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You might be surprised to learn that babies need a lot of “noise” to fall asleep. We aren’t talking about loud televisions or car horns, but rather white noise, soft music, or lullabies, which can all work wonders in helping infants fall asleep faster. Just think about it: Your baby spent 40 weeks listening to your heartbeat and hearing you talk and breathe, and while that might not seem like much, babies get used to that noise to help them relax.
“I cannot recommend white noise machines enough,” says Mahaley Patel, a certified sleep consultant based in Los Angeles. “For newborns, they help recreate a womb-like environment, which is incredibly soothing during the fourth trimester. For babies and toddlers, white noise machines help cue that it’s time to sleep and can help them sleep deeper and longer.”
Sound machines are also great to drown out external noises like an unexpected doorbell or noisy roommates. “I also find them helpful when siblings share a room or have rooms close together, as they can help drown out sounds when one child is on a different nap/bedtime schedule than the other(s),” says Patel.
Choosing the right sound that best suits your baby can take a little trial and error. You can start with a sound machine that features songs, sounds, and white noise to see which one your baby likes the best. Many of these sound machines can be controlled through your smartphone or shut off by a timer, meaning you don’t have to worry about sneaking into your baby’s room to turn it off and risk waking them up. Check out our picks for the 13 best sound machines below.
Best Overall: Hatch Rest+ Sound Machine and Night Light
Best with Projector: Fisher-Price Smart Connect Deluxe Soother
Best with Night Light: VTech Wyatt the Whale Storytelling Soother with Projection Night Light
Best Portable: Baby Shusher Sleep Miracle Soother
Best White Noise: Yogasleep Marpac Dohm
Best Affordable: HoMedics MyBaby Portable SoundSpa
Best for Toddlers: Skip*Hop Moonlight and Melodies Elephant Sound Machine
Best Versatile: Project Nursery Smart Sound Soother
Best Plush: Cloud b Sleep Sheep
Best Vibrating: Halo SnoozyPod Vibrating
Best for Travel: SoundBub White Noise Machine and Bluetooth Speaker
Most Innovative: Skip*Hop Sloth Cry-Activated Soother
Best with Baby Monitor: Motorola All-in-One Smart Soother and Audio Baby Monitor
1 of 13 Image Credits: BuyBuyBaby
Best Overall
Hatch Rest+ Sound Machine and Night Light
We love this sound machine for its many features. Sounds, light color, brightness and timers can all be controlled via your smartphone after downloading the Hatch Baby app.
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Best with Projector
Fisher-Price Smart Connect Deluxe Soother
This calming sound machine comes with several different lighting and sound options. You can even set up a routine so your baby knows what to expect each night. You can also turn off the sound machine remotely, so there’s no need to wake baby by going into their nursery.
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Best with Night Light
VTech Wyatt the Whale Storytelling Soother with Projection Night Light
There are so many things to love about this sound machine. It’s shaped like an adorable whale, it projects a starry sky as a night light, and it plays stories in addition to music and sounds.
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Best Portable
Baby Shusher Sleep Miracle Soother
Rather than “shushing” your baby yourself all night, this sound machine does the work for you. Its small size makes it perfect to take on trips or even on walks to the park.
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Best White Noise
Yogasleep Marpac Dohm
This machine has been a go-to amongst parents for years. The reliable sound machine plays only one sound, and that’s a white noise “shushing” sounds controlled by a simple volume adjustment
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Best Affordable
HoMedics MyBaby Portable SoundSpa
This simple sound machine plays six different sounds and is great for taking on the go. You can choose from white noise, a heartbeat, or nature sounds like an ocean or brook.
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Best for Toddlers
Skip*Hop Moonlight and Melodies Elephant Sound Machine
There’s just something about an animal that’s soothing to babies and toddlers. This sound machine has easy-to-use buttons that your toddler can recognize and play with himself.
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Best Versatile
Project Nursery Smart Sound Soother
Hook up this sound machine to your Amazon Alexa-compatible device to use all its amazing features. Change the color of the night light, play lullabies or sounds, or set a shut-off timer with a simple voice command.
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Best Plush
With just a push of a button, this adorable plush sheep can help soothe your baby to sleep with soft sounds or a lullaby. It can be attached to a crib or a stroller and doubles as a sweet toy.
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Best Vibrating
Halo SnoozyPod Vibrating
Sometimes, babies need a little more than a sound machine to help them fall asleep, and a little vibration can go a long way. This device is designed to grow with your child and can be used on toddler and twin beds.
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Best for Travel
SoundBub White Noise Machine and Bluetooth Speaker
Clip this to a stroller, car seat, or suitcase for a portable experience. You’re able to create playlists, record your own voice messages or stories, or play one of the preloaded songs and sounds.
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Most Innovative
Skip*Hop Sloth Cry-Activated Soother
When your baby starts to cry, this sound machine will start to work by playing one of its sounds or lullabies. Once your baby no longer needs soothing sounds for bedtime, take out the sound box and enjoy the plush toy.
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Best with Baby Monitor
Motorola All-in-One Smart Soother and Audio Baby Monitor
This sound machine comes loaded with songs, sounds, and audiobooks. It also works as a two-way monitor that enables you to speak directly to your baby.
