February 21, 2007

Review: Sound Sleeper

When Andy was first born, he could sleep through almost anything. Then summer came and we installed an air conditioner into his room to keep him cool at night. It was an old one, and very loud. But once October came, we obviously had to take it out as it was now freezing in his bedroom at night. I didn't know what to do about the sound, or lack thereof in his room. Our upstairs neighbors would bang around a lot, and Andy would be woken up from many of his naps as well as at night. One thing we did is put a fan in his room. But what has really worked best for us is the Sound Sleeper (also available at Baby Wise). Originally we kept it in his crib, now it's on the bureau by his bed, and it's allowed him to get much more sleep because he's no longer woken up all the time. And that's lead to a happier baby and happier parents.

The Sound Sleeper has 10 different noises, some of which can be combined (such as ocean and seagulls), that help block out other noises. It has many different noise level settings and can also be put on an automatic shut off if you don't want it going all night long. It's small, very portable (we bring it every time Andy sleeps somewhere other than his crib), and the batteries last for a long time and change easily. You can plug it in too, but we never used that because we didn't have a plug nearby.

I think this is a wonderful product that is essential for any new parents. I can see using it well into the future if we ever stay at a noisy place, and I may take it when Andy's done with it because I could use it myself. I can't recommend it enough!