The wonderful sound of silence

I am not the mom that knows it all.  I have tried and failed and adjusted my parenting along the way.  But there is 1 thing that I think I got right from the very beginning, and that is sound machines.

In my non-medical opinion, babies need help soothing themselves.  They rely on sucking (hence the creation of pacifiers), they like to feel confined like they were inside the womb (enter swaddles), and they like to hear sounds like they once heard in your belly (cue sound machines). 

So far, I found that no matter what age my kids are, sound machines are critical in calming them down and helping them sleep. Here is a round-up of the sound machines that helped me get through the past two years of motherhood.

NEWBORN PHASE

We relied on 2 different sound machines during this phase. The first is a basic, battery-operated white noise machine.  It has various sounds, but the one we gravitated to the most is the heartbeat one.  I felt that it was the closest to what babies hear in the womb.  I placed the device inside the crib/bassinet to help both of my kids fall asleep.  It has a 45 minute timer so it shuts off on its own once your baby is fast asleep. You can find it for sale on Amazon - Conair Sound Machine

The next sound machine we relied on was actually our iPhone. We made a Spotify Baby Playlist of instrumental songs called Rockabye Baby.  Popular songs by Billy Joel and U2 etc. are recreated into instrumental versions and meant to lull your baby to sleep.  Blake's favorite is the Lady Gaga album, but there are several artists to choose from.  This sound machine is perfect for when you are on-the-go, and especially great in the car.  This might be the only sound machine that I don't actually mind listening to.

BABY PHASE

I am a huge believer in crib mobiles.  I would put Blake in the crib awake, and he would fall asleep to the sound and movement of his mobile.  The mobile I love the most is the Fisher Price Mobile because it not only has the spinning animals dangling over him, but also has a detachable music box as well.  Once Blake was able to stand up, we removed the animals and he was able to keep listening to the music box. This worked so well for us that we still bring the music box on overnight trips.  I planned on using his baby mobile in Emily's room once she was fully transitioned into her crib, but Blake found it and now it is back in his room.

TODDLER PHASE

Before Blake rediscovered his original baby mobile, he loved the next generation sound machine that his aunt bought for him.  I call it the aquarium since it tries to mimic the sounds of being underwater.  It has a nice little glow and 4 different song/motion/light settings to choose from. The only downside is that this little device sucks batteries like crazy.  I suppose that's a testament to how much Blake uses it, but it is still annoying to replace batteries every other week.

So there it is folks, my favorite sound machines of all time. Hope you found this round up helpful.  These sound machines have truly been lifesavers.  I seriously credit all of these sound machines in helping Blake sleep like a champ. We are still working on Emily's sleep schedules.  As of now, we know she likes Rockabye Baby.  We put her in the crib awake (but sleepy), and she will pass out to Lady Gaga.

I would love to hear any sound machines that you cant live without!