Baby Only Sleeps With Hair Dryer On Or In Hoover Noise

Mom’s Question:

My 2-month-old baby only sleeps in hoover noise! He just won’t settle to sleep without the sound of the hoover or hairdryer. Why is this and how can I stop this pattern?

Baby Help Line:

How To Help White Noise Dependent Baby

I can’t help but smile when I read your question. There is just no end to the weird things that small babies start “needing”. I bet you’ll find this quite a dear memory in a year or so. Write it down somewhere!

My guess is that your baby finds the sounds of the hairdryer and hoover soothing. Maybe it resembles (in his or her mind) the sounds she heard while still in the womb. It is actually quite common that babies fall asleep really well to so-called white noise, such as the hoover or hairdryer.

Babies are also routine-lovers, so if this sound makes him or her feel safe, he will want it every time he’s about to go to sleep.

You can go to three different routes to deal with this habit:

• Just stop! It might be a few tough days when it is hard for your baby to settle, but he or she is likely to learn quite fast. Stay close to him and make him understand that he is safe and loved anyway.
• Another option, if you don’t want to do it the hard way, take it slowly. Put the hoover in another room, so that he gradually learns to fall asleep without it. And turn it off just before he falls asleep.
• Or simply head play white noise from some app, Spotify, Youtube, or website! (Yes, all of these exist, so as you can see, your baby is not the only one sleeping to the noise of the hoover!)

With a bit of patience and persistence, it is my experience that you can change almost any of your baby’s habits. Just try to understand their situation and change it gradually into what you prefer.

Good luck, and I’d love to hear how long it took to teach your baby a new habit!

Paula

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