Dad Plays White Noise To Help Baby Sleep, Doesn’t Go To Plan

A dad-of-two from the U.K. got the wrong end of the stick when he was trying to put his 1-year-old down for a nap.

Joe, who asked for his last name not to be published, was informed by his wife, Alice, that white noise could be a useful hack for sleep. But it didn’t take long for the father to see that getting some shut-eye was the last thing on his baby’s mind.

Joe told Newsweek that his daughter, who recently turned 1, is just like him. “She loves music—she already had her favorite songs—so, as soon as I played it, she started dancing,” the proud dad said.

Research has shown that white noise can help soothe babies and promote better sleep. The science behind true white noise refers to consistent, gentle background sound that mimics the calming environment of the womb.

One study, for example, found that white noise helped 80 percent of newborns fall asleep within five minutes, compared to 25 percent in a control group.

Joe, however, had something else in mind. The track he played was “White Noise” by the U.K. electronic house band Disclosure featuring AlunaGeorge.

In his TikTok video, Joe’s baby holds onto her crib rails and dances enthusiastically to the dance track with a big smile on her face.

“Help! My wife told me that if I played white noise our baby would nap but it’s not working,” Joe wrote in the text overlay.

His clip has received over 2.8 million views over the course of three days and even got the attention of the two original artists themselves. AlunaGeorge commented to say that she’s “passing out” and questioned whether she was a role model or bad influence.

Disclosure’s TikTok account also found it hysterical and told Joe that it was the “correct choice” for his daughter. Alice even commented that this was not the white noise she was referring to. “The wife has stitched you up,” another user wrote under the viral video.

Joe said that he always wanted to make a comedy sketch with a play on words, but told Newsweek that he didn’t expect any more than a few likes. “The reaction is crazy! I had a sneaky feeling people would like the video,” he added.

In the end, Joe turned off the music and played some real white noise for his baby daughter. “She had an hour nap,” he said.