The report card
- Sound quality & choice30% of score8.6
Improved audio over the Hatch Rest, with white, pink and brown noise among its sounds, and fine volume control from the app.
- Safe volume & placement20% of score8.2
Hatch advises placing it at least 3 feet from the sleep space and starting at 30% volume, and the app means you rarely need to go near the cot.
- Ease of use at 3am20% of score9.0
Wi-Fi app control, a big touch button and a soft night light make it the easiest to live with at 3am.
- Portability & power10% of score4.0
A plug-in nursery device; Hatch sells the smaller Hatch Go for travel.
- Value & running costs20% of score6.2
Around £70, with premium content and sleep coaching behind an optional subscription after three months.
The full review
If you've read about the Hatch Rest, this is what it has become. Hatch Baby is the redesigned successor, with a big button that controls volume and starts your baby's favourite sounds, a soft night light for feeds and nappy changes, and what Hatch says is improved audio. Everything can be controlled from the Hatch app over Wi-Fi, so you can nudge the volume or dim the light without opening the nursery door.
It's sold on Amazon UK by Hatch itself for £69.99, and rates 4.6 out of 5 from nearly 500 reviews. Beyond white noise it offers colour light and sound routines, and later 'time to rise' cues for toddlers, which is why it stays useful beyond the baby stage. Three months of Hatch+ are included, adding sleep guides, a sleep consultant chat and premium songs and stories. After that it's optional (Hatch lists it at $6.99 a month in the US), and the basic lights and sounds keep working.
Hatch's safety guidance is sensible: place it at least 3 feet (about a metre) from your baby's sleep space, ideally near the door, keep cords out of reach, and start at around 30% volume. The weak spots are that it needs Wi-Fi and a phone to get the most from it, it isn't portable, and a search for 'Hatch Rest' on Amazon UK throws up lookalike machines from other brands, so check the seller is Hatch.
Pros and cons
What I like
- Wi-Fi app control of sounds, volume and light
- Soft night light and a big, easy button
- Grows into toddler routines
- Sensible placement and volume guidance from Hatch
What I don't
- Around £70
- Premium content needs a subscription after three months
- Not portable
- Lookalike listings on Amazon UK
Key specs
- Type
- Sound machine and night light
- Control
- Hatch app over Wi-Fi, plus on-device touch controls
- Subscription
- 3 months of Hatch+ included, then optional
- Placement
- At least 3ft (about 1m) from the sleep space, per Hatch
- Warranty
- 1 year
Head-to-heads
What I read
This is a research-led review. These are the main sources behind the scores, alongside patterns in verified owner reviews. How I review.