What is white noise and why is it so helpful to new babies?
Just as white light is a mix of all the colors of light (that’s why light can be turned into a rainbow by a crystal or prism), white noise is a mix of high and low pitched rumbles and whooshes. This imitates the sound that babies hear inside the womb – 24/7 -of blood whooshing through the placenta It is a powerful way of turning on the calming reflex. The Happiest Baby “Super-Soothing” Sleep CD is a favorite of many parents because it is easy to use in the car (to prevent fussing) and it helps babies sleep well even on vacations or trips to grandma. To calm crying and colic you need to use the right type of white noise. It should be a rough and as loud as a vacuum cleaner. To boost sleep, however, the sound should be a bit quieter, just as loud as a shower, but still rough, like the womb or hairdryer sound (milder sounds, like the hum of a fan or the sound of ocean waves, are often too soft to be effective).
