Sogon

A sound meter that measures from your baby’s ear. It checks the sleeping spot, toys, and videos, and tells you how to fix it if it is too loud.

Built because I run a white noise machine for my baby every night and worried it might be too loud. Measure for 10 seconds at your baby’s head height and it compares the average level (dB) with a guideline in green, yellow, or red. If it is too loud, it tells you in numbers how far to move the machine or whether to turn it down. Its own sleep sounds only play at levels that stay under 50 dB at your baby’s spot. The 50 dB guideline follows hospital newborn nursery noise limits, and the app is not a medical device.

The experience

• 10-second measurement at head height, color-coded against a 50 dB guideline
• Tells you in numbers how far to move the machine or whether to lower the volume
• Nine ad-free sleep sounds (white, pink and brown noise, rain, shushing and more), capped below 50 dB from the phone volume and distance, fading out over the timer’s last 10 minutes
• Toy, outing, and video checks, each judged against a limit that fits
• Sogon Plus (₩4,400, one-time purchase) unlocks sleep sounds, toy, outing and video checks, and record comparison. Measuring the sleeping spot and seeing how to make it quieter are free
• No recording, sign-up, ads, or analytics; records stay on your phone