Shushing Sound Generator
Rhythmic shushing, the sound parents make over a crying baby without being taught it. Set the tempo from 25 to 60 shushes a minute, or hold one steady hush instead.
This sound is generated in your browser as it plays. It is not a recording, so nothing streams and nothing is downloaded.
Each burst is scheduled on its own, with about 15% of variation in the timing and a little in the level, so the rhythm never repeats exactly.
The sound keeps playing with the screen off or locked wherever the browser allows it, and your lock screen gets a play and pause control. Some phones stop background audio anyway, so try it on your own device before you count on it for a whole night.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored on a server.
Sound fades in when you press Play and fades out when you stop.
Audio starts on your first tap on Play, as required by your browser.
Playing sound near a baby
Sound machines are common and the evidence behind them is thin. These are the precautions the published guidance supports.
- Keep the sound near 50 dB at the baby's ear. That is about as loud as a quiet conversation.
- Put the device at least 2 m (7 ft) from the crib, and never inside it.
- Use the lowest volume that settles your baby. Louder is not better.
- Use the sleep timer instead of playing all night, and turn the sound off once your baby is asleep.
- Phone and tablet speakers vary, so the volume slider on this page is not a level meter. A free sound level meter app gives you a rough check at the crib.
A 2014 study in Pediatrics measured 14 infant sleep machines and found every one could exceed 50 dBA at 30 cm at maximum volume, which is why the precautions above are about distance, level and playing time. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not endorse white noise for babies and asks for caution, and the one small trial people cite in its favor covered only 40 newborns; all three sources are below.
This page is not medical advice and these tools treat nothing. They mask other sound, and many parents find that soothing. Ask your pediatrician about your own baby.
Sources
How it is made
Each shush is a burst of noise through a band filter near 2 kHz, the band your mouth makes when you say shh, shaped by a rise, a hold and a fall that all scale with the tempo. A quiet bed sits underneath so the gaps are not silent.
How to use it
Match the tempo to your baby: faster while the crying is loud, slower as it eases. Settle mode starts 6 dB above your volume and steps back down over six minutes, so you do not have to reach for the slider with your hands full.
Honest limits
This is generated sound, not a person and not a recording of one. It masks other noise in the room. Many parents find shushing soothing, but nothing here is a treatment and no sound replaces care.
Frequently asked questions
What tempo should I use?
Start near 60 a minute over a crying baby and slow it down as they settle; many parents end up near 30. There is no researched figure, so use what works and keep the volume low.
What does the steady option do?
It holds the same 2 kHz band open with no rhythm, a continuous hush instead of separate breaths. Some babies settle better on a steady sound and others need the rhythm, so both are here.
Does shushing work?
Shushing is old and widespread, and the evidence for it is thin. One small study from 1990 found that more newborns fell asleep quickly with white noise than without, but it covered 40 babies. Treat it as something to try, not something proven.
Is this a recording of someone shushing?
No. It is filtered noise shaped by an envelope, generated in your browser as it plays. Nothing streams and nothing is downloaded.