Opinions on Sound Machines?

I use a sound machine myself but not all the time. I used it through almost the entire last half of my last pregnancy and I use it occasionally during the day if I get a chance to nap myself.
I don't need it all the time though.
My best friend however has to have a fan going the entire time she sleeps.
I think it depends on how often you use them and the personality of the person (and sleep abilities...i.e. light sleeper, heavy sleeper)

Dear E.,
We all use sound machines aka air purifiers in our home. We have always used them since both my girls and my husband have allergies. We find we all sleep better due to the reduction of environmental noise. We even take a small, portable one with us on trips so that we sleep well at Grandma's house, hotels, etc. I wouldn't worry too much about it! Sleep, no matter how it occurs, is GOOD!

I have one sound sleeper (4 yrs) and one light sleeper (18 months). I thought about the sound machine for my youngest but then I remembered that my stepmother is 55 yrs old and still has to sleep with a white noise machine or a fan on and doesn't sleep well when not at home. I suppose it depends on the person, but just to let you know...sometimes it is a habit that doesn't break. Have you tried soft music? That seemed to help my girl (although I don't do it consistently, just the days when she seems to be bothered by outside noise easily) and doesn't seem as much as a hard-to-reproduce sound later on in life if it helps them sleep. Mine also sleeps better and better as she gets a little older. I think by two, the whole sleep issue might be a lot better than it has been.

Good luck! I'm having a hard time being a stay-at-home mom too. I have always worked and traveled and this is very isolating. After a rew years, I have found friends that have kids but that we have other things in common so our social time doesn't revolve around kids (at least not all the time).

I've used white noise with my three kids and never worried if they would become dependent on it - I don't really see a problem with that.

In the summer we use fans and in the winter we use noise machines. I bought cheap ones at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $20 or so and use the "waterfall" setting for a constant noise.

Also, if we forget to turn it on, they will still fall asleep at night. Naps is when they seem more dependent on it, probably because there are more outside noises.

We have a white noise machine and really like it. I do think it helps my daughter sleep. Also, it has become part of our bedtime routine -- so when the sound goes on I think it helps remind her it's bedtime.

Hi E.! We LOVE sound machines! Our first never used one, our 2nd had acid reflux and white noise was the only thing (other than nursing) that helped him relax and sleep. Our third got used to one because he was in our room for the first year because of space issues so we had one to help drown out the noise of us coming to bed, etc, because he was a very light sleeper. Now he has his own room, and the sound machine we use (with the sound of waves crashing) is fabulous because it drowns out the noise that our older 2 kids make! We also live in a rather noisy neighborhood during the holidays and the sound machine was such a blessing!

One thing we did learn...when we travel, most hotel rooms have a radio...set it to a fuzzy station, and it has the same effect. All kids certainly can sleep without it...so we don't worry about the dependency issues.

If nothing else, try one and see how it goes...you can always return it. Best of luck to you!

I use one with both kids at home but Grandma watches them daily and does not. Try using a fan or something less intrusive but I love ours. It helps ME sleep through their little noises.

Hi E.!

I am a nighttime doula and I need to sleep during the day. I, myself, use white noise. I tune my radio on a station that has static. This sound drowns out my barking dogs and the construction next door. I always recommend white noise to my new clients. You can wean your child off of it by lowering the sound a bit every week. There are also sound machines that are in the guise of a stuffed lamb, this kind has a timer on it and turns off by itself.

Keep us posted if it works or not...

M.

From what I understand, the more overtired the child is, the more he has trouble putting himself to sleep or staying asleep. Make sure you watch for his drowsy signs (decreased activity, calmer, quieter, yawning, etc.). Put him to sleep then, because if you wait too long, he'll become overtired and he will have a harder time sleeping (overtired signs: fussing, rubbing eyes, irritable, cranky). As you said, sometimes the noises outside don't bother him and that's probably because you put him down before he became overtired. I recommend the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc. Weissbluth for more on infant and children's sleep. Anyway, try watching for his drowsy signs to put him to sleep before you go out and buy a sound machine.

I wish I had one for my daughter! She would fall asleep to one that automatically turned off after 5 minutes, but it just abruptly shut off, a slower decrease of the sound would have been much better!! I plan on getting one for this new baby.

I recently put a small fan in my DDs room because our walls and windows are very thin and the other neighborhood kids wake us all up way too early and the fan on helps block some of the noise.

White noise is great and even if your child did become dependent on it, what is the big deal? My husband is 38 and sleeps best with white noise, still. In his case a fan. I always had white noise with both of my kids and neither one needs it to fall asleep, but I usually always turn it on at some point while they are sleeping. I've never needed the fan on to sleep but now that I think of it, I fall asleep better with it on, it just muffles the creaks and cracks in the house for me or any "little" annoying noises (husband watching TV in the other room, etc..)
M.