I always used to think that little ones needed silence to sleep well. It wasn’t until we sleep trained our four-month-old that we learned about how white noise for baby actually works better to encourage sleep, especially for newborns. It makes sense when you think about it. Before a baby is born, they’re surrounded by a ton of ambient noise—the sound of fluid around them, mom’s heartbeat, muffled voices, etc. Silence for them is foreign. For babies, white noise can feel familiar and comforting. Not to mention that it drowns out sounds (like a screaming toddler) that would otherwise interrupt their sleep.
There are a ton of options for sound machines, and they all have their own merits. But after testing out a few different products, these are my winners for the best white noise machine for baby in each of the following categories: ease of use, sound and lights, portability, and our overall top pick at the end.
Easiest-to-Use White Noise for Baby
The LectroFan Noise & Fan Machine was the first one we purchased and now even have one in our own room. It has 10 different types of white noise and 10 fan sounds and because it has one large speaker on the top, the white noise really carries, even on the lowest volume settings. (We’ve had a ton of people over and not once did the noise ever wake our sleeping baby.) It has built-in timer options and works with an AC adaptor or USB power source.
Best Baby Sound Machine with Projector
The Skip Hop Moonlight & Melodies Nightlight Soother has four calming lullabies and four nature sounds to choose from (white noise with a faint heartbeat being one of them). But it also works as a dimmable nightlight with stars and a moon that project on the ceiling. You can choose any combination of sound and lights, as well as set a timer or have it run all night. The elephant design would look super cute in any nursery, too.
Best Portable Sound Machine
I got the original Cloud B – Sleep Sheep as a gift. It has a Velcro fastener so you can safely attach it to a car seat handle. I found it worked the best for portability because of how soft and fuzzy it is—both of my kids loved snuggling with it while napping on the go. My only issue with it was that it only ran on a timer. Fortunately, there’s now an updated version—the Sleep Sheep Smart Sensor with Natural Soothing Sounds—that counters this problem. This new version has a sensor that supposedly reactivates the sound when baby starts moving again, plus three sound sensitivity levels that adjust based on the noise around you.
TOP PICK: Hatch Baby Sound Machine
The Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine Night Light & Time-to-Rise device is, in my opinion, the best white noise machine for baby, because it serves multiple purposes and is useful from the newborn stage right through to toddler. It has a choice of soothing sounds, including basic white noise, and a soft light that stays on all night. As your child gets older, you’ll love the time-to-rise setting where the light changes colour to let them know it’s okay to get out of bed for the day. The best part about this Hatch baby sound machine is that every setting—from brightness, to volume, to wake-up times—is adjustable from your smartphone, so you never even have to go in the room to make changes.
If you end up trying any of these products, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or shoot me a message and let me know what you think!
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