Perhaps you have already noticed it yourself. Monotone noises often let small children fall asleep very quickly. Whether it's a hairdryer, vacuum cleaner, or washing machine – a few minutes are enough, and your child has blissfully drifted off to sleep. But why is that?
Monotone noises as a jump-start for baby sleep
Noises that we would probably find rather irritating and certainly not relaxing can act like a sedative on your little one. What seems surprising at first glance, however, has very natural causes. When your offspring was still in the womb, there was never complete silence – on the contrary! During pregnancy, babies are used to being exposed to a permanent background noise: Mom's heartbeat, the rushing of blood, digestive noises, and so on. Therefore, babies tend to have a harder time falling asleep in absolute silence. For this reason, you don't have to walk around on tiptoes when your baby is supposed to sleep. Monotone, repetitive noises have a miraculously calming effect on infants – even on colicky babies.
This is one of the reasons why your infant reliably falls asleep while driving. However, during a longer stop, they are awake again in no time. It would hardly be practical, though, to drive the child around for a few kilometers just to get them to sleep, not to mention the environmental impact.
The monotone noises of washing machines, hairdryers, or extractor hoods are also very popular. Even the dishwasher and the running vacuum cleaner help many a baby into a deep sleep.
If your baby actually only needs this "jump-start" to fall asleep, there is nothing wrong with making use of such devices for a short time. But if they wake up as soon as the noise stops, it hardly helps you, unless you want to let the respective devices run for hours.
Noises on CD
An alternative is offered by special sleep CDs, on which similar monotone noises can be heard. Ocean waves or so-called white noise are also often used. Many children settle down much better with such support, and you can take a breath and lean back relaxed for at least a while.
Stuffed animals with sounds
Furthermore, there are now a whole range of stuffed animals on the market that emit humming or rushing sounds. There are even bears that imitate the heartbeat in the womb and other familiar sounds from the womb. A good thing – especially for parents who are at their wits' end because their little one simply won't settle down.
Just try out which solution works best for your baby.
The fact is: When your baby sleeps better again, it is a real blessing for you!
Not only noises are a really good help when putting your baby to sleep, our swing2sleep automatic baby hammock is also able to accomplish this. Instead of a permanent background noise, it ensures a deep, restful sleep with gentle bouncing movements.
The swing2sleep team wishes you much success in trying it out.
