For many parents, white noise is essential in creating a sound sleeping environment, but the Hatch Rest goes beyond the normal sound machine. It’s multi-functional, so not only does it offer several sound and volume settings, but it also has a time-to-rise feature and a night light. On top of that, everything can be programmed through an easy-to-use app, which means you never run the risk of walking in the room and disturbing the baby if you want to change the settings. My husband and I decided to test out the sound machine hybrid with our 18-month-old, who is approaching the toddler bed phase. Read on to see how well the white noise lulled our son to sleep—and if the time-to-rise feature actually worked.
Design: Sleek Hi-Tech Design
This is as sleek as sound machines get. The slightly tapered cylindrical device boasts a smooth white matte exterior, with a speaker on the top and buttons (for power, brightness, volume, skipping, and pause/play) hidden on the bottom. At 6 inches high and 4 inches wide, it can be tucked into a corner without impeding on your overall nursery design. On the other hand, fashionable “coverlets” are available (three for $11.99) if you decide to use it as a centerpiece in your nursery decor. As minimalist parents ourselves, we kept it simple with no cover. We thought the app was well-designed and easy-to-use as well, with volume and brightness controls as well as tabs along the bottom for light (select from a spectrum of shades), sound (choose from a variety of white noises and lullabies), timer (set the number of minutes or hours you want it to run), and programs (save settings for naptime or bedtime, as well as “time to rise”). It’s truly so intuitive, even our 7-year-old now knows how to navigate it. You can also control the device using the buttons on the bottom and by tapping the chrome ring that surrounds the speaker to cycle through pre-set sounds and lights. I found that the tap function was a little delayed at times, though, and I had to tap it more than once on several occasions to go to the next setting.
Setup Process: Longer than others
Because the Hatch Rest is accessible from your phone, the setup process is longer than a regular sound machine. I started by plugging in the included cord, a barrel style, into the back of the unit. Then, I set up the app on my phone and connected it to the Hatch Rest. Like most other parenting apps, this one asked me for some personal information including my child’s name and age. Once the app syncs to the device, it ran me through a quick tutorial, and I worked my way through the different settings. When it was time to test, my husband and I placed the Hatch Rest on the windowsill near our younger son’s crib.
Sound Quality: Great for what it is
There are several sound options, such as a forest, TV static, and even tumbling laundry, but we usually opted for a traditional wind sound, as my kids are accustomed to the Marpac Dohm Classic Sound Machine, which uses a real fan. We quickly learned that the Hatch Rest is a quality speaker. While you won’t be rocking out to the sounds it provides, we found that the quality is crisp. And after a few nights of figuring out the right settings for us, my kids were in sleep mode pretty quickly. The only issue we have is that the sounds are synthetic, so once the pre-recording has looped through to the end, you can hear where it stops and begins. The looping did not seem to bother either of my kids, but it did bother me when I caught it happening.
Range: Optimum volume
The speaker on this baby can get super loud! My kids sleep in a New York City apartment bedroom, so most sound machines are sufficient, but this one’s volume range is far superior to even our favorite, the Marpac Dohm. Despite some extra noisy nights, they still slept soundly, which I believe is due to the range the Hatch Rest was able to deliver.
Light Quality: Broad spectrum of shades, but could be distracting for some kids
My boys got a kick out of having me go through every color option on the app, ultimately landing on a traditional blue. (According to Hatch’s research, though, red-yellow hues are apparently the most calming for sleep.) The matte exterior makes for a more muted light. My toddler had never used any sort of night light or time-to-rise feature before, so starting while he was still in his crib was an interesting exercise because it’s helping us create those time-to-rise sleep signals before making the big switch. While the light was distracting for both my 7- and 1.5-year-old at first, we did eventually land on the dimmest light setting, which helped the novelty of the light in the room wear off after a few days.
Features: Plenty of settings that grow with your child
We figured out quickly that we should have owned this sound machine from the beginning of our parenting since it grows through every stage of a child’s sleep phase; the night light would have come in very handy during those late-night diaper changing sessions during the newborn stage, the sound and light combo is perfect for creating sleep habits, and the time-to-rise feature is going to be essential for the late toddler stage.
Price: More expensive than most
At about $60, the Hatch Rest is certainly more expensive than other sound machines on the market, but with all of the other functions it packs, this should not come as a surprise. Considering that you might at some point invest in a separate night light or time-to-rise, we think this is a fair price.
Competition: In a league of its own
The Hatch Rest is basically in its own category. Compared to our go-to, the Marpac Dohm Classic, the Hatch provides a wide variety of sounds. However, we personally prefer the real fan sound of the Dohm. Still, the Hatchy Baby is so much more than a white noise machine. If you like having the option to choose from several sounds, as well as the addition of a night light and time-to-rise function, this sound machine might be for you. It’s worth noting that the company has launched a new Hatch Rest+ ($89.99); it comes with the same features as the first model, plus Wi-Fi, Alexa controls, a clock, backup battery, and audio monitor. The Hatch Rest Sound Machine is a great investment that will grow with your child. With all the multi-functional features it offers and the high-quality sound it delivers, this is money well spent.
