Putting baby to sleep? Tune in to Britain's Sleepyhead Radio channel for the sound of domestic appliances

A new British radio station aims to put your baby to sleep. PHOTO: ST FILE

Have problems putting your baby to sleep?

You can try turning on the radio, according to a new Hampshire-based radio station in Britain. Sleepyhead Radio is broadcasting the sound of fan heaters and other home appliances to get babies to sleep.

It said it was the first station in the world to offer the service to parents, BBC reported.

The pop-up station's 24-hour transmissions also include sounds of a garden water feature and waves.

Presenter Sam Oakley came up with the idea for the radio station. She said she had played tumble-dryer sounds to soothe her baby son, and wanted to share ideas with other parents.

Ms Oakley said her son George, now 13, would stop fidgeting and fall soundly asleep within five minutes when she turned the dryer on.

This inspired her husband and her to create recordings of other domestic appliances like a vacuum cleaner and a dishwasher. They sold these recordings online.

Ms Oakley expressed hope that her radio show would "create an oasis of calm for new parents".

However, a sleep consultant has cautioned parents not to rely on such a method to help their baby, as a range of health issues might be disrupting their sleep, BBC said.

Associate professor Cathy Hill, a consultant in sleep medicine at Southampton Children's Hospital, said constant white noise may relax babies by creating a familiar environment and by "masking" other disruptive sounds.

"Normal healthy babies do not need that. In my clinic, I would never apply a solution without understanding the problem.

"If babies can't sleep, it could be sleep apnoea or a myriad of other reasons," she was quoted as saying in the BBC report.

The station will be on air for the next few weeks, as part of a trial of small-scale digital services in the Portsmouth area.

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