Tap the orb to play
Phone browsers pause sound when the screen locks. For naps in your arms this page is enough. For the whole night, the app plays with the screen off and answers when your baby stirs.
Coming to the App Store
What the womb sounds like
For the last three months of pregnancy your baby could hear. What reached them was never silence. It was a low, steady world: the mother's heartbeat, the whoosh of blood through the arteries of the womb, her breathing and digestion, and voices from outside, softened by tissue and fluid until only their warm, low parts were left.
Researchers who have placed tiny microphones inside the uterus describe it as surprisingly loud and constant, and dominated by low frequencies. High sounds barely get through. That is why real womb sounds feel darker and more muffled than ordinary white noise.
The player above rebuilds that world from scratch: a muffled bed of brown noise, a whoosh that swells with every heartbeat, a soft lub-dub with the small natural variation of a real heart, and a slow swell of breathing. It is generated live, so it never loops and there is no seam to wake up to.
Why womb sounds calm newborns
Newborns arrive after nine months of constant sound, movement and warmth. Many paediatricians call the first three months after birth the fourth trimester: a baby who is ready to be born, but not yet used to a quiet, still, bright world.
Bringing back a little of the womb, by holding, gentle rocking and a steady low sound, can switch on a baby's natural calming reflex. Sound is often the easiest part to add. It reaches a baby in a crib, a pram or a car seat, and it masks the sudden noises of a house at night.
Every baby is different. Some settle to the heartbeat, some to the whoosh alone, some to plain white noise. Try the four wombs and notice which one your baby answers to.
How to use womb sounds safely
In 2014 researchers writing in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, tested 14 infant sleep machines. At full volume, every one was louder than the 50 dB limit recommended for hospital nurseries when measured 1 m from the crib, and some were loud enough at close range to put a baby's hearing at risk over time. What that means at home:
- Keep the speaker at least 2 m (about 7 ft) from the crib. Never put the phone or speaker inside the crib or on the rail.
- Use the lowest volume that works. At the crib it should stay under 50 dB, about the level of soft rainfall. If you would have to raise your voice to talk over it, it is too loud.
- Use the sleep timer, or turn it down once your baby is asleep, rather than running it loud all night.
- Womb sounds are a comfort, not a treatment. Keep following safe sleep advice: on the back, in a clear crib, in your room.
Source: Hugh SC et al., Infant Sleep Machines and Hazardous Sound Pressure Levels, Pediatrics, 2014.
Womb Sound for iPhone, for the whole night
A browser tab is fine for a nap in your arms. Nights need more: phone browsers pause sound when the screen locks, so this page can't play until morning. The app can.
- Plays all night with the screen off. If a call interrupts, it comes back softly.
- Listening: when your baby stirs, the womb grows a little louder and deeper for a few minutes, then eases back. The sound is analysed on your phone and never recorded.
- Make it your heartbeat: tap along to your own pulse and the womb beats at your pace.
- Sleep timers with long, gentle fades, and a morning page that shows how the night went.
- No account and no ads.
Coming to the App Store
Questions parents ask
Are womb sounds good for babies?
Many newborns settle more easily to a steady, low sound like the one they heard before birth, and many parents find it helps with falling asleep and with naps. It is a comfort, not a medical treatment. Keep it quiet and at a distance, and it can be part of a calm bedtime routine.
How long should I play womb sounds?
Play it while your baby falls asleep and during naps. Many parents set a 30 or 60 minute timer that fades out once the baby is asleep; others keep it on low through the night. Both are fine if the volume is low and the speaker is at least 2 m (7 ft) from the crib.
Is it okay to play womb sounds all night?
It can be, as long as it stays quiet: under 50 dB at the crib and at least 2 m away. The researchers behind the 2014 Pediatrics study advise low volume and shorter use, so if your baby doesn't need it all night, a timer that fades out is the gentler choice.
How loud should womb sounds be?
Quieter than you think. Aim for under 50 dB at your baby's head, about the level of soft rainfall. A sound meter app on your phone can check it. Start low and only turn it up if your baby needs it.
When should I stop using womb sounds?
There is no fixed age. Womb sounds matter most in the first months, and many parents start to wean somewhere between 6 and 12 months, or once sleep is settled. Lower the volume a little every few nights, or use a shorter timer, until you no longer need it.
Heartbeat or white noise: which is better for baby sleep?
White noise is an even hiss across all frequencies. Womb sounds are lower and muffled, with the rhythm of a heartbeat and the whoosh of blood flow, closer to what your baby actually heard. Some babies prefer one, some the other. Flow, the whoosh without a beat, sits in between.
Do womb sounds help with colic?
We can't promise that, and no sound treats colic. Some parents find that a steady, low sound helps a crying baby settle while being held and rocked. If your baby cries for long stretches, won't settle, or you are worried, talk to your doctor or health visitor.
Why does the sound stop when I lock my phone?
Phone browsers pause web audio when the screen locks or you switch apps. Keep this page open with the screen on, or use the Womb Sound app, which plays all night with the screen off.
Does this page record or track anything?
No. The player makes the sound inside your browser, uses no microphone, sets no cookies and has no ads or trackers.