I Didn’t Know How Great a Sound Machine Could Be Until I Bought This One

When I became a single mom, I decided to give my daughter’s dad her first-gen Hatch Rest+. We’d had it since she was born, but only one person could keep the sound machine. In an effort to maintain consistency, I figured I’d just buy the same one — until I realized it wasn’t sold anymore. Hatch had moved on to its second iteration.

I asked moms I knew to brief me on the other major players in the sound machine space, and after conducting my own research, ultimately decided that if it wasn’t broken, I didn’t need to fix it. Our second-gen Hatch Rest has (almost) everything our original Hatch sound machine had, plus a little bit more. In my opinion, Hatch is still best-in-class, which is also why it was a parent-picked winner of Cubby’s 2024 Nursery Awards. I have no regrets about getting another sound machine from them.

There were four boxes my daughter’s new sound machine had to check.

• It has to be easy enough for a toddler to use. Building up my daughter’s independence has always been important to me, for both of our sakes. If she has to come to me for help every time she wants to turn the machine on and off, much less change the settings, we’re both going to end up frustrated.
• It has to have plenty of options. Young kiddos are notoriously picky, and their preferences can change daily. I didn’t want to end up wasting money because my daughter decided she’s over white light or pink noise. It also makes both of us feel good when she has some level of choice and autonomy.
• It has to be WiFi-enabled. While smart devices aren’t usually a priority for me, we all know how sneaky toddlers can be. I wanted to be able to keep an eye on and control the machine, even if I wasn’t in the room.
• It has to blend in aesthetically. I believe bedrooms should be a place of calm, helping us wind down and get a restful night of sleep. Personally, I find that harder to do when I’m visually overstimulated. When not in use, I wanted the sound machine to just fade into the background.

• Name: Hatch Rest 2nd gen Dream Machine
• Model: HBREST2
• Price: $59.99

We’ve owned this sound machine since late November 2023, which has given us seven months (five days a week) to test it. The entire time I mentally compared it to our first-gen Hatch Rest+, as well as the other sound machines moms I know own. Every new Hatch sound machine comes with a free trial for their Hatch+ subscription — either for seven days if you plan on paying monthly, or a month if you plan on paying annually — so we had the opportunity to try that for seven days.

Gosh, where to begin? To be clear, I started out as biased because I really enjoyed our original Hatch sound machine, but starting my research over again made me appreciate the same features a little extra and think more critically about the different ones.

• It functions as a nightlight, too. I didn’t mind springing for a night light if I found a superior sound machine without one, but I’m glad I didn’t have to. Work smarter, not harder, right? I also appreciate that you can program the lights and sounds to work separately or together.
• It looks good. I wanted something that would blend in, and it really does. If my daughter wants to keep this with her through college, she can. There’s nothing childish about it — it’s sleek, simple, and neutral.
• My daughter knows how to use it by herself. It only took a minute to run through the instructions: Tap the top for a few seconds to turn on the Rest, tap the top quickly to cycle through color/sound combos, use the left back button to adjust the brightness, the middle back to turn on the white light, and the right back to adjust the volume. Done. No need to ask Mom for help!
• The app is intuitive. I’m impressed by how user-friendly the app is. Setting up the Hatch Rest is just as straightforward as it was before, and it doesn’t take long to figure out how to adjust the (many) settings. This is coming from someone who doesn’t like playing around with apps, by the way.
• There are so many choices. Routines, sounds, light colors, brightness — what can’t you customize? We have more options with this sound machine than we did with our first-gen Hatch Rest+, which can be overwhelming but also fun. While we don’t have as much programmed as others, people swear by creating time-for-bed and stay-in-bed routines, which involves picking colors and/or sounds that signify when your kiddo should be going to sleep and when they can leave their room in the morning.
• It has a clock. My daughter is obsessed with numbers and time right now. She likes to look at the clock to know if I’m sneaking an early bedtime on her or if she got to stay up late. Meanwhile, I like that I can check what time it is without having to pull out my phone.
• My daughter loves it. If she didn’t, what would be the point? Bedtime is easier when your child has something to look forward to, and turning on the Hatch Rest is one of the last parts of our routine. It’s even a means of self-expression for her: The light color she chooses is usually indicative of her favorite color at the moment.

For as many pros as there are, there are also a few cons. None of them are deal-breakers for me, but worth considering — particularly if you’re a techie.

• The app doesn’t always stay connected to the machine. For whatever reason, this seems to be a common issue, and it was with our first-gen Rest+ too. Because of that, I don’t take advantage of the sounds, songs, and routines very much — after moonlighting as tech support a few times, it just wasn’t worth it. However, this doesn’t bug me as much as it might others because our Rest still does everything we need it to regardless. It’s also possible that you’ll have better luck than me (or more patience)!
• They have a paid subscription. You don’t need the subscription to use the machine, and I support giving users the option! My issue is paying for the $4.99/mo or $49.99/yr Hatch+ subscription, which gives you access to extra content, doesn’t make sense when you factor in how often the app disconnects from the Rest. (FWIW: We use Toniebox and Echo Pop Kids for stories and songs instead, and I do think we get more variety from them.)
• The second-gen Rest isn’t chargeable. Something I loved about our first-gen Hatch Rest+ was how my daughter could bring it into my room if she wanted to snuggle by just unplugging the cord from the machine. There was no reason to go near the outlets! Why didn’t I get the Hatch Rest+ second gen, which does have a chargeable battery? Excellent question. I’d love to remember.

Buy it: Hatch Rest 2nd Gen Dream Machine, $59.99 from Hatch

See all the 2024 Cubby Nursery Award winners here!