17 best white noise machines for sweet dreams for your baby
Brb, off to the rainforest to catch some z's by a babbling brook.
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Whether you want to block out a noisy neighbour, a barking dog or just make your nursery a bit more zen, we've got a mum-approved white noise machine for you.
Getting enough sleep is without question one of the biggest issues most parents face in the first 12 months after having a baby. For something that is meant to come naturally, it’s amazing that for so many, it just doesn’t. As one of those mums who definitely struggled with sleep in the first year (well, actually, the first three years) I know that feeling of desperation when you are so exhausted you can’t function… and you’re so frustrated because it feels like every other kid is sleeping, except yours.
You don’t want advice - because you feel like no one understands - you just want a solution. For some, that solution is simply patience and time but for others, there are definitely devices - like nightlights, swaddles and noise machines - that can make a huge difference. For me, it was a combination of a lot of things - especially time - that helped my non-sleeper finally sleep through the night. But one constant for us was a white noise machine. It helped her relax, it helped block out sound from the street or the living room, and it provided a constant background noise to lull her back to sleep when she woke throughout the night.
I’ve tried a lot of these sound machines below at different points over my daughter's life and those that I haven’t, I’ve verified with other mums who have also had troubled little sleepers. Here’s hoping you find one below that works for you as well as they did for us.
Our top picks
BEST ALL-ROUNDER WHITE NOISE MACHINES
Nightlight, sound machine, sleep trainer... these hard-working machines do it all.
Dreamegg White Noise Machine, $52.49, Amazon
Dreamegg White Noise Machine
What you need to know:
The Dreamegg White Noise Machine is hugely versatile, with 24 soothing sounds to choose from depending on your own personal preference. There’s traditional white noise but also pink and brown noise (and if you didn’t know noise came in different colours, you can read more about it below!) and other soundscapes like ocean waves, rain and lullabies. It's compact and portable, has a subtle, warm-white nightlight and is stylish enough that it won't look out of place in your own room, if you don't want it simply for the nursery.
VTECH Safe and Sound Story Telling Soother, $99, Amazon
This friendly little turtle is the ultimate bedside companion. A nightlight and a sound machine, it comes pre-loaded with stories, lullabies and white noise and you can even record your own stories if you want your bub to fall asleep to the sound of your own voice. Handy, portable and extremely well-priced.
One purchaser commented, "We love our turtle and we've only had it a day! Simple to use and you get hours of stories and sounds off the bat. Baby boy fell asleep in 5 minutes after Alice in Wonderland started."
Project Nursery Sight & Sound Soother With Bluetooth, $80, Big W
This handy machine comes pre-loaded with two lullabies and six different soundscapes like rainforest, nature and white noise, but with bluetooth capability it also gives you the chance to stream your own sounds or music from your device. Finally, it can be used as a projector, to project calming, soothing images on the walls of your kid's room or nursery.
What you need to know:
This baby soothing device is handy and works a treat by calming your little one with rhythmic shush sounds. It's easy to take with you when out and about and has a 15 and 30 minute timing option with built-in sound sensor and user-controlled volume. "We have bought two of these sushers for us, as well as a couple as gifts for friends," commented one of many happy parents on Amazon. "The shusher is working amazingly to help sooth our child, now a toddler."
BEST WHITE NOISE MACHINE WITH NIGHT LIGHT
If your bub struggles with darkness, these might be good options...
Bubzi Co Soothing Sleep Owl, $59.95, Amazon
What you need to know:
This cute owl sleep aid offers soothing lullabies, heartbeat and white noise to keep baby calm and happy as well as galaxy rotating lights to mesmerise little minds. Plus it has a 30 minute auto turn-off, so pop it on and walk away.
One recent Amazon customer posted the comment, "My little one really enjoys it. Has many sounds and looks cute!"
aden+anais Serenity Star, $89.95, Temple & Webster
aden+anais Serenity Star
What you need to know:
This Serenity Star plays two lullabies, a heartbeat and white noise to help baby sleep soundly. It double up as a night light and temperature indicator, glowing either red, blue or white to report whether the room is above, below or at the ideal temperature. While it can be plugged in, it also runs on batteries for when you're out and about, making it completely portable. Plus, it has a feeding diary which records when you last fed you bub - and, if breastfeeding, from which side!
Playette Star Glow Cube, $34.95, Baby Bunting
Playette Star Glow Cube
What you need to know:
This is a great option for both new babies and older kids as it serves different functions. Babies might love the lullabies and soothing sounds that help them drift off to sleep, while older kids will delight at their bedroom being instantly turned into a magical galaxy, with stars projected on walls and ceilings with light that changes colour. This helps make their space a much more enticing place to be, especially if they're suffering any nighttime separation anxiety (and need a bribe to stay in their own room.) Many parents have left postive reviews, with one commenting, " One of my best purchases, love the soft music and variety of tunes,the moving lights on the ceiling and great it has a timer too would recommend to any mother for there little one!"
My Baby Sound Spa Lullaby with Projector, $54.99, Baby Bunting
My Baby Sound Spa Lullaby with Projector
What you need to know:
Another one that offers a great transition between baby and toddler, this night light projects gentle, calming images on the walls and ceiling to help your child feel less alone in their room. They might choose to fall asleep to the night sky, or by the seaside, or among a paddock of farmyard friends. There are also six soundscapes you can play - heartbeat, gentle rain, and ocean, or choose a lullaby like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Rock-A-Bye Baby, or Brahm's Cradle Song. The images and sounds can play by themselves or together. One reviewer said, "Great white noise machine with other tunes. We use every night, and sometimes play other tunes for nappy change distraction. Projector a handy distraction if room is dark too..."
Oricom Sound Soother With Nightlight, $64.95, Baby Bunting
What you need to know:
This is a handy and reasonably priced noise machine with a variety of different sounds, including lullabies, nature and white noise, plus the bonus of a night light with four adjustable brightness levels. It has a timer that you can set for 30 or 60 minutes, or you can leave it on all night. Many parents have found this to do the job, however some have found that the actual buttons were noisy to press and disturbed their sleeping babies.
BEST PORTABLE WHITE NOISE MACHINE
Portable sound machines are great if you have a kid who sleeps at home but can't settle while out and about, or they often sleep at their grandparent's house and you need something that will travel.
My Baby Sound Spa Portable, $20.40, Amazon
This handy sound machine clips onto the pram, nappy bag, cot - or anywhere you happen to be. It offers four soothing sounds, including heartbeat, ocean, lullaby and of course white noise. It uses AAA batteries (not included) and has an auto-off timer for 15, 30, or 45 minutes.
There are hundreds of five-star reviews from parents who have tried the portable My Baby Sound Spa such as "Has 4 timer settings, but I use the continuous one to get us through the night. Helps keeps bubs asleep and calms her down. Wish I had gotten one of these when I had my first."
Another one wrote,"I bought this to help my daughter to transition from NICU to home and it worked brilliantly. This thing is a must have for us."
Marpac Hushh Portable White Noise Machine for Baby, $82.23, Amazon
Marpac Hushh Portable White Noise Machine
What you need to know:
This super handy and fully portable noise machine is USB chargeable and can operate for a whole night on a single charge. So, unlike many of the portable options, you don't have to worry about your baby stirring when it switches off after 15 minutes, making it ideal for long trips. It doesn't play music, but it plays bright white noise (like the sound of an airplane), deep white noise (like the sound of a fan) and the sound of crashing waves.
Vtech Soother Portable Monkey, $31.20, Big W
Vtech Monkey Portable Soother
What you need to know:
This cheeky little monkey plays five lullabies and five soothing sounds and has a soft, glowing nightlight along with a rechargeable battery. This one has been a hit with plenty of parents, one of the reasons being, it doesn't turn itself off after a certain time - although there is that option if you want.
Skip Hop Stroll & Go Portable Baby Soother Owl, $45, Skip Hop
What you need to know:
Another handy device, this friendly little owl is super easy to use and offers two lullabies and two nature sounds and will play up to 60 minutes at a time, with an adjustable volume control. With a silicone strap, it will attach to a stroller, a bag, wherever you need it to, but it also can stand flat if needed.
One happy customer left the comment, "We’ve used this for our twin boys since they were newborns. They’re now 2.5, and we use it for naps and the first hour of their sleep at night. Works great!"
My Baby Soundspa On-The-Go, $15.30, Amazon
What you need to know:
This handy portable option offers not only white noise but three other super soothing sounds including heartbeat, ocean and lullaby. It's battery operated and has an auto-off timer of 15, 30 or 45 minutes. It also comes with an integrated clip to attach to prams, strollers and nappy bags so you can have relaxing sleepy sounds wherever you go.
BEST NOISE TOYS
These are great options to grow with your child. A friendly presence in the room when they're babies, and a cosy pal to cuddle when they're a toddler.
Cloud B Tranquil Turtle, $79.99, Myer
What you need to know:
If your little one is more into sea life than outer space, they might love this friendly little turtle pal, who comes with two sounds - ocean waves or a tranquil melody - and whose shell glows and projects calming ocean waves onto the ceiling or the walls.
One parent left a review online saying, "I love how relaxing this product is. The quality of the underwater light effect it gives off to the ceiling makes me feel like I’m standing at the bottom of the ocean. My newborn is mesmerised and soothed by the water effect and sounds as he falls asleep within a matter of minutes gazing at the way it reflects onto the walls. The features & vibe this product give off is so beautiful, it’s as though it’s transporting us to paradise."
Ewan the Dream Sheep, $69.95, Baby Bunting
Ewan The Dream Sheep
What you need to know:
We bought Ewan for my terrible sleeper when she was about two months old. He plays gentle music and has a heartbeat to mirror the sound and look of a mother's womb - perfect for super young bubs who haven't quite adjusted to the outside world yet. Super soft for your baby to cuddle up to while they're falling asleep, he also has a velcro strap you can grip safely onto a cot rail or a handle so he's out of the way and not a SIDS risk.
Apunol Rechargeable Baby Sleep Soother, $44.99, Amazon
Apunol Baby Sleep Soother
What you need to know:
This super cute cuddly bear offers soothing white noise as well as 18 lullabies to choose from and a comforting night light projector. It comes with an auto-off timer and best of all it recharges via a USB so you don't have to worry about stocking up on batteries.
What’s the point of using a white noise machine?
Essentially white noise just refers to sound that masks other sound in the environment. That might be traffic, neighbourhood dogs, other kids in the house or construction noise. There are lots of different kinds of white noise - it might be rainforest sounds, waves, music or just a general hum. Baby white noise machines will often come with a heartbeat function to mimic the sound of being in the mother's womb. Studies have found that white noise can help up to 80 percent of newborns fall asleep after five minutes of hearing white noise, so there's definitely an argument to be made that it does work.
What are the pros and cons of using a white noise machine?
White noise is undeniably great at blocking out any kind of noise - either monotonous, background noise or sudden, startling noise - that might keep your bub awake. They can also help your baby transition between sleep phases and stages.
The main disadvantage is that your baby or child can become dependent on the machine and it may not always be available - like when travelling, or in childcare, or at their grandparents house. Obviously portable sound spas are great with this, but again, you can't always control every single aspect of your baby's sleep routine. The other thing to remember is that not every baby is the same and not every baby will actually enjoy white noise. I'd suggest trialling a few different sounds to see if there is one that sticks, but if they don't seem to respond, it might simply be they prefer quiet when it comes to falling asleep.
I’ve heard of white noise, but what is pink and brown noise? And which is best?
It's all to do with frequencies. White noise essentially is like the sound of a radio frequency. Pink noise is the same as white noise but is considered more soothing, with a reduced higher frequency - like rainfall or wind. Pink noise can be arguably more calming, rather than white noise which is considered mostly noise-cancelling. Brown noise is stronger, or "rougher" in sound, and might be something like a thunderstorm, heavy wind or pounding waves.
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