'Causing delay?' Aussie paediatrician shares the truth about playing white noise to a baby

Aussie paediatrician, Dr Golly, has weighed in on the controversial study that has claimed the "trendy" parenting technique is causing problems in speech development. 

To some, it's the "trendy" way parents try and calm their babies. To others, it's the only way to ensure everyone gets some rest. We're talking about playing white noise - the constant, static-like sounds spanning various frequencies the human ear can hear. 

When you're a new parent, you're either into it or you're not.

Now, according to a new study, parents are better off not relying on such devices because it could be causing problems in your precious baby's development. 

Hold on, hold on... we'll get to the facts before you toss anything out!

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Is white nose affecting your baby's development? 

A survey conducted by The Sleep Doctor back in 2023 found that 37 per cent of parents claimed they needed some kind of background noise to get their baby to fall asleep - the most popular method being the use of background noise. 

But according to sleep expert from Rutgers University,  Dr April Benasich, playing white noise could affect children's language development and disrupt them from forming the necessary skills to hit those language milestones in their younger years. 

According to Dr Benasich, who spoke with Daily Mail, the monotonous tone heard in white nose can interfere with a child's "acoustic mapping", the part of the brain that helps babies understand and learn their native language. 

"[The brain] isn’t sure what it’s going to be listening to, but it is listening to sounds acoustically," she told the publication. "Young infants can hear the differences between every single sound in the world… sounds that are teeny tiny changes." 

Is playing white noise harmful to a baby? Image: iStock

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Dr Benasich claims that these acoustic sounds are just as important for a baby to hear while asleep as well as while they're awake. Parents masking these sounds with white noise can be problematic for their growth. 

"[It's] telling the brain you don't need to listen to this because there’s nothing going on," she claims.

So, should parents be worried? Is it time to throw away those fancy machines we invested in to save our precious sleep? 

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Aussie paediatrician insists this is "scaremongering"

Knowing full well that these claims will play on many parents' minds, Kidpsot reached out to Aussie paediatrician, Dr Golly, to get some clarity. 

The medical professional and doting dad insists we can all relax. 

"I am completely dismayed by this. Firstly, Benaich's study looked at a tiny window between 4-7 months. I have written at length regarding safe levels of white noise and using earmuffs for loud environments like music concerts," Dr Golly shares.

"Benasich's scaremongering is centred on the premise that if you expose a child to background/white noise, it will impede their language development. What isn't mentioned is that white noise is only used during sleep, so for all awake and feeding times - babies are exposed to myriad noises, sounds, rhythms, volumes, etc - which take care of the language stimuli that are required."

Do whatever you need to do for a good rest

According to Dr Golly, parents should be more worried about their baby not getting enough sleep rather than the sounds they're exposed to and not exposed to while resting. 

"Poor sleep is a scientifically proven hindrance to development," he insists.

"So if white noise is allowing your baby (and you) to sleep soundly through the night, then parents should absolutely NOT be made to worry or doubt themselves, and I certainly hope no parent would sacrifice their baby's sleep out of fear of harming their future language development."

Originally published as 'Causing delay?' Aussie paediatrician shares the truth about playing white noise to a baby