Bad Noise

This was an interesting article. And I have to say I'm not sure if I buy that "noise" is bad. Firstly, have you ever experianced time with a baby who's used to quiet? They wake up if a floorboard squeaks and become fearful at loud sudden noises. Lots of stress and tiptoeing around.
Our house? Well, lets just say Sasha can sleep thru the Apocalypse. But then again, there are a lot of mediterraneans in our genepool. Loudness comes naturally.
I think having been exposed to loud background noise that can often be sudden and startling from the womb has made him a more easygoing baby. KerryGirl barking her head off at 2am because the neighbor's kegger has spread to our backyard (and over our fence) doesn't even phase him. A roadwork crew even came in a few days ago with jackhammers to work on the water main. Nothing.
And he's not deaf. I have tested it by sitting just outside his door holding the video monitor and singing a happy song very softly. He smiles and looks around for me.
We play classical music softly in his room when it's nap or bedtime. It's part of our routine and has helped to signal that it's sleepytime. It also helps keep him from getting used to the house ever being too quiet. Do I consider this damaging? Not at all. No more so than a music box or any similar device parents have used for generations to soothe babies to sleep.
We also do tend to leave the tv in the living room on. And no, not on PBS...Nickelodeon. It's not for us. It's for the dogs. The happy songs during Nick Jr. and cartoonish voices seem to elevate their mood, keep them from being naughty, and distract KerryGirl from her protection drive.
Meanwhile while I'm home you'll typically find Sasha and I *upstairs*.
I'm in my office working, and usually narrating everything I do while he sits in my lap, plays on the floor, or enjoys his bouncy seat.
So yes, we have a background noise 24/7. Do we watch a lot of TV? Yeah, we do--in the evenings. We have a DVR so can watch what we want when we want and not be bothered with commercials. We also have the ability to pause the television if Sasha wakes up or any other priority. We cannot watch TV when he is awake because we cannot understand what is going on. We both have a bit of hearing loss and a reasonable volume level is more than drowned out by Sasha's own.
Personally, I think if the noise that comes out of our mouths drowns out any TV, radio, etc. we're doing good. He should have *NO* trouble figuring out what voice is coming from where .