Fan heater radio show 'soothes babies' in Portsmouth Published duration 5 November 2016

image copyright Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

A new radio station is broadcasting the sound of fan heaters and other domestic appliances to try to help babies sleep.

Sleepyhead Radio, based in Hampshire, said it was the first station in the world to offer the service to parents.

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

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

The idea for the station was developed by presenter Sam Oakley, who said she had played tumble-dryer sounds to soothe her son, and wanted to share the ideas with other families.

'Oasis of calm'

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

She and her husband decided to make recordings of other household sounds, including a vacuum cleaner and the "soft pulsing" of a dishwasher, which they later sold online.

She said she hoped her radio show would "create an oasis of calm for new parents".

Associate professor Cathy Hill, a consultant in sleep medicine at Southampton Children's Hospital, said constant white noise may soothe babies by offering a familiar environment and by "masking" other sounds that could disturb them.

But she cautioned: "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."

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