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Hatch Rest hands-on review, a smart device teaching kids smart sleep habits

In this Hatch Rest review, we will cover everything you should know before you decide to buy. This smart sound and nightlight is designed to help your kid develop better sleep habits. Here are our thoughts after testing. Read below to get the full scoop.

A quick overview of the Hatch Rest

The Hatch Rest is an all-in-one smart device that is part sound machine and part night light. Connected with its companion app, you can create sleep schedules for your kids’ bedtime, nap time, and wake time.

With tons of customizable options, a huge variety of colors, and 11 different sounds to choose from, you can create the perfect set-up that your child will love.

Hatch Rest specs

Dimensions4″ W x 4″ L x 6.25″ H
Weight13 oz
Companion AppFree in Apple Store and Google Play Store
Connection TypeBluetooth
MaterialsABS Plastic and LED Lights
Sound11 options with volume control
Colors10 presets and unlimited options with in-app color wheel

Using Hatch Rest

Customization

One of my favorite parts of Hatch Rest is how customizable it really is. With 11 different sounds and essentially unlimited colors to choose from, my four-year-old daughter and I have had a ton of fun picking out new options every few days.

The 11 sound options include:

  • White Noise
  • Rain
  • Water Stream
  • Wind
  • Ocean Waves
  • Birds
  • Dryer
  • Forest
  • Three Different Lullaby Options

In addition to selecting a sound to help your kid fall asleep or wake up, the Hatch Rest also works as a night light. While there are 10 preset colors you can quickly select, you can also open up a color wheel for unlimited options.

The volume of the sound and brightness of the night light can both be easily controlled via buttons on the bottom of the Hatch Rest or via the app.

Custom programs

The real value of something like the Hatch Rest is in helping create consistent bed and wake times for a baby or child. Having the ability to create custom programs that repeat at the same time every day is a huge help.

Our daughter now knows when the pink light turns on and her favorite lullaby begins, that it is time for us to get ready for bed. When the light turns yellow in the morning with bird sounds, she knows that it is morning time and can get up to start the day.

We have found the consistency of the sound, paired with the light changes, really does help enforce these good sleep habits.

Controls

The Hatch Rest is a well-designed smart product, and the controls to change the custom options are very intuitive.

What is also appreciated is that, while you will probably mostly control the Hatch Rest via the free companion app, you do not have to. If you prefer, almost all of this can be controlled with the buttons underneath the device.

The Hatch Rest can also be controlled to a degree by your child. If for some reason they want to change colors or turn it off, they can by simply touching the top of the night light.

Hatch Rest vs Hatch Rest+

In addition to the Hatch Rest, there is another option called the Hatch Rest+. While more expensive, the Rest+ offers two nice additional features.

The main difference is that there is a visible clock on the bottom of the Hatch Rest+. This is a really nice addition for kids who are learning their numbers and can begin to understand what bedtime and wake time look like on the cock.

Another feature is the ability for the Hatch Rest+ to be voice-controlled through Alexa.

With a four-year-old, I personally wish I had gone with the Rest+ just for the additional clock feature. Though since my daughter already has a favorite clock, we decided the Hatch+ was not really necessary for her.

Connect the Watts’ Take

The Hatch Rest is a smart device that has done a great job teaching my daughter better sleeping habits. We enjoy spending time choosing between the various options together, and it has become an integral part of our bedtime and waketime routines. Highly recommended.

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Author

Avatar for Colin Jenkins Colin Jenkins

Colin lives in Ventura, CA where he runs a Strength & Conditioning facility. If you have suggestions for fitness tech that you’d like to see covered or reviewed, feel free to send info over to colin@9to5mac.com