Review on 👶 Babelio Portable Baby White Noise Machine: Rechargeable, Timer, Crying Sensor, Night Light | Newborn Essentials by Liz Clark

, I'd love to love this cute little sound machine, and it does have some positives - along with a few disappointing design choices. In its favor: compact size, rechargeable portability, a 3D moon and star night light with a choice of color and intensity, and a unique recording feature that lets you create your own soundtrack. The silicone-coated base allows for a noiseless set-up and keeps it on the surface. Switching on and adjusting the volume is as intuitive and simple as a car radio knob: press the power button and rotate up/down. The volume control is good and can be toggled from inaudible to quite high - not as loud as some but I still usually keep the volume pretty low. The watch face will beep when you reach the upper and lower limits of the volume range. Another reviewer said the controls are delicate; They weren't kidding - my dog just turned it on with their barking. The top button on the side can be set to "lock" if you don't want the settings to be accidentally changed, but to prevent accidentally turning the device on or off, you need to turn off the device and press the bottom button push in the side all the way. down so that it only turns on when the power is turned on. The design's main flaw is that the button sprays surrounding the central dial are barely marked with tiny symbols that disappear into the background of the buttons, making them difficult to navigate until you know which ones. Four above the dial control the sounds: the top one is the record button, and the other three are (left) white sounds, (middle) nature sounds, and (right) melodies. The four buttons below the watch face control the timer (top), nightlight on/low/high/off (middle), additional nightlight levels (bottom), and nightlight colors (outside). The night light color choices include red, blue, green, yellow/orange, deep pink, teal, and ever-changing colors. The selection of pre-recorded audio also leaves a lot to be desired, although it's nice to be able to add your own recording. Only one or two sounds in each category sounded like anything I've ever used. A few white noises are downright unpleasant (high vacuum, crackling noise); and the water settings, usually one of my favorites, don't really convey the sounds (rain, ocean, etc.) they try to mimic. One of the bird sounds is ok, but the "waves" in the gull selection sound like someone splashing in the tub, and the cuckoo selection is pretty weird. Merry Christmas also had an odd "lullaby" in the musical variants; there's an unrecognizable twinkle twinkle, a brahma piano lullaby, and a fourth variation that's actually quite an inviting blend of music and nature: gentle piano, guitar and woodwind play against a watery background with the occasional soft bird call. A heartbeat and an electronic "doight...doight" sound complete this section. Verdict: a good sounding machine with some nice features if you have the patience to learn the controls; and a handy option to record your own favorite background sounds.