Wonderful
Sounds for Sleep
By Elizabeth Pantley,
Author of the No-Cry Sleep Solution
The environment that your baby enjoyed for nine long months
in the womb was not one of absolute quiet. There was a constant
symphony of sound -- your heartbeat and fluids rushing in
and out of the placenta. (Remember those sounds from when
you listened to your baby’s heartbeat with the Doppler
stethoscope?) Research indicates that “white noise”
sounds or soft bedtime music helps many babies to relax and
fall asleep more easily. This is most certainly because these
sounds create an environment more familiar to your baby than
a very quiet room.
Many people enjoy using soothing music as their baby’s
sleep sound. If you do, choose bedtime music carefully. Some
music (including jazz and much classical music) is too complex
and stimulating. For music to be soothing to your baby, pick
simple, repetitive, predictable music, like traditional lullabies.
Tapes created especially for putting babies to sleep are great
choices. Pick something that you will enjoy listening to night
after night, too. (Using a tape player with an automatic repeat
function is helpful for keeping the music going as long as
you need it to play.)
There are widely available, and very lovely, "nature
sounds" tapes that work nicely, too, as well those small
sound-generating or white-noise devices and clocks you may
have seen in stores. The sounds on these -- raindrops, a bubbling
brook or running water -- often are similar to those sounds
your baby heard in utero. A ticking clock or a bubbling fish
tank also make wonderful white-noise options.
“I went out today and bought a small aquarium and
the humming noise does seem to relax Chloe and help her to
sleep. I didn’t buy any fish though. Who has time to
take care of fish when you’re half asleep all day?”
Tanya, mother of 13-month-old Chloe
You can find some suitable tapes and CDs made especially
for babies or those made for adults to listen to when they
want to relax. Whatever you choose, listen to it first and
ask yourself: Does this relax me? Would it make me feel sleepy
if I listened to it in bed?
If you must put your baby to sleep in a noisy, active house
full of people, keeping the tape running (auto rewind) will
help mask baby-waking noises like dishes clanking, people
talking, siblings giggling, TV, dogs barking, etc. This can
also help transition your sleeping baby from a noisy daytime
house to which he’s become accustomed subconsciously
to one of absolute nighttime quiet.
Once your baby is familiar with his calming noise, or music,
you can use these to help your baby fall back to sleep when
he wakes up in the middle of the night. Simply sooth him by
playing the music (very quietly) during the calming and falling-asleep
time. If he wakes and cries, repeat this process.
If your baby gets used to his sleep time sounds you can take
advantage of this and take the tape with you if you will be
away from home for naptime or bedtime. The familiarity of
these sounds will help your baby sleep in an unfamiliar environment.
Eventually your baby will rely on this technique less and
less to fall and stay asleep. Don’t feel you must rush
the process; there is no harm in your baby falling asleep
to these gentle sounds. When you are ready to wean him of
these you can help this process along by reducing the volume
by a small amount every night until you finally don’t
turn the music or sounds on at all.
Babies enjoy these peaceful sounds, and they are just one
more piece in the puzzle that helps you to help your baby
sleep – gently, without any crying at all.
Excerpted with permission by McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Publishing
from The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby
Sleep Through the Night by Elizabeth Pantley, copyright 2002
Website: www.pantley.com/elizabeth
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