Sleep sounds for siblings sharing a room
General information, not medical advice. Talk to your paediatrician about your baby’s sleep and hearing.
When a baby and an older child share a room, a steady sound can mask the baby's night wake-ups from the toddler and the toddler's bedtime chatter from the baby. A few choices make it work for both.
Pick one sound that suits both
Choose something neutral and steady — a fan or soft white noise — rather than rain with thunder or an ocean with big swells, which have variation that can itself wake a light sleeper. If the children have different preferences, let the older child choose from two options.
Volume and placement
- Keep the level about as loud as a quiet conversation at the baby's head — the lower limit applies to the youngest child in the room.
- Put the speaker as far from both beds as the room allows; never in a crib or within reach of a toddler.
- Use the safe-distance calculator to estimate the level at the crib.
Routines that keep the peace
- Start the sound before the older child's lights-out so it is already playing when the baby comes in.
- Do the baby's feeds elsewhere if you can, to avoid waking the older child.
- Use a dim red or amber night light rather than overhead lights.
- Use a timer with a fade-out so neither child is woken by the sound stopping.
A quick safe-sleep reminder
Sound does not replace safe sleep. Always place your baby on their back, on a firm, flat sleep surface, in an empty crib or bassinet — no pillows, blankets, bumpers or soft toys (see the AAP safe-sleep guidance). If your baby has trouble sleeping, you have hearing concerns, or anything else worries you, talk to your paediatrician.
Sources
- Children's National Hospital — Baby sound machines and hearing loss
- Hugh SC, Wolter NE, Propst EJ, et al. “Infant sleep machines and hazardous sound pressure levels.” Pediatrics, 2014 (abstract summary, McMaster University)