How to Help Children Fall Asleep with a Water Fountain

Water fountain sounds mimic the sounds babies hear in utero, instinctively helping them relax. Fountains are an inexpensive, attractive alternative to white noise machines, adding a decorative touch as well as filling the room with the soothing sound of flowing water. The naturally relaxing resonance produced by falling water in a fountain blocks out distracting household noises, helping your children fall asleep—and stay asleep.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tabletop or wall fountain
• High shelf
• Fountain algaecide

1. Choose a small tabletop or wall fountain for your child's bedroom. There are many different styles of fountains, but all of them produce a relaxing water sound, so focus on choosing one that you like or that matches the room's décor.

2. Place the fountain high above children's reach, making sure that the cord is not situated where they can pull on it. Use cord covers, or have an outlet specially installed for the fountain.

3. Pour water fountain until it's about an inch from the top of the basin, and then plug in the pump.

4. Add an all-natural, chemical-free fountain algaecide to the fountain water as directed on the bottle. It will help prevent the growth of algae and bacteria in the water.

5. Turn the fountain on at the start of your child's bedtime routine, so they'll associate the water sounds with sleep.

6. Add more water to the fountain as needed to make up for evaporation.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you place the fountain in a convenient enough place for you to reach it to turn it on and maintain it. Some parents like to have the outlet used for the fountain connected to a wall switch so it's really easy to turn on and off.
• If the water sound is not loud enough, unplug the pump and slide the flow adjustment switch to the "high" position.
• Don't allow the fountain to sit for long periods without running it, or bacteria can develop. If you need to keep it off for longer than a few days, pour the water out and re-fill when you're ready to use it again.
• Read the label of any fountain water treatment carefully before using it around children. Never keep the bottle where they can reach it.
• Never let the fountain pump run dry–make sure it's always covered with water or it will burn out.

Resources

• You can find tabletop fountains, wall fountains and all-natural fountain algaecides at Kinetic Fountains.

[demelza]

on 2/16/2009 what a great idea. i remember, my kids always went to sleep as soon as we started driving, maybe that noise is soothing also. i will pass this idea on.