How to Soundproof a Baby Room
Setting up the nursery is one of the most important steps in preparing for a new baby’s arrival. In addition to selecting the fun design components such as colors, toys, furniture, and decorations, soundproofing the space is also critical to the baby’s comfort, as well as your own. Soundproofing any room has numerous benefits:
- Decreasing outside noises, especially if the home is part of a multi-unit apartment building or on a highly trafficked street, helps the baby sleep better.
- Babies will make noise and sometimes need to cry it out, and soundproofing the nursery prevents sounds from echoing throughout the house or reaching neighboring apartments.
- Family members won’t need to worry about being too noisy elsewhere in the house and disturbing the baby sleeping in the nursery.
Soundproofing, as well as a good baby monitor, will make these exciting, early days more peaceful and comfortable for everyone. Whether you’re in a house or apartment, an owner or a renter, there are numerous, easy ways to soundproof a baby room without breaking the bank.
Install a Solid-Core Door
Interior doors from hallways into rooms are often far from soundproof as they are frequently constructed with thin materials and are hollow on the inside, which do little for soundproofing. If you’re not sure what kind of door you have to your nursery, simply knock on it or try to have a conversation through it. If it feels hard and thick like the front door of your house, it’s a solid door. If you and another person can have an audible conversation through the closed door or it feels closer to hard cardboard when knocked upon, it’s likely hollow.
An easy solution is to simply replace the door to the baby’s room with a solid-core door. For a few hundred dollars, this can be a worthwhile investment for homeowners. However, installing a new door may not be an option for renters (of either apartments or houses), as the landlord’s permission would be necessary for such an upgrade.
Soundproof the Existing Door
If replacing a hollow-core door is not possible, too big a hassle, or you would like additional soundproofing for an existing solid-core door, there are a few things to try.
Seal off air leakage around the door:
- Apply an acoustical sealant to the door frame.
- Add weatherstripping to the sides of the door.
- Install a door sweep at the bottom of the door.
Add mass to the room-side of the door:
- Acoustical soundboard.
- Mass-loaded vinyl.
- A thick, sound-absorbing blanket.
Carpeting
Reducing impact noise is crucial to soundproofing any space, and the best way to do this is with carpeting. Hardwood flooring projects sound while carpeting dampens it. Wall-to-wall carpets, especially thick ones, will decrease the room echo while at the same time muffle any vibrations and impact noises, such as walking across the floor in high heels, running, etc.
If installing wall-to-wall carpeting is out of reach or not possible where you live (landlords may not permit renters to install it), thick area rugs will also do the trick. Wool and tufted rugs are better at dampening noise than cotton or flat-woven rugs.
Soundproofing Acoustic Panels for the Walls
A similar solution to upgrading the door is applying soundproof wall paneling inside the baby’s room. These days there are many soundproofing panels available that come in myriad styles, shapes, and colors, making them a practical, functional, and customizable choice. There are even panels with nursery-themed illustrations that will fit well with any baby room’s design.
Window Soundproofing
Soundproofing windows is imperative when planning and setting up the baby room to avoid outside noise (that you cannot control) from affecting their sleep. Options include:
- Applying acoustical sealant and weatherstripping. Similar to sealing off air leakage around the door, this is an easy and affordable process.
- Installing sound-absorbing curtains or drapes. Like other fabrics, sound-absorbing curtains or drapes deaden sound rather than blocking it out entirely and can be coordinated by design to match the rest of the nursery.
- Replacing single-pane windows with double-pane windows. This solution is more expensive and may not be feasible for renters.
- Installing soundproof window inserts. A smaller investment than replacing the entire window, soundproof window inserts reduce and cancel noise (up to 50–70%*), which is especially important if the window oversees a high-traffic area. They are affordable, cut to fit, and easy to install and remove.
Other Considerations
- White noise machines: Not all noise is bad — white noise can be soothing for a baby and muffle noise from outside the room. Many white noise machines on the market today are specifically designed for infants, adhering to the recommended low decibel level for babies (at or below 50 dB), and feature calming lullaby or heartbeat sounds.
- Furniture: Placing furniture against walls helps muffle sounds, such as a bookshelf full of books and stuffed animals or a dresser full of clothes. Fabric decorations on the walls are another way to incorporate soundproofing into the nursery’s design. Pillows on a comfy, upholstered armchair will also absorb unwanted sound.
- Multi-color, solid foam exercise mats for children: Kids gym mats are a fun, popular surface for infants to safely play on while also helping to dampen sound. Just like carpets, it’s important to make sure the mats are non-toxic and kept clean.
- Extreme measures: For homeowners remodeling or building new spaces or additions, extreme and expensive options include installing extra insulation designed specifically for acoustics or additional drywall.
- Setting up the nursery in your house or apartment can be one of the more fun and rewarding projects before the baby arrives. Soundproofing helps create a tranquil place for the baby to rest and sleep, as well as giving you peace of mind.
Indow is here to help determine which soundproof window inserts will work best for your space. Contact Indow today for a free estimate.
*We want to ensure our inserts help solve your noise problem. Overall noise reduction depends on the amount of noise coming through your walls, ceilings, floors, doors, and existing windows. Noise reduction will be less when placed over double-pane windows. Read our full Noise Reduction Sheet to learn more.
Customer Reviews
4.49 Average 1490 Reviews
Jen F
Worth the money!
Elizabeth H
For townhouse living, this solved my problem with noise from my neighbor's with my kitchen window. A considerable decrease of noise indeed! Measurements were a bit frustrating so I recommend using a laser measurement device and following directions to use a string for the diagonal. They look great and were easy to push into place. I highly recommend as an alternative to buying a new window.
Anonymous
Easy to install, and instantly stopped drafts and dampened outside noises very effectively!
Robert C
The process could've been smoother with the sending of the measuring kit. There was a delay with weather in Oregon but then it felt like my kit was still delayed due to other reasons. Most new homes (like mine) have textured paint and it can also be inside your window frames. I measured everything out but I still have little tiny gaps due to the texturing. Not indows problem but just be aware you made need to sand or fill in those gaps yourself to get a perfect seal. I did the acoustic grade inserts and they have reduced some noise but they will not completely block or significantly reduce road noise. This is most apparent with deep or lower frequencies like truck exhausts or modified street racing cars that are quite popular these days. Taking the inserts out to open your windows isn't an easy task. The little metal hook they provide needs to be either bigger or you can attach something to it as a way to leverage yourself. Overall the process was average. I think they're definitely a good option for weatherproofing and some sound reduction depending on the type of windows you have. I would purchase again.
Shelley C
The process for ordering and installing the Indow Widnow inserts was so easy. They sent the measuring information and it had great instructions. The inserts were delivered by UPS was crushed on one corner, but the company had packed them well, so there was no damage. We installed them the same day. It works best if you have two people completing the installation. We felt the results immediately and are glad we spent the money to make our home just a little more efficient.
Barry B
The insert fits like a glove and insulates the window! No more frost and condensation on the interior of the window! Thank you for an easy, effective and attractive fix!
Susan A
The support during the entire process was wonderful, thank you so much for the extra quiet space!
Volodymyr R
Very good good quality. Overall very satisfied with this product and service. Thanks
Jane H
Our home was built in 1913 and has beautiful old wavy glass single-paned windows. I’m so glad we were told about Indows and didn’t have to replace the original windows. We live in Canada but had no difficulty placing the order and were very impressed by how accurately the company met its deadlines, including cross border delivery. The Indows inserts blend in perfectly with our home and the existing window frames. You don’t see them unless you’re actually looking for them. But what we did notice was how much warmer the rooms feel the minute the inserts were installed! I can’t speak to any heating bill savings because they just went in this week, but our home feels much, much cozier. Our contractor who took all the measurements and installed the Indows says: “Excellent instructional videos: clear and informative. Very impressed with the design and the product. Overall, the ease of installation is quite impressive. Working with all the staff at the company was great – everyone was very helpful.” I’m already recommending this company to any of my friends who live in drafty older homes and want to reduce their heating/cooling bills and do some good for the environment.
Anonymous
Don't be afraid of buying an older home with single pane windows. This company has you covered. Their inserts are super high quality and fit well thanks to the laser measuring kit they send. Highly recommended!
Katie M
We purchased three Indows to reduce drafts and noise in our bedroom, which faces the street. The improvement was immediate. Our house was built in 1958 and although we have exterior storm windows we didn't want to replace the windows outright due to cost and architectural consistency. These were an excellent solution.
Matthew L
Indow inserts were easy to measure, order and install. They've provided great insulation for old single-pane and stained glass windows in an antique home. We can significantly feel how much better the home holds heat.
Ellis W
I ordered two Indow inserts for my home. They are doing a great job, entirely happy with them and the ordering process.
Elizabeth W
I can't say enough good things about this product and company. Our house is 101 years old and the sidelites next to our front door are single pane ancient wavy glass which means when it gets very cold (Chicago temps) we can have an inch of frost covering the INSIDE of our windows. I was desperately searching for a solution so our front vestibule was not so cold and a friend recommended Indow. The process could not have been simpler and the temperature difference it has made is off the charts.
Austin T
I have several historic single pane gridwork mullion windows. They're beautiful but have almost no thermal protection. Indows proved to be the perfect solution to preserve these windows while getting the thermal comfort we need. They were easy to install and work perfectly!