Babies everywhere are at risk of hearing loss from sound machines, AAP warns
It’s a must-have on every baby registry, but it’s also now the potential reason your child might deal with hearing loss in the future. Sound machines for sleep. It’s not them — they are awesome. It’s that they are just too loud, the American Academy of Pediatrics warned parents in the letter Oct. 21.
“The parent’s universal cry in response to loud music– “Turn that thing down!” — is well-founded, as evidence shows that children and teens risk hearing loss by cranking up their personal listening devices,” AAP wrote. “What families may not realize is that children are exposed to potentially harmful noise from infancy and that the effects are cumulative over a lifetime.” That starts with sound machines.
They call on pediatricians to counsel families about infant sleep machines or noise machines about safe use. “While some studies show potential benefits in the use of infant sleep machines, one study raised potential concern about sound levels from these devices.” The AAP always warns that inequities related to lower socioeconomic status can lead to higher noise exposure. An additional study concludes that 1 billion young people worldwide are at risk of hearing loss, from all factors, not just sound machines, and call for a prioritization of safe listening.
Experts reported to ABCNews that the volume maximum in your nursery should be around 50 decibels max, meaning you could have a conversation without raising your voice. “Most of these machines go above that.”
For some families, a white noise machine is a must. Maybe they are drowning out street traffic, or loud siblings, or maybe their baby just sleeps longer without it. So, before you throw out your baby’s favorite ocean sounds, try this — experts recommend moving them seven feet or more from the bed and turning them down a bit.
