and quieter.
White noise machines are generally safe, but many of them go up to 85 decibels, which is as loud as a hair dryer. [4] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source Listening to a white noise machine that’s too loud can lead to long-term hearing damage. The rule of thumb here is just to never set the white noise machine to the maximum volume, since that will definitely be too loud.
Leaving the white noise machine on all night is fine, as long as it’s quite enough and far away from your baby’s crib.
You may have also heard of brown noise (sometimes called red noise). Brown noise is similar to the sound of rainfall or a waterfall, and it’s been shown to help people who have ringing in their ears. However, no studies have been done on its effect on sleep.
