Schmidt, Sethi & Akmajian Blog

Infant Sleep Machines - Are They Dangerous?

Posted by Dev Sethi | Apr 17, 2014 | 0 Comments

For parents that use sleep machines to lull their infant to sleep and drown out the noise of traffic or dishes clashing in the kitchen, you are already aware how amazing these things are--it is probably on all of your lists of Top 10 things You Must Have for your Baby.

But some studies have shown that these machines are possibly damaging to a baby's ears. At maximum volume, tests show that some of these machines produce more sound than what is safe for even the adult workplace. Additionally, some experts theorize that because infants are learning different sounds even as they sleep, drowning these different noises out with white noise could slow down a child's hearing development.

You don't have to throw your noise machine in the trash or remove it from your list of "top 10s"--my wife and I will most certainly continue to use this brilliant device. You also don't need to go purchase a decibel meter and conduct a science experiment in Johnny's nursery. But here are five suggestions to reduce the chances that your sleeping machine is negatively impacting your child:

  1. The lower the volume, the better.
  2. The further away from the child's head, the better (We put ours on our baby's dresser--or several feet away--as opposed to in or on the crib).
  3. The less amount of time it is on, the better.
  4. Sound machines specifically designed for infants, as opposed to those designed for adults, are better.
  5. Extra sound barriers outside of the nursery can also reduce the necessity of turning the sound machine up full blast. For example, we often turn on a bathroom fan in the hallway.

About the Author

Dev Sethi

Dev Sethi litigates and tries a wide-range of complex injury and death cases throughout Arizona. He has Martindale Hubbell's highest rating, AV, and he is listed in "Best Lawyers." Dev is also recognized as an Arizona Super Lawyer in the area of plaintiff's products liability litigation.Dev has been at the forefront of auto product defect litigation. He played a key role in uncovering the Goodyear Load Range E tire scandal and worked to hold Ford Motor Company responsible for the danger posed by their now notorious 15-passenger vans. Dev is currently representing families in product liability suits against the nation's largest corporations including General Motors, Ford, Pentair Pools and Invacare.

Comments

There are no comments for this post. Be the first and Add your Comment below.

Leave a Comment

Our team works together - for you!

Our award-winning lawyers are backed by a talented, caring team of legal professionals, paralegals, bilingual assistants, notaries, and others - all dedicated to you, your case, and the compensation you deserve.

No fees and no costs until we win.

As such we always have your case and your best interest in mind. When you win, we win too by providing the best legal care possible.

Thorough investigation and preparation.

We tirelessly and thoughtfully prepare every case we represent as though it was going to trial. This lets insurance companies know that we are a force to be reckoned with. As such, we settle successfully 98% of the time.