When my eldest daughter was born, it was just me and her. If she was sleeping, I was quiet. It was a marvelous setup. By the time my second daughter was born, my oldest was six and could entertain herself quietly (as could my husband—although he was 23, not six). Now, with my third child, things are a bit different. My girls don’t exactly understand the phrase “Be quiet! Your brother is sleeping!” and his short naps are not good for my sanity.

We live in a small house, and there’s nowhere to send the girls to be loud. With it being winter, I can’t exactly send them outside when my son needs a nap. Between doors closing and girls bickering and the doorbell, my son is often woken prematurely. I told myself I was going to have one of those babies who could sleep through anything and we weren’t going to have to say “Be quiet! Your brother is sleeping!”, but alas, this is where we are. I need something to combat the sisterly noise.

I’d heard some moms mention that a white noise/sound machine really helped their little ones sleep better and recently I asked which one they’d recommend. My son has a light-up lullaby fish thingy in his crib—which is awesome and he loves it—but it lasts only 18 minutes and if he’s not asleep by the time the sounds end, he is not happy. It is also battery operated. Batteries are my nemesis.

The HoMedics Sound Spa Lullaby came highly recommended and has some features I really love. It has both songs (“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” “Rock-A-Bye Baby” and “Cradle Song”) and natural sounds (heartbeat, rainforest, and ocean). It also has a rotating picture projector, and the auto-off timer allows you to select a running time of 15, 30, 45, or 60 (SIXTY!) minutes. And, best of all, it runs on electricity, not batteries.

I am adding one of these to my son’s Christmas list.

HoMedics Sound Spa Lullaby, $25. Available at various retail locations across Canada and from amazon.ca.

Jen Wilson is a married mother of three super-awesome children—two girls and a boy—who range in age from 0-10. She enjoys photography, organizing, reading, TV, and sarcasm. She drinks her coffee black and dreams of one day owning a dishwasher. You can also find her on her blog, Hey Mrs. Wilson, where she has been writing about life in Saskatchewan since 2004.