Sleep Advice From The Sleep Experts

If you've done the new baby thing before, you know that getting an infant to fall asleep and stay asleep is a big deal, and you may know that it's a little easier if there is some white noise in the background. White noise can mimic the sounds a baby heard in the womb, and it can drown out startling noises in and around the baby's room. Maybe you've used a box fan before to serve this purpose, but there are several reasons that an actual sleep machine might be a better choice.

First off, many sleep machines take less energy to run than box fans. Sure, having that box fan on for twelve hours a day probably isn't running your electricity bill off the charts, but who can’t afford to save a few dollars a month right now? Many sleep machines are battery-operated, and the ones that do plug in may take a lot less energy to run than a large box fan.

Secondly, sleep machines could be safer for your baby. In general, babies are fascinated with fans, and as soon as they can crawl, they like to stick their hands through those very interesting-looking grates. The chances of your baby actually getting his hands to the fan blades are slim, but he could easily pull the fan over on himself or otherwise hurt himself with the fan.

Sleep machines, on the other hand, are pretty innocuous. Most of them look like speaker boxes, and some of them are even stuffed animals with all the electronic parts zipped up inside. Besides that, they are typically smaller than box fans, so they can be set on an out-of-the-way shelf that baby can’t get to easily.

Another good reason sleep machines are better than fans is that they are usually easier to clean. It's much easier to get all the dust off of a little plastic box than it is to pull the fan apart and clean the blades. As you know, the dust on that fan can carry dust mites and other tiny things that can make the air quality in your baby's room lesser, so it’s easier on you and your baby to have a piece of equipment you can clean easily. Sound machines are safe for babies.

Finally, sleep machines simply offer you more options than box fans do. Many of them come with different types of white noise sounds, and some even have hookups so that you can play songs through them, which can be fun for in-room dance parties when your baby is a toddler!

Check out these great sound machines for babies and children: