8 Best Baby Sound Machines of 2024

This small sound machine packs a serious punch. Designed specifically with babies in mind, the Yogasleep Hushh+ offers 20 sounds — including 12 lullaby noises, three weather noises and five white noise options — that can be swapped with a press of a button. That's 17 more sounds than the original Yogasleep Hushh, so there are plenty of options for soothing a restless child. Plus, you can set the sleep timer for 45 minutes, 90 minutes or eight hours, so it isn't running all night long. It’s charged via a USB plug, and it can last up to 20 hours on a full charge.

We also appreciated its additional features, including an adjustable night-light, a strap that allows you to attach it to a stroller or crib and a child lock to prevent any unwanted changes to the sound. You can also connect your own music and sounds to it through its Bluetooth feature, though we found that you're better off using a proper Bluetooth speaker instead.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), sounds that measure 70 decibels or lower are generally considered to be safe for listening; sounds that measure 85 decibels or higher can be damaging and lead to hearing loss over time. Our Lab tests showed that the Bluetooth sound went up to 70.7 decibels at the highest volume, but all other sounds played lower than that.

If you want a wide assortment of bells and whistles at a reasonable price point, the FridaBaby 2-in-1 Portable Sound Machine + Nightlight is a great bet. Along with five different sounds that range from lullaby to heartbeat, this baby sound machine features a clock, an alarm, a mood light, a night-light, a speaker and a sound machine. Your child can also express their current mood by changing the color of the night-light, and you can connect the machine to Bluetooth to play your own tunes if you wish.

Plus, you can set an automatic-shutoff timer for 15, 30 or 60 minutes. It's also chargeable via USB and small enough to tote along with you from the crib to the changing table, especially with the handy adjustable strap. Our Media & Tech Lab found that the maximum sound went to 78.5 decibels with the bird noise, so avoid playing that sound near your child's head, but all other sounds measured at less than 70 decibels at maximum volume. There's a child lock, but it only locks the alarm setting, not the volume, power or sound-changing buttons.

The SNOOZ Smart White Noise Machine has a real fan inside that whirs to drown out the rest of the world. The idea behind this baby sound machine is that you won’t be disturbed by a looping track or artificial noise once you settle in. Though the only noise is the lull of the fan, you can adjust it via 10 tone and volume settings. The SNOOZ isn't specifically made for babies, but the brand uses a nifty feature called "nursery calibration" that's designed to take into account a room's environment to help ensure it doesn't get too loud for a baby's ears. But this function can be turned off if you think the device is placed far enough away from your child.

Other features, including a remote control, programmable automatic-scheduling timer and night-light, can be controlled using the companion app. There's no strap to attach it to a stroller, but the device itself is small enough to be packed away for trips, and it's available in two colors.

While not designed specifically for babies, we found that the Sound+Sleep's wide array of sounds can both relax and entertain them. Using the easy-to-operate knob, you can toggle between 10 different noises, including a crackling fire and the din of a city. But what really impressed our testers is that in addition to the volume, you can also adjust the richness twice and the adaptability of the noise, giving you 30 sound profiles. Increasing the richness makes the sound more dynamic and adds more noises, and the adaptive feature scans the room for any extra noise and then, depending on how loud the room is, makes the sound louder or richer. The noise level is really up to you (and your baby’s preference).

For more immersive noise, you can even connect headphones or extra speakers with the built-in audio jack, though that's not recommended for children. In our Lab tests, we found that most of this sounds fall around or below 70 decibels, with the meadow noise being the loudest. You can also set each sound with a timer for 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes.

It's large and not very portable, since it needs to be plugged into the wall, and there's no night-light. However, other features set this sound machine apart, including the fact that you can turn the display's lights off completely. Also, one of our experts noted that the adaptive feature on this unit works very well.

Designed by a neuroscientist to help with children's language development, this baby sound machine goes beyond your typical white noise. RAPTbaby says it works by inducing sleep-enhancing alpha waves and deep sleep–promoting delta waves while playing subtle music featuring sounds that support cognitive growth. There are four different genres (classical, lullaby, nature and womb) with two tracks each, for a total of eight sounds.

It's rechargeable via the USB cord, making it portable enough to take with you, but there's no included handle or strap to help carry it. (There's also no night-light.) However, you can set the timer for 30, 60 or 90 minutes. Not only that, but the device will also remember the last song you played and continue it from there the next time you turn it on. In our tests, the sound reached 70 decibels on the classical setting, but all others were around 60 decibels or lower.

The maker of the famous alarm clock that rises like the sun has used similar technology to create an incredible night-light and sound machine combo that kiddos can continue to use as they get older. With a variety of sounds and light-color options, the Hatch Rest+ allows you to use the two in tandem to set habits for nighttime and morning routines. The time-to-rise feature can encourage active children to stay in bed until they hear and see the song and light, which indicates that the entire house is to start the day. There's even a clock to remind everyone what time it is.

The second generation of this device uses a companion app for some of the additional functions, which can help prevent an active toddler from changing the settings. It also gives you access to additional stories and music that you can play while winding down for bed as part of the Hatch Sleep Membership.

The device charges via a charging pad — an easy enough placement for kids to get involved in — and it can last up to eight hours on a single charge. That makes it portable enough to bring from room to room and set back down during nighttime.

Smaller and less conspicuous than some other sound machines, this portable baby sound machine's size makes it easy to tote from the nursery to the park, but it provides a noise output that's similar to larger ones. The slim 1.75-inch profile makes it easy to slip into a diaper bag or purse. The machine cycles through only six different sounds, such as heartbeat and cradle, which isn't as many as some machines, but there's beauty in simplicity, making it easy to use.

Take note that the buttons to change the functions are quite loud when pressed, but if you tend to set it and forget it with the noise option and functionality, this shouldn't bother you too much. The sound machine also features a 15-, 30- or 60-minute time option to set before bed, and it can be plugged into a wall outlet with the adapter or powered by four AA batteries (not included).

Similar to the SNOOZ, this baby sound machine works using an internal fan that creates a low humming noise that balances out the sound environment, known as pink noise. You can choose among eight different volume levels by twisting the device to open up holes that can alter the noise or make it louder. Twist to adjust and find your ideal noise setting. The long seven-foot cord makes placing the machine where you want it easier.

In our tests, we found that the loudest sound reached only 57 decibels, which isn't super loud but can make for great background noise. With no timer or noise options, it's one of the more simplistic options on this list, which is good if you just want white noise with no frills. Plus, the brand offers a 101-night trial so you can give it a shot before committing to a purchase.