Weary father invents iPad app to get his twin babies to sleep

  • Sleep-deprived parents all over the world are downloading the White Noise Ambience app

By
Kerry Mcqueeney

Last updated at 11:51 PM on 6th January 2012

Sleepless nights are the bane of every new parent’s life.

But one weary father has not only helped stop them – he’s making £60,000 a year in the process.

Matthew Nifield, 33, invented a phone app to send his twin daughters to sleep after he found certain sounds made them nod off.

Land of nod: Gwyneth (right) can barely stifle a yawn as she and twin sister Madeleine listen to the app created by father Matthew

Land of nod: Gwyneth (right) can barely stifle a yawn as she and twin sister Madeleine listen to the app created by father Matthew

App-y dad: Matthew with his popular White Noise Ambience app, displayed on an iPad

App-y dad: Matthew with his popular White Noise Ambience app, displayed on an iPad

The computer whizz created the White Noise Ambience app for iPads and iPhones and it is has been downloaded by exhausted parents all over the world. It has proved so popular he’s now making £60,000 a year.

The 33-year-old was having sleepless nights because one-year-old daughters Madeleine and Gwyneth would rarely fall asleep together.

But he noticed that some relaxing sounds would start them yawning and they would soon doze off.

Matthew started recording the gentle sounds of waves crashing,
rain falling onto a car roof and even a cat purring.

And whenever the twins were wide awake he would play one of the sounds to send them off.

Matthew said: ‘I looked on the iPhone app store for something to help them doze off but couldn’t find anything. So I created my own app called White Noise Ambience.

Daddy's sleepy girls: Matthew noticed some relaxing sounds would start his girls yawning and they would soon doze off

Daddy’s sleepy girls: Matthew noticed some relaxing sounds would start his girls yawning and they would soon doze off

‘It worked for my girls and now the app is available online – lots of tired parents are downloading it.’

Matthew, of Cardiff, South Wales, recorded 150 different sounds and
tried them out on his little girls, who were just six months old at the
time.

He said: ‘The girls’ favourite is waves crashing, there is something very peaceful about that.

‘But personally I like rain on a car – I normally drop off myself within about 10 minutes of that.’

Other
sounds on the app are, a steam train, frogs croaking in a rainforest,
and even the sounds of a sprinkler, tumble drier and lawnmower.

The app is so popular in America that Matthew is now living in California where he is designing other internet products.

He said: ‘It is earning me around £5,000-a-month.

‘There’s quite a considerable living to be earned from apps, especially one that involves a necessity like sleep!’

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
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The comments below have not been moderated.

The twins have lovely names.

It is not new that playing relaxing music helps babies and young children fall asleep faster! I am a qualified nursery nurse and worked in day nursery for over 20 years and I had a wide array of different music that I would put on at naptime to help the babies and toddlers fall asleep. I had a nature tape yes with waves crashing, a heatbeat tape, Mozart and Beethoven worked well and I even had a native american indian lullaby tape!

Necessity is the mother of invention!.

Getting on a bit, Hampshire, 07/1/2012 02:14 My son was just the same, happy and cheerful when awake, but honestly no need for sleep. But I suspect he would have been the one baby immune to this app – he was immune to all other methods lol.

My nephew used to go to sleep with the vacuum cleaner running. My kids liked the sound of their fans by the bed and now even as adults need a fan on to get them to sleep!

My youngest son is now 24 and was a very poor sleeper ,even as a tiny baby he just didn’t need it . 5 hours sleep in any 24 hour period was all he needed, until he finally reached his teens .and I can still feel the pain of those sleepless nights , I would have paid anything for a few hours sleep

The sound of the telly does it for my husband every time 🙂
Those are the sweetest little baby girls ! How wonderful that this led to such a nice success for the family !

My app is called a dog brain doze…………… I turn the telly on, and me and my dog are asleep within a few seconds………….. The scientific term for this is called “boring!”

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