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Is there a disadvantage if the parents try to be very very silent when the baby is sleeping? For example making sure that TV and mobiles are muted, no dish or clothes washing is taking place and all conversations are being very silent even if they take place very far from the baby's room?

I'm afraid that if the parents do this for a long time (e.g until baby is 2 years old) afterwards the child will be very easily woken up by noises. Does this theory hold?

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    Not sure of the science of it all but from experience I'll tell you when babies want to sleep, they will sleep even if you're detonating your house around them. When they wake up, it's not always sound that does it. Certain vibrations seem to wake my 3 year old. If I just walk past her room at night she somehow detects me and wakes up. I wouldn't worry about making some noise. I probably would not detonate the house, but you know your routine more than anyone else.
    – Kai Qing
    Sep 14, 2015 at 20:51

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A quick Google search revealed multiple articles on why NOT to be silent when a baby is sleeping. Most articles mention that

  • The womb is actually very noisy, in fact its louder than being in a room with a vacuum cleaner.
  • And learning to sleep in total silence can actually cause the child to wake easier at normal household noises such as the dishwasher or laughter.

Heres a blurb from this article:

"Everybody thinks you've got to tip-toe around the baby sleeping but actually the womb, it's a dynamic world for babies," he continued. "The sound inside is actually louder than a vacuum cleaner, 24-7. So to bring a baby into a quiet room is actually weird for them."

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I watched a documentary called "The secret life of babies". They said that the mom's hearts in the womb sound at 80 dB (very noisy). They show also a baby peacefully sleeping in a car with a noisy motor. One of the best advices I've received is: "The baby gets used to the home, no the home to the baby". Do a normal life around him/her, it's the best...in the future you can vacuum around him/her sleeping without problems.

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You would be conditioning the baby to require absolute silence to stay asleep after enough time. They are born with the habit of sleeping with lots of noise in the womb. It is understandable that parents would not want to risk waking up a baby, but remember that you are changing what they are accustomed to when you do this. Also, long-term effects, it's typically easier to find an environment with ambient noise and periodic disturbances than it is to find absolute silence -- picture their sleep conditions when they go to college or get their first apartment.

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