Best baby sleep aids 2023 - tried and tested by real parents

The best sleep aids allow both babies and parents to get a better night’s sleep. So we've rounded up eight of the best sleep aid toys to help your baby fall asleep quickly and have a deep, restful snooze - so that you can too.

It’s one of the biggest questions on new parents’ minds: how to get a baby to fall asleep quicker - and stay asleep for longer. There are a variety of sleep aids on the market, including night lights, white noise machines, and vibrating sleep soothers. What works for one baby might not work for another, so we asked a panel of parents to put each one to the test, assessing each product on things like design quality, how useful its features are, and - most importantly - how effective they are at helping little ones drift off to sleep. Here's our pick of the best baby sleep aids, based on real reviews from our panel of parents who put them to the test.

How we tested the best sleep aids

To help you make this very important decision, we asked parents with babies aged between nine months and almost two years old to put a range of the top baby sleep aids to the test. As part of our testing process, they tried out the sleep aids with their babies for a number of weeks, and we used their in-depth feedback and insights to compile this buying guide to help you choose the best sleep aid for your baby.

Best baby sleep aids 2023 - our top pick

The best baby sleep aid, based on our independent parent reviews and Consumer Editor's assessment, is the myHummy White Noise Teddy Bear. As well as being soft, cuddly, and shaped like a teddy bear, it plays five different types of white and pink noise to help soothe little ones to sleep, and possibly help babies sleep through the night.

Best baby sleep aids 2023 - tried and tested

Tried and tested by: Aryana Lindley with her 10-month-old baby, Liberty

Most babies are obsessed with a comforter of some kind, and the myCuddly Sleep Aid is a comforter with a difference. This teddy bear-shaped sleep aid plays five different types of white and pink noise to help soothe little ones to sleep. 

The device can either play for an hour or for 12 hours. It also has a clever sleep sensor, so it restarts if your baby starts to stir or cry. Aryana Lindley, mum to Liberty, 10 months, tested the myCuddly Sleep Aid to see if it is as effective as it is cute. She instantly loved the product when she saw it for the first time, saying it looks 'really cute' and feels 'super soft'.

The myCuddly helped her daughter to fall asleep faster, and stay asleep longer. Aryana used the device when taking her daughter out and about in her pram, and also at her nursery, and found it helped Liberty stay asleep longer in a variety of locations. Aryana says the portability of the product is a top selling point. 

As well as the design, Aryana also appreciated the variety of sound options on the myCuddly. 'The five different sound features are great as you can choose one to best suit your baby and what they’re used to,' she says. 'I like the option of having it play non-stop for 12 hours, or for 60 minutes to a gradual fade out. There is also an inbuilt sleep sensor!'

• Read our full myCuddly Sleep Aid review

Tried and tested by: Eugenie and her four-and-a-half-month-old daughter Darcey

If you’re looking for an affordable noise machine that’s simple to use, incredibly portable and that offers numerous sound and volume options, the MyBaby SoundSpa On-The-Go Portable Baby White Noise Machine is brilliant value for money. The device offers four soothing sounds (heartbeat, white noise, ocean, and lullaby), and comes with a clip so you can attach it to your baby’s pram, cot, or car seat. It also has a flat base so you can leave it freestanding. The sound machine allows the user to select between 15, 30, or 45-minute noise sessions, or to choose continuous play for babies having a longer snooze. 

Our tester Eugenie Freeman found the machine worked a treat with her daughter Darcey, four and a half months. Having tried a variety of white noise machines in the past, she found that this one was particularly easy to use and more portable than the others she has used.

'The product is very simple and intuitive to use, which I like because I have used other white noise machines in the past and have found that finding the right setting can be a bit complicated,' Eugenie says. 'This one is nice and easy - clear buttons, obvious symbols, and no confusion. It’s also small enough to travel anywhere with.'

The MyBaby SoundSpa costs significantly less than other noise machines our tester has tried, but has better functionality such as volume options, more sounds, and buttons that are easier to use.

• Read our full MyBaby SoundSpa On-The-Go Portable Baby White Noise Machine review 

Tried and tested by: Suzy Selwyn, who is mum to Reuben, 25 weeks

Adorable to look at, playing an array of soothing sounds, and offering two light options too, the SnuzCloud Baby Sleep Aid is a fantastic all-rounder that your baby will love - and you will too. Its soft plush fabric and sweet cloud-shaped appearance will make it a staple of your nursery, while its lightweight design and handy velcro strap mean you can cart it around with you wherever you go.

We asked Suzy Selwyn, who is mum to Reuben, 25 weeks, to see how she got on with the SnuzCloud. Suzy praised the sleep aid’s aesthetics and soft feel and said it worked really well not just to put her son to sleep, but also to distract him during nappy changes or winding.

'I like the gentle lights and sometimes I use the cloud as a distraction if he has wind,' she tells us. 'I love that it has multiple functions with sound - the white noise soothes him when he’s crying and the rainforest distracts him when I am changing his nappy. It helps soothe the baby in multiple ways and he likes to play with it and use it as a teether.

Suzy also highlighted how easy the SnuzCloud is to carry around and affix to her baby’s car seat and pram, making it ideal for frazzled parents who need things to be fast, easy, and efficient.

• Read our full SnuzCloud Baby Sleep Aid review 

Tried and tested by: Jasmine Harris tried the device with her daughter Sophia, six months 

The Tommee Tippee Dreammaker™ Light and Sound Baby Sleep Aid has plenty of aces up its sleeve when it comes to inducing and prolonging baby sleep. It offers pink noise to mimic the familiar sound of the womb, produces red light to soothe the baby and make him or her sleepy, and also offers a rhythmic, pulsing glow to help your little one relax before bed. Most cleverly, it also boasts CrySensor technology, which will listen out for your baby’s cries and automatically switch on, meaning you don’t need to creep out of bed in the middle of the night to activate it. The device has been developed in conjunction with a renowned sleep laboratory and sleep scientists.

Our tester Jasmine Harris tried the device with her daughter Sophia, six months, who, she says, 'struggles with sleep'. Jasmine found the device instantly helpful when it came to prolonging Sophia’s naps, saying the Dreammaker allows her daughter to get into a 'much deeper sleep'. 

She also says that having tried other, more expensive sleep products on the market, the Dreammaker offers brilliant value for money: 'It is extremely affordable for the price compared to some other sleep aids.'

The CrySensor, pulsing glow, and light appealed to Jasmine, and she found this made it stand out from other similar devices. It provides ongoing pink noise unlike other sleep aids, and it doubles up as a night light that is calming rather than a distraction,' she adds. 

• Read our full Tommee Tippee Dreammaker™ Light and Sound Baby Sleep Aid review  

Tried and tested by: Mary Eleini with her son Lucian, seven months

If your baby loves movement and is happiest in the car, the Zed Vibration Sleep Soother By Rockit is the sleep aid for you. The Zed works by emitting gentle vibrations and mimicking the sensation of being in the car, a place where babies famously love to fall asleep. As well as offering six different calming vibration modes, the Zed also has three different night light options in the form of a relaxing red glow. It’s simple to operate, too, with large buttons and a big snooze button to press.

Our tester, Mary Eleini, found the Zed worked brilliantly with her son Lucian, seven months. She enjoyed how easy the device was to get the hang of, and also appreciated the night light’s gentle glow, which she found better than other harsher night lights she’d tried.

Mary said this product would work best for 'babies who are used to movement at nap times', as well as saying it would be a great tool to use from birth. 'It’s a really useful tool to keep a baby who is good at sleeping in the pram or in the car - basically, a baby who is used to movement - asleep in their crib,' she says.

She also found that the product wasn’t just useful at soothing Lucian to sleep and prolonging his sleep, but was also handy during nighttime nappy changes. 'I liked the multi-functionality of the night light, and the vibrations are useful when changing or feeding the baby in the middle of the night.' 

• Read our full Rockit Zed Vibration Sleep Soother review 

Tried and tested by: Tara Joseph with her daughter, Noa, three and a half,

Marketed at older children, the My Little Morphée is a non-digital, screen-free sleeping aid aimed at children between three and eight years old. It works differently from your typical white noise machine or night light, instead offering 192 'meditative journeys' to help children wind down before bed. 

Children can choose an animal and destination of their choice to hear visualisations, breathing and relaxation exercises, and guided meditations. The sessions have been created by sleep experts, and there are also soft music tracks and nature sounds if your child prefers this to a meditative journey. 

Our tester Tara Joseph tried out My Little Morphée alongside her daughter, Noa, three and a half, who loved playing with the device and carrying it around the house. Tara was impressed by the product’s elegant design, saying it 'looks great' and would fit in with modern nursery decor. She also praised how easy it was for Noa to get the hang of, and said it is really fun for children to use by themselves. 'Within a few days, my daughter was able to use it herself to choose an animal and setting to create different stories,' she adds.

Tara also appreciated the calm bedtime environment My Little Morphée helped to create in her home, praising the stories themselves and the narration too. 'There are multiple options to choose from - each animal can have a story based in a different environment,' she explains. 'The stories are calming and are read in a soft tone.'

• Read our full My Little Morphee review 

Tried and tested by: Gina Osen and her son Nathan, four months,

One of the best-known sleep aids on the market, Ewan Deluxe Baby Shushing Sleep Sheep is extremely popular - and for good reason. Not only is he incredibly cute to look at and cuddly for babies to hold, but he offers a red night glow to calm babies and a smart cry sensor that listens out for your baby stirring or crying and reactivates him so you don’t need to get out of bed.

Ewan offers five different sounds to put your baby to sleep, all accompanied by the sound of a genuine, not computer-generated heartbeat in the background: a vacuum cleaner and heartbeat sound, a rainfall and heartbeat sound, a harp melody and heartbeat sound, a womb and heartbeat sound and a shush and heartbeat sound.

Ewan was tested both by Gina Osen and her son Nathan, four months, and also by me and my daughter Mia, one year. Gina found Ewan’s noises and lights to be 'calming' and 'multifunctional' and appreciated Ewan’s 'cute' design. I found Ewan’s sounds to be incredibly relaxing both for myself and for Mia after months of testing different sleep aids to no avail. The sound of the heartbeat is really soothing and makes you feel grounded after stressful days or nights with a young baby. I also appreciated the wide variety of noises available, knowing that though one baby may enjoy the sound of rainfall, another may be soothed by shushing. 

The biggest selling point for me, other than Ewan’s adorable appearance, is his crying sensor, which means you can nod off without worrying about having to go in and turn on a white noise machine or night light in the middle of the night: if he hears your baby stir in the night, he simply switches back on and the trusty heartbeat resumes. 

• Read our full Ewan Deluxe Baby Shushing Sleep Sheep review

How can I get my baby to sleep longer at night?

'Parents, especially those of newborns, can be so overwhelmed with choice when it comes to buying the right sleep aid for their child,' explains Daniella Lewis, co-founder of baby sleep consultancy Settled Sleepers.

'The truth is, whilst there is no magic sleep solution, the correct sleep aids can help to settle and calm a restless or overtired baby and soothe them to sleep. We love white noise machines that can play continuously throughout the night and that are durable as well as portable, and we also love a blackout canopy that’s breathable and easy to use.'

Sleep consultant Sarah Patel from Teach to Sleep is a big fan of sleep aids. 'Most infants find falling asleep difficult so if you can find something which makes this process easier for your little one, you are on for a win,' she says. 'If you are worried about your little one becoming reliant on something for sleep, know that it is normal to need support to fall asleep - and you can gently wean them off things like white noise if it becomes a problem for you.'

Our Family Editor, Stephanie Lowe, agrees. 'I remember feeling at a complete loss to get my newborn, Ted, to sleep,' she says. 'When I was there ‘shhhhing’ him he would drift off, but then he’d wake and freak out that I wasn’t there. So I turned to Ewan the Sleep Sheep. It would instantly settle him and stay on for 25 minutes at a time. Ewan fast became a firm favourite, always in the cot. Not all my mum-friends used sleep aides though. You know your baby and their needs and it’s your choice to make.'

How to choose the best baby sleep aid

Lynda Harding, the founder of Sweet Dreamers, says when doing your research about the best sleep aids, try to find products that combine multiple benefits, such as a white noise machine that also offers light. Some of the best baby monitors also come with baby sleep aid features like this so you can sometimes combine two and save money.

'When looking to purchase a sleep aid, parents should look for authentic features that will truly comfort their baby, so certainly look for a product that is based on lots of research,' she says. 'Something that has an integrated cry sensor is a must also, as this ensures that when your baby stirs, it automatically activates to soothe them and settle them back to sleep without parents having to get out of bed. It’s also important to look for a product that gives all the extras, so look for a sleep aid with light and sound options too.'

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Heidi Scrimgeour

Heidi Scrimgeour joined GoodTo after a 16-year freelance career as a parenting and lifestyle journalist. She has written features for various publications including The Guardian, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Red, Psychologies and Stylist. She was a parenting columnist for AOL’s Parentdish and baby gear editor of Mother & Baby magazine for six years. Heidi has taken part in various parenting debates on This Morning, The One Show and BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. She has a degree in English & Media Arts and gained a Masters with Distinction from the University of Westminster. 
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