{"id":1749,"date":"2012-12-18T23:25:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-18T23:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/?p=1749"},"modified":"2026-05-16T16:00:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T16:00:32","slug":"swaddling-white-noise-sleepy-baby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2012\/12\/18\/swaddling-white-noise-sleepy-baby\/","title":{"rendered":"Swaddling + White Noise = Sleepy Baby (Updated June 2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Updated June 2025 to reflect current AAP Safe Sleep guidelines including the 2022 weighted swaddle prohibition.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Babies spend most of their lives sleeping, so helping them with something so natural should be the easiest thing in the world&#8230;<em>right? <\/em> Infant <a href=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2022\/06\/21\/10-steps-safe-sleep-baby\/\" title=\"safe sleep guidelines\">safe sleep guidelines<\/a> mean that newborns and infants up to age 1 should never sleep on their stomachs or on an incline. But there is one baby sleep technique that our night nanny and postpartum doula team swears by: Swaddling + White Noise = Sleepy Baby.<br><br><strong>Key Takeaways: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-regular-font-size\">\n<li>The only safe sleep position for a newborn and infants up to age 1 is on their back<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Newborns should not be propped up because their heads can tip forward, constricting airways<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Swaddling quiets baby&#8217;s involuntary movements that can jar them awake<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>White noise simulates the sounds of the womb and blocks out other noises which can keep baby awake<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Soothing baby&#8217;s movements along with soothign outside sounds allows them to rest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"538\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/swaddling-white-noise-sleepy-baby.png\" alt=\"Swaddling + white noise = sleepy baby\" class=\"wp-image-5047\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.1208333333333333;width:401px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/swaddling-white-noise-sleepy-baby.png 538w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/swaddling-white-noise-sleepy-baby-300x268.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 538px) 100vw, 538px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-regular-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400\"><strong>Swaddling + White Noise = Sleepy Baby &#8211; What is White Noise? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">White noise is an effective baby sleep tool because it simulates the sounds your newborn heard in the womb, and also masks other noises that might startle or awaken a sleeping baby. Sound masking works for adults too! You can make the<em> shhh <\/em>noise yourself, use a white noise app or purchase a standalone <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/44dIvCD\" title=\"white noise machine\">white noise machine<\/a> that stays in the nursery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/white-pink-and-brown-noise-1024x426.png\" alt=\"definitions of white noise, pink and brown noise\" class=\"wp-image-4003\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.4029850746268657;width:690px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/white-pink-and-brown-noise-1024x426.png 1024w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/white-pink-and-brown-noise-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/white-pink-and-brown-noise-768x320.png 768w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/white-pink-and-brown-noise.png 1312w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Different Color Noises that Help Baby Sleep<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In the past, sleeping in the&nbsp;elevated position was recommended by many pediatricians and GI specialists.  This was meant to soothe infant reflux or distress because the incline would help keep stomach contents down.  However now we know better that <strong>the only safe sleeping position for baby is on their back.<\/strong>  The AAP states this and the Consumer Product Safety Commission <a href=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/23\/updated-june-7-2021-safe-sleep-baby-after-cpsc-ban-inclined-sleepers-consumer\/\">banned incline sleepers,<\/a> rockers and other devices marketed as &#8220;sleepers&#8221; for babies in 2021. &nbsp;Newborns&#8217; airways can become constricted if their heads tip forward; a risk when sleeping on an incline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Swaddling-White-Noise-Sleepy-Baby-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Swaddling + White Noise = Sleepy Baby\" class=\"wp-image-2000\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1;width:246px;height:auto\" title=\" \" srcset=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Swaddling-White-Noise-Sleepy-Baby-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Swaddling-White-Noise-Sleepy-Baby-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Swaddling-White-Noise-Sleepy-Baby-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Swaddling-White-Noise-Sleepy-Baby-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Swaddling-White-Noise-Sleepy-Baby.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Swaddling plus white noise after giving baby enough time to digest milk can quickly boost baby sleep while keeping them safely on their backs.&nbsp; Also ensure&nbsp;that baby has been given at least 30 minutes to burp and work out any gas before lying down.&nbsp;This way they don&#8217;t spit up or become uncomfortable. Thirty minutes  is a long time in the middle of the night, but making that time investment, plus swaddling and introducing white noise will pay off in restful sleep for baby (and you!).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-regular-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400\"><strong>Swaddling + White Noise = Sleepy Baby  &#8211; How Do You Swaddle a Baby?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">So how do you swaddle a baby? In general any baby blanket with a bit of give that fits snugly can be used as a safe swaddle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">As of 2022, updated AAP guidelines state that weight sleep sacs and swaddles should not be used. There is no safe amount of weight that can be placed on babies&#8217; chest and ribcage and these products are also untested. As our night nurses often say, <em>just because they sell it, doesn&#8217;t mean it&#8217;s safe. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This is not a sure fire answer to every sleep question, but swaddling baby, white noise and ensuring baby has had enough time to digest after feeding can be a helpful combination to allow baby to sleep comfortably and safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@graph\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": [\"BlogPosting\", \"MedicalWebPage\"],\n      \"@id\": \"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2012\/12\/18\/swaddling-white-noise-sleepy-baby\/#article\",\n      \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n        \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n        \"@id\": \"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2012\/12\/18\/swaddling-white-noise-sleepy-baby\/\"\n      },\n      \"headline\": \"Swaddling + White Noise = Sleepy Baby: Updated June 2025\",\n      \"alternativeHeadline\": \"How Swaddling and White Noise Help Newborns Sleep Safely\",\n      \"description\": \"Swaddling and white noise are effective safe sleep tools for newborns. 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Room sharing without bed sharing is recommended for the first 6 months. As of 2022 the AAP also prohibits weighted sleep sacs and swaddles \u2014 there is no safe amount of weight that can be placed on a baby's chest and ribcage. Swaddling with a lightweight blanket that has some give remains a safe and effective sleep aid.\"\n          }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"Are weighted swaddles safe for newborns?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"No. As of 2022 the American Academy of Pediatrics states that weighted sleep sacs and swaddles should not be used for infants. There is no safe amount of weight that can be placed on a baby's chest and ribcage and these products are largely untested. 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Babies spend most of their lives sleeping, so helping them with something so natural should be the easiest thing in the world&#8230;right? Infant safe sleep guidelines mean that newborns and infants up to age 1 should never sleep on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":5047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[269],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-infant-toddler-sleep"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}