The report card
- Sound quality & choice30% of score7.0
Ten sounds, each layered with a heartbeat, from womb and shush to hairdryer and car journey; the Deluxe has a larger speaker than before.
- Safe volume & placement20% of score6.6
Sweet Dreamers is clear it must hang outside the cot, not lie in it, but hung on the cot bars it sits close to your baby, so keep the volume down.
- Ease of use at 3am20% of score7.8
The smartCRY sensor restarts the sound when your baby cries, and there's a button lock and a dimmable red glow.
- Portability & power10% of score8.5
Rechargeable, with up to 22 hours of sound and light, or 35 hours of sound alone.
- Value & running costs20% of score7.6
Around £45 for a well-proven, machine-washable soother.
The full review
Ewan has been a fixture of UK nurseries since 2010, and the rechargeable Deluxe is the version to buy. The removable pod plays ten sounds, each combined with a recorded heartbeat: womb, shush, rainfall, harp lullaby, vacuum cleaner, ocean waves, hairdryer, fan, birdsong and car journey. You can run them continuously or on a 20, 40 or 80 minute timer.
The headline feature is the smartCRY sensor, which remembers your last sound and volume and switches back on when your baby cries, so you're not getting up to restart it. There's a dimmable red glow, a button lock, and the plush body goes in the washing machine once the pod is out. Sweet Dreamers quotes up to 22 hours per charge with the light on, or 35 hours of sound alone.
It's hugely popular, averaging 4.5 out of 5 from more than 14,000 ratings on Amazon UK. The one thing to get right is placement: Sweet Dreamers says to hang Ewan by his Velcro tail from the cot bars or a Moses basket or crib handle, or put him on a bedside table within a metre, and never inside the sleep space. Hung on the cot, he's close to your baby's head, so start quiet. I'd treat the claims that the red glow induces melatonin with caution; the practical benefit is that a dim, warm light won't wake anyone up.
Pros and cons
What I like
- Cry sensor restarts the sound when your baby stirs
- Ten sounds, continuous or on a timer
- Rechargeable, with long battery life
- Machine washable
What I don't
- Plush design makes it tempting to put in the cot
- Designed to hang close to your baby, so volume needs care
- Bold claims about melatonin and longer sleep in the marketing
Key specs
- Sounds
- 10, each with a heartbeat
- Playback
- Continuous, or 20, 40 or 80 minute timer
- Smart feature
- smartCRY sensor reactivates sound when baby cries
- Battery
- Rechargeable: up to 22 hours with light, 35 hours sound only
- Light
- Dimmable red glow
- Care
- Machine washable once the pod is removed
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.