White noise for babies

Soft white noise, set low, with a timer that fades it out. Read the safe-use tips below before bedtime.

About Still Water

Still Water is a calm space for breathing exercises, guided meditation and sleep. Check in with your mood before and after each session, build a gentle streak, and keep a short journal of reflections.

Is Still Water free?

Yes. Every breathing exercise, four meditations including Anxiety SOS, a sleep story, the white noise and sleep sounds mixer (white, pink and brown noise, rain, ocean, fan, wind, fire and birdsong) and the silent timer are free, with no ads and no account. Still Water Pro is an optional one-time upgrade ($4.99) that unlocks the full meditation and story library and 10 to 20-minute sessions.

What breathing exercises are included?

Box breathing, 4-7-8, coherent breathing, the physiological sigh and Relax 4-6. A glowing orb grows as you breathe in and softens as you breathe out, with optional voice cues.

Who narrates the meditations and sleep stories?

Sessions and stories are original scripts read by your device's built-in voice, over a soundscape you choose. With Still Water Pro, many meditations also come in 10, 15 and 20-minute versions.

Can I mix my own background sounds?

Yes. The Sounds tab mixes white, pink and brown noise, rain, ocean, fan, wind, fire and birdsong, all made live in your browser. Save your mixes, play one under a meditation, and set a sleep timer that fades everything out gently. Still Water Pro adds a stream, distant thunder, crickets, a heartbeat, a soft hum and a night train, unlimited saved mixes and 90-minute and until-morning timers.

Does Still Water play white noise and brown noise for sleep?

Yes. White, pink and brown noise are free, along with rain, ocean waves and a fan. Each is generated live in your browser and loops without a gap, and the sleep timer (15 to 60 minutes free) fades it out gently.

Is there a plain meditation timer?

Yes. The silent timer is unguided, with bells to begin and end and optional interval bells along the way.

Is my data private?

Yes. Your mood check-ins, streaks, sessions and journal stay on this device with no account. You can back them up to a file and restore them later.

About White noise for babies

Many parents use a steady sound such as white noise to cover household noise while a baby settles. This page opens white noise at a low setting, and the sleep timer fades it out once your baby is asleep. It is a sound, not a medical device, and the tips below matter more than which sound you pick.

How to use it

Press Play in the card above. Browsers only start sound after a tap, so nothing plays until you do.
Set the Volume, or tap other tiles to mix in more sounds. Each tile has its own slider.
Set a sleep timer (15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes) if you'd like it to fade out gently on its own.
Like the mix? Save mix keeps it on this device, and Share copies a link to it.

Keep this tab open while it plays. iPhone and iPad may pause web audio when the screen locks: tap the moon for Sleep mode, a dim, near-black screen that keeps the sound going, and keep the phone on charge.

Good for

Covering household noise, siblings or traffic at nap time
A consistent sleep cue at home, at grandparents' or when travelling
Settling at bedtime, with the timer fading it out
Pink or brown noise if you prefer a softer sound

Using it safely

Keep it low. A 2014 study published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, measured 14 infant sleep machines: at full volume, every one was louder than 50 dBA at 30 cm, the noise limit recommended for hospital nurseries, and some were far louder. Start quiet and turn it up only as much as you need.
Keep the phone or speaker well away from your baby. The study's authors advised placing sound machines as far from the baby as possible and never in the cot or on its rail. Sound gets much quieter with distance.
Keep the cot clear. NHS safe sleep advice is to keep a baby's cot clear of anything that could cover their face and head, so never put a phone or tablet in the cot.
Don't run it all night. Set the sleep timer (15 to 60 minutes) so the sound fades out once your baby is asleep.
Check the level if you're unsure. A phone sound meter gives a rough estimate, for example Bubble Level's decibel meter on a second device at the cot.

Sources: Hugh SC et al., "Infant sleep machines and hazardous sound pressure levels", Pediatrics 2014;133(4):677-681; NHS, Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This page is general information, not medical advice: ask your health visitor, midwife or GP if you're worried about your baby's sleep or hearing.

Questions

How loud should white noise be for a baby?

Quiet: a 2014 study in Pediatrics found every infant sleep machine it tested was louder than the 50 dBA hospital nursery limit at full volume, 30 cm away. Keep the volume low and the phone well away from the cot.

How far away should the phone be?

As far from your baby as practical, never in the cot or on its rail. The study's authors advised placing sound machines as far away as possible, and NHS advice is to keep the cot clear.

Should white noise play all night?

It doesn't need to. Set the sleep timer so it fades out once your baby is asleep. If you have concerns about sleep or hearing, ask your health visitor or GP.

More sounds

White noise Brown noise Pink noise Rain sounds Ocean sounds Fan noise Thunderstorm sounds Fireplace sounds Wind sounds Birds chirping Sleep sounds White noise for babies Brown noise for focus Sleep timer

Every sound is free to try in the full Still Water app, along with breathing exercises, guided meditations and sleep stories. About Still Water lists everything that is free and what Pro adds.