Since the birth of our baby, we have been concerned about the baby's sleep, wondering how to soothe the baby to sleep. Poor sleep in babies not only leaves new parents at a loss but also affects the baby's growth and development. If the baby cries at night and refuses to sleep, moms can gradually resolve the sleep "crisis" through the following three steps.
1. Rule out physiological causes of crying
Is the diaper wet? Is the baby wrapped too tightly? Are the blankets too thick? Is the room temperature suitable (18-20 degrees Celsius is recommended for newborns)? For such situations, parents only need to promptly eliminate any discomfort, and the child will quickly calm down and fall asleep.
2. Rule out physiological illness causes
Calcium deficiency, rickets, pinworm infection, or colic can all cause discomfort in babies, thereby affecting their sleep.
3. Create a sleep-friendly environment for the baby
Newborns are not yet adapted to the natural environment and may have their days and nights mixed up. At this time, parents need to adjust the baby's routine with great patience. This requires parents to create an environment suitable for the baby's sleep. A sleep toy with soothing functions can alleviate much of the baby's sleep "difficulties." However, there are various soothing sleep toys on the market. Today, we will look at the mainstream soothing sleep toys from five aspects: price, sound effects, lighting effects, material, and design.
Fisher-Price Little Seahorse
Fisher-Price is a children's toy brand from the United States. Due to its long history, early entry into the Chinese market, and its American origin, it has a high level of recognition in China. The Fisher-Price Little Seahorse is quite famous online, and basically, every mom will get one.
Price: ★★★★★
The Fisher-Price Little Seahorse is currently priced at 99 yuan on Tmall, which is relatively low compared to other products.
Sound Effects: ★★★☆☆
The Fisher-Price Little Seahorse features 8 lullabies accompanied by gentle ocean waves and sounds that mimic amniotic fluid movements, creating a comforting sleep environment reminiscent of the mother's womb.
The 8 lullabies are internationally renowned tunes, soothing, and include sounds of flowing water and chirping insects, creating a serene and beautiful outdoor atmosphere. However, the Fisher-Price Little Seahorse's sound softness and realism are average.
Lighting Effects: ★★★☆☆
The Fisher-Price Little Seahorse emits a soft yellow light at night, similar to a night light. Many babies need a night light to sleep, likely seeking a sense of security. However, the Little Seahorse's sound duration is short, only 5 minutes, after which it shuts off and needs to be restarted. This can be a bit of a headache for moms.
Material: ★★★☆☆
The Fisher-Price Little Seahorse is made of soft rubber and medium-length plush, overall soft and somewhat loose, and small in size. The detachable design makes it easy to clean. However, due to hand sewing, there are often uneven eyebrows visible on the toy.
Functional Design: ★★★★☆
The control panel of the Little Seahorse is hidden inside its belly, with on/off switches and volume control. Additionally, the rubber button on the belly controls the repetition of light and music. In terms of soothing function, the Little Seahorse is a simple design, essentially a plush toy with added light and sound.
Infantino Snuggle and Sound Fox
Infantino is also a children's toy brand from California, USA, with a high market share in North America. It only entered the Chinese market in 2016, making it a new brand for many moms.
The Infantino Snuggle and Sound Fox (referred to as the Infantino Fox) is a new product from Infantino in 2019. Shortly after its release, it gained a lot of attention in the mom community due to its adorable design, vibrant colors, and Bluetooth connection for music playback, receiving positive reviews from purchasers.
Price: ★★★★☆
The Infantino Fox is currently priced at 259 yuan on Tmall, which is relatively high for a musical soothing toy. However, considering its Bluetooth connection for custom music, it is somewhat acceptable.
Sound Effects: ★★★★★
The Infantino Fox comes with 10 built-in songs, with a playback time of up to 20 minutes. It can also connect via Bluetooth to play customized music. Moms can also record their own stories for personalized storytelling, achieving a soothing and sleep-inducing effect.
Lighting Effects: ★★★★★
The Infantino Fox's belly emits a soft, multi-colored light that changes with the music, helping the baby not fear the dark. It can also function as a night light (without playing any music when connected via Bluetooth).
Material: ★★★★☆
The Infantino Fox is made of comfortable, skin-friendly material suitable for infants to hug and play with. Its fine short plush design reduces shedding, making it suitable for close contact with the baby. The built-in PeaPod player can be removed by opening the Velcro on the back, making it lightweight and portable. However, there are still some details in the craftsmanship that are not perfect.
A note on cleaning electronic toys: Gently wipe with a damp cloth, then spread a paper towel over it and use a hair dryer to dry, which will absorb the dirt. Additionally, sprinkle baking soda (edible alkali) on the plush parts and pat it clean.
Functional Design: ★★★★☆
Similar to the Fisher-Price Little Seahorse, the control panel of the Infantino Fox is hidden inside its belly. The music has been professionally tested in the USA, with decibel levels unlikely to harm the baby's hearing. Pressing the rubber chest pad can switch songs, and holding it down can turn it on or off. The music automatically sleeps after 20 minutes, preventing the baby from crying due to sleep interruptions during the process, which is more convenient compared to Fisher-Price's 5-minute sleep feature.
VTech Sweet Dreams Baby Night Light Soother
VTech is a children's toy brand from Hong Kong, primarily focusing on electronic learning toys, with a high reputation in China. It has been selling in the European and American markets for decades and now has extensive distribution channels abroad.
The VTech Sweet Dreams Baby Night Light Soother features star projection and a unique smart cry sensor that automatically activates soothing functions when the baby wakes up crying.
Price: ★★★★☆
The VTech Sweet Dreams Baby Night Light Soother is priced at 249 yuan on Tmall, which is relatively high in its category. However, considering its features, it is within an acceptable range.
Sound Effects: ★★★★★
The VTech Soother includes 5 Chinese and foreign songs, 30 soothing melodies, 7 nursery rhymes, and 23 nature sounds, providing rich content. Additionally, it can simulate the mother's heartbeat, giving the newborn a familiar feeling of being back in the womb, thus soothing the baby's emotions.
Lighting Effects: ★★★★☆
The VTech Soother projects stars, with controllable lighting in four colors, either individually, mixed, or turned off, creating a starry effect on the ceiling, which is very unique for a toy and can attract the baby. Along with the music, it easily helps the baby fall asleep. However, the rotating lighting might sometimes be dazzling, producing the opposite effect.
Material: ★★★★★
The VTech Soother is made of ABS plastic and short plush, making the craft more complex. It feels sturdy overall, with the plush parts being delicate and comfortable.
Functional Design: ★★★★☆
The control panel of the VTech Soother is on the exterior and includes four music mode buttons (nursery rhymes, music, nature sounds, and mixed music and stories), a lighting settings button (pressing once turns the light off, pressing again cycles through blue, green, orange, and red, and pressing a sixth time mixes all four colors), a time control button (with 15, 30, and 45-minute options), a rotary volume button, and a power button. The VTech Soother's complexity lies in having to press the lighting button multiple times to adjust the lights, which might be an inconvenience brought by its features.
Summary:
Of course, the above are just my views on these three products. These three brands are international, and there are no major issues with safety, quality, or craftsmanship. Whichever one you choose, they all feel good in hand, and your baby can use them with confidence.
