How to use the Hatch Rest Sound Machine for Any Age
We’re pretty minimal around here when it comes to baby gear, but one sleep product we absolutely LOVE is the Hatch Rest Sound Machine! We recommend it to all our families and love that it grows with your child from day one.
We get a lot of questions about how to use the Hatch Rest at different ages and stages and what colors and settings we recommend. Today’s post is all about how you can get the most out of your Hatch Light (or similar ok-to-wake type clocks).
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What is the Hatch Rest Sound Machine?
The Hatch Rest is an all in one sound machine, night light, time to rise clock, and audio monitor. It basically looks like any other sound machine, but it has several other helpful features that grow with your child (this is not a sponsored post - we just REALLY love our Hatch Rests over here at the Goodnight House). You can control all of the settings from your phone using the blue-tooth controlled app.
What age is it good for?
The great thing about the Hatch is that you can start using it from day one until forever!
How to use the Hatch Rest for your newborn:
For all ages, we recommend using the white noise feature (specifically the TV static sound, as it’s the best option the hatch offers for optimal sleep).
Nighttime: TV Static (no light)
For your newborn, you’ll want to use the Hatch primarily as a sound machine and wait to use the other features as your baby gets older. A newborn doesn’t need a nightlight, and actually you want your baby’s sleep environment to be as dark as possible.
It can be a really good option to use the RED nightlight feature when you wake up for middle of the night feedings though! Keeping the room as dark and non-stimulating as possible will help you and your new baby sleep better. Instead of turning on an overhead light, lamp, or the TV - the red light on the Hatch is a perfect balance.
How to use the Hatch Rest for your older baby or young toddler (up to 2 years):
As your baby grows, we recommend continuing to use the white noise feature (again, the TV static sound is the best for optimal sleep) + adding a “wake-up” sound and light.
Even very young children can begin to associate “wake up” time with a certain sound or light.
We recommend setting your child’s Hatch to turn GREEN and play the “bird’s chirping” sound at their designated morning wake time.
Nighttime: TV Static (no light)
Designated Morning Wake Time: Birds Chirping + Green Light
The key with this is to head into their room as soon as their light turns green and the birds start singing. Make a HUGE deal that it’s time to wake up now and celebrate how great they did during the night or how quiet they were until their light turned green. After doing this several times in a row, your little one will start to make the association.
You may notice they are very quiet until their light and birds turn on and then they will start talking or calling for you, etc. It’s amazing how well even really young kids do with the light/sound strategy! They catch on so quickly.
We recommend keeping these settings until your child is at least 2 years old.
How to use the Hatch Rest for Toddlers + Preschoolers (2+ years old):
Our recommendation for using the Hatch Rest for older toddlers and preschoolers is to continue using the TV static with no light throughout the night (unless needed for the reasons below) and the birds and green light at their designated wake time.
Nighttime: TV Static (no light - unless needed for the reasons below)
Designated Morning Wake Time: Birds Chirping + Green Light
Let them know they can call for you as soon as their light turns green (or if they’re in a big kid bed, that they can get out of bed when their light turns green). You’ll need to explain that if their light is not on and the static sound is still playing, it means it’s still nighttime.
When and how to use the Hatch Rest as a nightlight:
You’re probably wondering when your child will start using the nightlight function of the Hatch Rest. To be honest, the nightlight feature isn’t actually necessary. We discourage the use of any type of nightlight until after the age of two.
Many parents worry about their children being afraid of the dark or having nightmares, but children don’t start having nightmares until they develop the ability to imagine things (which happens somewhere around age two, depending on the child).
If your toddler begins asking for a nightlight, then by all means, using the Hatch Rest as a nightlight for comfort is a great option. You also may need to begin using the Hatch Rest light function when your toddler moves to a big kid bed and needs to be able see to go potty on their own, etc. (Or if you have a child with vision problems like our middle daughter, a nightlight may be a necessity once they move to a toddler bed as well).
When using the Hatch Rest as a nightlight, we recommend using the red color on 1%. (We avoid cool / blue toned night lights because they disrupt the production of melatonin - the sleep hormone.
For toddlers who are still in cribs:
It’s so important that you as the parent are very consistent with their clock. If their light turns green but you take 15 minutes to go get them up, they won’t believe the clock and it will lose its meaning. It’s a great tool, but to be fair to them and help them be successful, it’s our job to be consistent.
How to introduce the Hatch Rest to an older toddler or preschooler:
If you have an older toddler or preschooler and you’ve never used the Hatch Rest before, you’ll want to spend some time explaining it to them and laying out what the boundaries and expectations are around their new clock.
One great way to do this is to practice and role play with them during the day before you try to use it at night. Have them lay down in bed and play a game as you change the settings. Birds + Green light = hop out of bed! Static = pretend to be asleep.
Make sure you are always very consistent with their clock. If you aren’t consistent, they won’t believe the clock and it won’t serve its purpose.
How to use the Hatch Rest in a shared room with different ages:
My personal favorite way to use the Hatch Rest is with kids who share a room! Our Hatch Rest has been an absolute life-saver with my three kids (4, 3, and 1) all sharing a room and being on different wake-time schedules.
For kids who share a room we suggest:
Nighttime: TV Static (no light - unless needed for the reasons listed above, in which case we recommend using the color wheel to select the red light at 1%)
Designated Morning Wake Time for Older Sibling(s): If you have an older child who wakes before younger siblings, you’ll want to keep the white noise (TV static sound) the same, but turn on the yellow light at 1%. (If you change the sound or turn off the white noise, the change will be enough to wake up everyone in the room).
Explain to your toddler that this means it’s time for them to wake up and he or she can quietly tip toe out of their room, but that they need to protect their sibling(s)’ sleep.
This is going to take some practice! It’s a tough skill for a noisy toddler to learn how to quietly come out of their room and shut their door without waking baby brother or sister, but don’t think they can’t do it ;)
Practice with them during the day and show them exactly how quiet they need to be and how to tip toe out of the room. Show them exactly how you want them to close the door behind them and have them practice. An older toddler (3+) is absolutely capable of these skills and you’ll be so proud once they get the hang of it!
Designated Morning Wake Time for younger siblings: Birds Chirping + Green Light
We hope this post was helpful and gives you ideas for utilizing your Hatch Rest for years! It has been such a great tool for our family and has served us and so many of our clients so well.
If your child struggles with sleep in general, please know there is help. Our mission at the Goodnight House is to equip parents with the tools necessary to help their children get the sleep they need and experience more rest, peace, and joy in parenting.
If you’re expecting or you have a newborn (0-12 weeks old), our online Newborn Class is the perfect way to introduce healthy sleep habits and help them get better sleep from day one.
If you have an older baby, toddler, or preschooler, we offer 1:1 Personalized Sleep Plans to help get your child (6+ months) sleeping independently for 11-12 hours per night.