About 50 dB or lower at your baby’s ear, with the device about 2 m (7 ft) from the crib. That’s roughly the sound of moderate rainfall and quieter than a normal conversation. Never put a phone or sound machine in the crib, and use the lowest volume that still helps your baby settle. For the wider safety picture, see is white noise safe for babies.
This is part of our sleep science and safety section. Below you’ll find where the 50 dB figure comes from, a decibel chart, distance tips and a quick way to measure your own setup.
Where does the 50 dB guideline come from?
The 50 dB figure is the recommended noise limit for infants in hospital nurseries. It became the benchmark for home sound machines after a 2014 study in Pediatrics tested 14 infant sleep machines at maximum volume (Hugh et al., 2014). At 30 cm, all 14 exceeded 50 dBA, and three exceeded 85 dBA.
The AAP’s safe sleep policy doesn’t set a specific white noise level. But because the study was published in the AAP’s own journal and uses the nursery limit, “about 50 dB, well away from the crib” has become the consensus advice you’ll hear from pediatricians and parenting sources.
Decibel chart: how loud is 50 dB?
Decibels are logarithmic, so a 10 dB jump sounds roughly twice as loud. These reference levels come from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the NIDCD:
| Sound | Approximate level | For baby’s sleep |
|---|---|---|
| Whisper | 30 dBA | Very quiet |
| Quiet room | 40 dBA | Fine |
| Moderate rainfall | 50 dBA | Target ceiling |
| Typical conversation | 60 dBA | Louder than needed |
| Group conversation | 70 dBA | Too loud for sleep |
| Long or repeated exposure | 85 dBA and above | Can damage hearing |
How far should a sound machine be from a baby?
About 2 m (7 ft) from the crib. No official body sets an exact distance. We use 2 m because it’s the farthest point Hugh and colleagues measured (they tested each machine at 30, 100 and 200 cm), and sound level falls as distance grows, so moving the device from the crib rail to the far side of the room is the single easiest safety step. It also keeps cords and chargers out of reach.
- Small room? Put the device as far from the crib as you can and lower the volume to compensate.
- Never in the crib, on the crib rail, under the mattress or clipped to the stroller canopy near your baby’s head.
- Point it away from the crib if your speaker is directional, which softens the sound further.
Placement is only one part of a safe sleep space. Our safe sleep checklist for babies covers the rest, from back sleeping to an empty crib.
How to measure white noise volume at home
You don’t need special equipment. It takes about three minutes:
- Place the device about 2 m (7 ft) from the crib, with cords out of reach.
- Start low, at the volume you’d use at bedtime.
- Measure at the crib. Hold a free sound-meter app where your baby’s head lies. If you have an Apple Watch, the Noise app shows ambient levels in decibels.
- Adjust until it reads about 50 dB or lower, and note the setting.
- Do the talk test. If you have to raise your voice to talk next to the crib, it’s too loud.
Is 60 dB too loud for a baby?
60 dB, about the level of a normal conversation, isn’t dangerous for a short time. But it’s louder than needed for sleep and above the 50 dB benchmark used for infants. For a nap or a night, aim lower. If your baby only settles at a louder level, try a deeper sound such as brown noise, which many parents find easier to keep soft.
Watch out for household appliances
Babies often calm to a hair dryer, vacuum or fan, but real appliances are usually much louder than 50 dB, and a hair dryer adds heat and a cord. A recording played softly across the room gives the same steady hum at a level you control. Our page on hair dryer and vacuum sounds for baby has more.
Keeping a mix quiet in Baby Mantra
Mixing sounds makes the total louder, so lower each one when you layer. Baby Mantra gives each sound its own volume slider, so you can play white noise, rain and a heartbeat together at a soft combined level. Set the master volume on your phone first, then fine-tune each sound. A sleep timer from 15 minutes to 2 hours fades the mix out gently, and lock-screen controls let you pause or stop without unlocking your phone.
Setting up a phone for the first time? Our white noise app for iPhone guide covers airplane mode, charging and placement.
Sources
- Hugh SC, Wolter NE, Propst EJ, et al. Infant sleep machines and hazardous sound pressure levels. Pediatrics, 2014.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention.
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.
- Apple Support. Use the Noise app on your Apple Watch.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations. Pediatrics, 2022.
