High Maintenance Mom

I had been using my humidifier to soothe my baby when a friend showed me their white noise machine (Marpac White Noise Machine Sleep Mate Sound Screen 980 Dual Speed Sound Conditioner) which can be purchased via amazon.com. I bought it and am very pleased with it. The small and light design allows me to pack it right in the suitcase when traveling and the dual sound speeds allow me to set it for times when we have company and the house is louder. My daughter loves it and I have since suggested it to several friends. My only concern was a few passing articles I had seen about the long term effects of white noise on rats. While the findings were not great (www.hhmi.org/news/chang.html) they did mention that the rat is not a perfect model of human auditory development. I was able to find many more articles online about the soothing and very real benefits of white noise. After speaking with my daughter's pediatrician, my husband and I concluded that the decibel level of the white noise machine noted above was not enough to warrant concern. I will definitely purchase another one for my next child.