Top Baby Sleep Products & Gadgets of All Time

We all know how important it is for our little ones to get an adequate amount of sleep. And unfortunately we all know how… well… difficult that can be sometimes.

And although you have what it takes to turn your baby’s sleep dreams into a reality, sometimes you just need a little extra help!

Luckily there are many products and gadgets that have been created specifically to help make the process of getting your baby to sleep that much easier.

So I’ve created the Ultimate List of Baby Sleep Gadgets and Aids to help you win the nightly sleep battle and be on your way to enjoying many nights of peaceful sleep.

Before we get into our list, I want to point out that the most important thing to know when it comes to your baby’s sleep is how to keep them safe.

I recommend reading my post Everything You Need to Know About Newborn Sleep Safety as it covers all you need to know about keeping your baby safe while they sleep.

Now, onto our list of the top sleep gadgets for baby!

* some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you,  I get a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

White Noise Sound Machine

White noise machines are a great way to calm and soothe your baby and are very useful when it comes to helping them fall asleep.

How do white noise machines work?

As you age, your brain matures and you gain the ability to focus on specific stimuli and block out others.

Unfortunately, babies have not yet acquired this ability and many of the sounds that occur during our day to day lives can be very overwhelming to them, especially when they are trying to settle down to go to sleep.

That’s where white noise comes in!

White noise is composed of a mixture of different sound frequencies that creates a calming and soothing continuous sound that happens to mimic the sounds within the womb.

This allows your baby to focus on just one sound that’s more familiar and comforting to them and aids in them falling asleep.

A study conducted by the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology Royal Postgraduate Medical School found that 80% of newborns that had white noise playing, fell asleep within 5 minutes as compared to only 25% of those newborns who did not listen to white noise.

This Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine is a white noise machine, night light and a time to rise alarm all in one! It’s a great white noise machine for your newborn and the time to rise alarm is great for your toddler to let them know when it’s time to get out of bed.

It’s also super customizable, allowing you the change the color, volume and brightness all from your smartphone!

Safety tip: Just be sure not to have the volume turned too high. I recommend starting at the lowest volume setting and slowly increasing as needed to help calm your baby.

Swaddle/Sleepsack

Just like the white noise machine, a swaddle is comforting because it puts your baby into a position that is reminiscent of how they were positioned in the womb.

This positioning is calming and soothing to your baby and helps to make it easier for them to fall asleep.

The other reason that swaddling works wonders for you baby’s sleep is that newborns have that really cute jerk reflex.

You know the one when they seem to suddenly startle and their arms flare out to the sides?

Well as cute as that may be, it is often very startling to your baby and can be disruptive to their sleep.

Swaddling solves that by keeping their arms nice and tautly by their sides and prevents them from startling themselves out of their sleep.

Now if you’ve ever attempted to swaddle a baby, you’ll know that it sounds easier than it really is.

The key is making it taut around the arms so that your baby can’t break out of it but keeping it loose around the hips and feet to avoid what’s called developmental dysplasia of the hip.

Here’s a video to help you master the swaddle

BUT for those of you who just can’t seem to get the swaddle technique down or just want an easier method that will last longer,

look no further than the sleep sack!

A sleep sack is similar to a swaddle but comes with a zipper and is adjustable so it helps to put baby in the same position as the swaddle but makes it harder for them to get out of.

It also allows you to adjust as the baby grows.

The Halo sleep sack is a favorite of my patients!

Sleepsack safety tip: Just be sure to avoid those weighted sleepsacks as they can be a suffocation risk if baby manages to roll over onto their stomachs.

Swaddle safety tip: Remember that swaddling should only be used until your baby is able to roll or break out of it because if baby breaks out, it leaves a loose blanket laying around in the crib which is a suffocation hazard. If this occurs, you should get rid of the swaddle altogether or consider switching to something like the sleep sack.

Baby Monitor

One way to have peace of mind while your baby is sleeping is having a way to see them at all times.

A baby monitor will allow you to complete other tasks such as cleaning or cooking and of course sleeping while also being able to keep watch over your little one.

It will also allow you to tell the difference between a small sleep disturbance that your baby will be able to calm themselves from or something more that requires your physical attention.

I recommend a video monitor like the one listed below

Baby Pixel® Cadet™ 4.3 Inch Color Video Monitor

This one even comes with patent pending SleepZone technology that alerts you if the baby moves out of the virtual boundary box. And the camera also has the ability to pan, tilt and zoom giving you the ability to see the entire room. It is even able to play white noise!

Baby Swing

Baby swings can be life savers when it comes to soothing an infant and getting them to sleep.

The gentle rocking motion helps keep them calm and the best part is that the newer electronic ones don’t require any work from you at all!

One of my favorites is the Mamaroo!

It’s a bluetooth controlled baby seat/swing that both bounces up and down and side to side. And the bluetooth capability allows you to control the motion and the sound.

We even use it in the hospital to calm some of our little ones when their parents can’t be around to hold them.

Safety tip: Just be sure to only use the swing for brief periods of time such as napping as they are generally not meant for baby to sleep in overnight.

Snoo

I covered my thoughts on the Snoo in my post Everything You Need to Know About Newborn Sleep Safety .

But to recap, it’s a magical baby sleeper that includes an attached swaddle to keep your baby positioned right in the center of the Snoo.

It includes several of the other gadgets we discussed all wrapped up into 1 beautiful package.

It also responds to your baby’s cries by rocking them gently back to sleep and includes an app that allows you to control the functions.

Pacifier

This one is simple but super helpful.

If you recall from my post Sleep Training 101: A Guide to Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night a pacifier is a great healthy sleep association that can be used to help your baby calm themselves to sleep.

According to healthychildren.org, the American Academy of Pediatrics and several other studies pacifiers have also been shown to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Pacifiers are simple, cheap and effective!

Humidifier

This is something that is often overlooked but SO beneficial for people of all ages.

It’s common and normal for babies to have a lot of congestion that can sometimes interfere with their sleep.

A humidifier helps put moisture into the air, making it easier for them to breathe.

The Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier has a built in sensor that can let you know what the humidity level is and allows you to adjust it to your desired level. It also comes with a programmable timer with up to 26hrs of continuous use and 3 different settings.

Blackout Curtains

It’s very important to create a dark and quiet environment to help your baby know that it’s time to go to sleep.

Daylight can be very disruptive and interfere with your baby’s natural melatonin production.

The use of blackout curtains in the nursery helps to block out the light and create the perfect dark environment.

You can even find some really cute ones like these

With different pattern options to pair perfectly in any nursery!

So there you have it!

These are some of my all time FAVORITE sleep aids to help your baby fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

If you have any other things that have helped your baby fall asleep, please share in the comments below.

Until next time, happy sleeping!