Marpac Hushh For Baby – Portable White Noise Sound Machine – Review
Every New Mum needs a Marpac Portable White Noise Sound Machine
I am so glad that I have found the Marpac Hushh portable white noise sound machine for babies. You can of course, use the original Marpac DOHM in the nursery, but this model is designed specifically for babies and on top of that – it is designed to be portable.
Marpac are a well-known maker of sleep sound machines and they have been helping us sleep soundly since 1962. Their most popular sound machine has become the granddaddy of sound machines over the years and no one has a bad word to say about the Marpac DOHM.
The Marpac Hushh has the same high quality design and attention to detail, as does the Marpac DOHM, and this gives you a lot of trust in this company. So let’s take a look at the Marpac Hushh portable white noise sound machine, and see why it might be right for your little ones.
- 3 different sound options – bright white noise, deep white noise and gentle surf.
- Baby safe clip to attach the unit to a car seat, cot or stroller.
- Easy one hand operation.
- Child lock to prevent the volume or sound selection from being changed.
- Soft amber LED night light.
- Light weight and compact.
- Easy touch controls.
- Power ON/OFF button.
- Volume control (high to low and OFF).
- Convenient rechargeable batteries and USB charging.
- Size: 3.5 x 1.8 x 3.8 inches.
- Weight: 3.8 ounces.
- Material: ABS Plastic.
- One-year limited factory warranty.
Features of the Marpac Hushh portable white noise sound machine
The Marpac Hushh sound machine only has 3 sounds – two variations of white noise and a surf track. If you want a sound machine for babies that plays a larger range of natural sounds, white noise and runs on batteries, then check out Dex the Dog or Sweet Slumber by Graco.
You have an ON/OFF button that needs to be held for a few seconds for it to work, as it is not a quick ON/OFF button, more of a ‘let me think about it for a moment’ button 🙂 This is the same when you press the button to turn the child lock on or off as well.
On the subject of the child lock, this is a useful feature, because once the sound machine is set and locked, inquisitive fingers can’t change the tracks or alter the volume, and they also can’t turn the sound machine off .
The Marpac Hushh doesn’t have a timer, so when it is operating it will play until you turn the power off. One feature which is good is that it will remember your settings, so when you turn it back on, the same track and volume will start.
There is also a small night light, which isn’t obtrusive, but is enough to see easily in the dark and can be turned off if you don’t need it or want to save the life of the battery.
Lastly, you can attach the sound machine to a cot, car seat or a stroller to keep it safe and take it with you when you are out and about.
Anchoring the sound machine helps to makes sure that it doesn’t become lost or thrown out of a stroller, the way so many toys are lost!
Points to note about the Marpac Hushh portable white noise sound machine
One of the points to note about the Marpac Hushh portable white noise sound machine is that it operates on rechargeable lithium batteries.
This means that if you run it non-stop, you might only have around 6 hours before the batteries go flat, but this depends on the settings you chose.
Battery life
For example, if you have the night light on, play the deep white noise, and have the volume on high then you might only have enough charge for 4 hours straight. Alternately, if you play the surf track on the lowest volume setting without the night light, you might have enough charge for 24 hours straight.
So the life of the rechargeable batteries depends on the settings you use and the length of time you operate the sound machine. If the batteries run flat during the day time, then that’s easy to fix, because you just plug it in to a power source so it can recharge (it operates while it is playing).
The problem is when the batteries run out of charge in the middle of the night and the track ends abruptly, your baby might wake up. This is a pain, but the Marpac Hushh was only designed to be used as a portable option and for a few hours at a time, not on a consistent basis.
There are two solutions to this problem – either purchase the Marpac DOHM, which is designed for consistent use (but only plays white noise) or plug the Marpac Hushh into the mains power to keep it charging while it is playing.
Keeping it plugged in seems to negate its portability, certainly if you want to use the sound machine in circumstances when you don’t have any power, for example when you are camping.
There are power options for campers who want to charge their mobile phone, tablets and laptops when they are camping, which will also work with the Marpac Hushh.
Anyway, having a sound machine with battery power does give you the benefit of portability, which is great if you are travelling and want to take a lightweight and compact sound machine with you to help settle your children at night in strange surroundings.
Indicator light
Another potential annoyance could be that there is a small indicator light that stays on all of the time the unit is recharging. This is separate to the night light (which can be turned off), so if this bothers you, as it has some customers, then covering it with tape has worked successfully.
Electronic sounds
Lastly, this is an electronic sound machine that plays electronic sound tracks, unlike the original Marpac DOHM, which creates white noise using an electric motor. Some people prefer the real deal and so the Marpac DOHM is their currency of choice. However, if you are happy with high quality electronic tracks, rather than white noise created using an electric motor, then you should be good to go.
Customer reviews of the Marpac Hushh portable white noise sound machine
The vast majority of online customers love the Marpac Hushh, because it has great volume control and is not too loud or too quiet. Other customers like how portable it is, because they can take it away on holiday with them and that it is lightweight, compact and charges quickly.
Should you buy the Marpac Hushh portable white noise sound machine?
If you want a portable sound machine with USB charging for when you are on the road with your children or newborn, then the Marpac Hushh portable white noise sound machine might be right for your family.
It plays two different white noise tracks, as well as a surf track and has a child lock so little fingers can’t change the settings or turn it off.
Marpac is a very well respected manufacturer of sound machines and the Marpac Hushh was designed with babies and children in mind.
This is a well put together sound machine and is definitely worth a second look.
Check Reviews on AmazonTo read more of my reviews of sleep sound machine for babies, click here.