Baby sleep aids: Best buys

Bedtime gadgets and sleep aids for babies

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• Ella Pure Baby Sleep Cream

  EllaPure’s stylish range of organic, natural products use only 100% fresh ingredients from certified organic suppliers who are verified by the Soil Association. Try rubbing Baby Sleep Cream with lavender and chamomile, £5, onto your child’s pulse points in the evening to help settle newborns and teething toddlers.

  Combine with Baby Massage Oil for a soothing bedtime ritual.

• Ewan the dream sheep

  Ewan the dream sheep, £29.99, is an award-winning cuddly toy that lulls little ones to sleep with soothing sounds (including heartbeat and in-utero recordings) and light features.

  Ewan is available from John Lewis, Mothercare, Kiddicare, Jo Jo Maman Bebe, Easidream and other independent nursery stores.

• Glo Nightlight

  Glo, £69.99, is an unusual multi-coloured, interactive nightlight with removable, illuminated Glo bulbs, which fade over a 30 minute period and are safe for children to play with and even hold in their hands while they fall asleep.

  The portable bulbs have nothing electronic in them so they don’t get warm and they won’t break. Glo is available from Boon UK.

• HoMedics Lullaby SoundSpa

  Lullaby SoundSpa, £24.99, is a sound and light machine that creates relaxing and soothing sounds for a peaceful bedtime.

  With six different soundtracks including lullabies, ‘ocean’ and ‘heartbeat’ settings and interchangeable discs that project rotating images of fishes, stars and animals onto the wall or ceiling at adjustable angles, the 15, 30 or 60 minute settings allow your baby to unwind and drift off to sleep at their own pace.

  The SoundSpa is available from Babies R Us and Amazon.co.uk

• Magic Stars Cot Mobile

  An atmosphere of enchanted stars and distant galaxies  soothes baby, with a double projection on both the cot mobile and on the ceiling.

  Remove the arm section of the mobile and it becomes a music box and projector, featuring soft lights and a selection of soothing music.

  When your baby cries, the Magic Stars Cot Mobile, £49.99, automatically starts, soothing your little one with the LED projection and the music.

  The infrared remote control allows the parent to activate the cot mobile from a distance without disturbing baby.

  Find stockists for the Magic Stars Cot Mobile at Chicco.co.uk.

• Pure Twilight

  Twilight, £139.99, is the world’s first dawn simulator lamp and digital radio in one. Children can drift off listening to lullabies or a range of relaxing natural sounds, while the inbuilt nightlight can be timed to dim gradually.

  Natural light which mimics the rising of the sun lets little ones know when it’s time to wake up, and there’s an auxiliary input for an iPod - perfect for listening to extra stories after lights out.

  Twilight is available from John Lewis and Amazon.co.uk or for more information visit Pure.com.

• Slumber Bear

  Invented by a doctor and used in hospital nurseries for over 25 years, Slumber Bear, £29.99, uses an actual intra-uterine womb sound to help lull babies to sleep.

  Sound and motion sensors re-activate the sounds when the baby cries or moves the bear. Additional hook and loop straps allow you to secure the removable audio box to cot rails or pushchairs.

  
  Slumber Bear is available to buy online at the NCT Shop.

• Sounds for Silence

  Sounds for Silence, £26.99, is a nursery sound machine that can help soothe babies to sleep, and was co-developed with Dr Harry Zehnwirth, who has over 25 years of paediatric experience.

  Dr Harry developed the unique sounds (including six 'White Noise' soundtracks) to comfort crying babies. The Sounds for Silence machine also features six Mozart melodies for more conventional nursery-time music.

  Find it at Thebabycatalogue.com.

• Tiddley Pom

  Tiddley Pom is a baby spa range. The 'Baby's First Spa Experience' gift set, £32.99, comprises a soothing music CD and four products designed to stimulate smell, sound and touch through baby massage.

  Tiddley Pom’s Baby Night Time CD is one of a range of baby music CDs created with renowned guitarist and NLP practitioner Fridrik Karlsson.

  The CD lasts an hour and includes three soundtracks with guitar chords and percussive wind chimes. The gentle, calming rhythms mimic a baby's heartbeat and the CD retails at £10.00.

  
  Visit Tiddley Pom to buy.

• Tommee Tippee DECT Digital Movement & Sound Monitor

  For ultimate peace of mind for parents of babies at bedtime, this new monitor from Tommee Tippee, £99.99, has a long-distance range of 300 metres and relays every single sound and movement made by baby to the parent unit.

  Parents can soothe and reassure baby through a clever talk-back feature with volume control, while the unique sensor pad, designed to sit under the baby’s cot mattress, monitors movement and sounds an alarm if none is detected after a set period of time. 

  The Digital Movement & Sound Monitor is available from Argos, Mothercare, Boots or online at Tommee Tippee.

  If you're looking for a baby monitor, don't hit the shops before you read our buyers guide.

• Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout

  From Leapfrog Enterprises, Inc. Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout, £14.99, is a loveable cuddly character that plays instrumental lullabies and ambient sounds with a comforting night light that slowly dims, creating a soothing bedtime environment for youngsters.

  Suitable from birth, Scout comes with a detachable blanket and has a  play mode that counts down to sleep, as well as interactive features.

  Find Little Scout is available at Amazon, Early Learning Centre and Leapfrog Online.