The Hatch Rest is a helpful product for sleepless parents, providing a nightlight, white noise sounds, and much more. This brand of products has been favorably reviewed and for good reason; they are affordable, useful, and multi-faceted.
To get a better idea of which of the base products is superior to the other, we are going to take a look at the second generation compared to the first.
Instead of going over things categorically, we are going to take a look at their similarities and then go into what makes them unique.
If you don’t want to be bogged down with endless paragraphs about a white noise machine, we will offer a brief overview of what each has to offer. If you do want an extensive look at both devices – we have exciting news!
Description:
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Description:
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$2.99 ($0.37 / Ounce)
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$4.48 ($1.70 / Ounce)
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- Added digital clock
- Bonus features without losing any functionality from 1st Gen.
- Still a great, classic design
- Ideal for those that want less WiFi dependence
Quick Comparison
The Hatch Rest 1st generation is a bit smaller, a bit less complicated, and a bit less feature-rich. If you are tight on space, the more compact package of the 1st generation may be preferable; though which product people will pick largely comes down to two things.
The first is how important Wifi is to you and how often you have access to it at home. The second would easily have to be the lack of a dimmable clock on the bottom – which some consumers find very attractive.
The 1st and 2nd generation are usually around $70 when not on discount. Both products are very effective at what they do and would be strongly recommended for anyone looking to get a better night’s sleep.
The Hatch Rest 2nd generation is the longer, more modern version of its predecessor. While it is a bit bulkier, neither of these products is going to be cumbersome or hard to place. If you are regularly dropping Wifi or in an area where it is touch and go, I would recommend going with the 1st generation instead. What it does have going for it is a more advanced list of features like the clock on the bottom.
Something additional that is worth mentioning is the sleep library that you have on standby. The biggest problem with this “addition” is the annual fee you will have to pay to gain access to it. While fifty dollars isn’t a huge price to pay, it could be a hard thing to justify for households feeling the financial squeeze. For more information on what this plan has to offer, there is a category below that goes into further detail.
~~~ Check Price: Hatch Rest 1st Gen. ~~~
~~~ Check Price: Hatch Rest 2nd Gen. ~~~
Features & Design
This is going to be the lion’s share of features for both products. While they do feature a few key differences, these are still very similar. We will also cover general details that feel important to the consumer, regardless of how relevant they are to the overall comparison. Let’s start off with something some consumers have shown a great deal of frustration with.
Night Light
As most have probably guessed, both of these products come with a nightlight. What you may not know, is that the color of the nightlight can be changed manually to many different colors.
The night light is dimmable on both and offers a wide arrange of colors. If you are curious about either color spectrum, you can use the rainbow function to have the lights go in a pattern.
The Nightlight comes with up to 10 presets, a color wheel, and dimmable lighting for both models. This feature shines in its wide personalization, which comes with several different ambient noises and colors to help start your bedtime, morning, or calm afternoon. While this product might be used primarily for kids, the customization definitely lends itself to anyone with sleep issues.
Sound Machine
Both machines have a good amount of variety in their sounds, with over eleven different ambient noises. The choices are forest, birds, rain, lullabies, ocean waves, dryer, white noise, crickets, water stream, and wind.
There is a premium option that the 2nd generation offers (which will be covered below) but it is nice to know you get a wide array of options, regardless.
Alarm Clock & Time-To-Rise
While it comes as no surprise that the Hatch products come equipped with an alarm clock, it’s the varying add-ons that make it worthwhile. Referred to as “Dream Schedules”, you can automate the activity of your Hatch with predetermined bedtimes, wake-ups, and whatever else you may need.
If someone wants to brighten up the morning of their kids (or themselves) they can use the time-to-rise/time-for-bed feature which allows the user to wake up or sleep to any color of the rainbow. Green has been proven to be calming, but you can also choose red if you need a violent start to your day. The time-to-rise/time-for-bed feature is not recommended for children under two.
This is also really nice for parents who have early-bird children. The time-to-rise feature offers colors that correspond to when the child can leave the bed.
Depending on how you program it, you can teach your child to stay in bed when the light is blue, and let them get up when it is green. Trying to get them to abide by these terms & conditions is another problem entirely, though it’s a nice option to have.
Hatch Sleep App
The app maintains a far higher average rating than most with a 4.5 on Google Play and 4.8 on The App Store. For iPhone users, the only complaints that could be found were frustrations with the premium plan (they did not know there was one). While this is regrettable for them, it hardly holds back the app.
For Android users, you may have some issues with connecting to your app. Several of the negative reviews – which there aren’t many – say that the connection is very chaotic and regularly disconnects. Others have said they struggle to get the connection to work at all. Bear in mind these are probably 1 out of 10 people, but it’s worth noting.
Moving on to the features it offers, the app will work like a remote for the Rest. You can personalize your sleep schedule, gain access to the different colors and sounds available, brighten or dim the Rest to make it more or less visible, and far more.
In fact, most of the features in this list will be accessible exclusively through the app. Just know that some additional features may be locked behind a premium plan.
2.4 GHz Compatible
For those wanting to use 5.0 wifi frequency; this is going to be a sincerely disappointing read for you. Unfortunately, at the time of this article, all Hatch devices are not compatible with 5.0 GHz.
While this isn’t uncommon for tech products, it is still a setback for some select consumers. 2.4 has a better range at lower speeds, while 5.0 can travel much quicker, with less range.
The 1st generation can work without Wifi coverage – unlike the second generation. Because of this, several people prefer the first model for being a bit more practical.
Exclusive to 1st Gen
What is undoubtedly going to set apart the first generation is its lack of dependence on an internet connection.
While some of our luckier readers might live in an area with calm, temperate weather and consistent Wifi, this is not a reality for everyone. If you are in an area that experiences wifi or power outages due to situations outside of your control, this is likely your best bet.
The 1st generation also comes in a slightly more compact package, weighing in at a bit under one pound and measuring out to 4 x 4 x 2 inches. The outer material is comprised mainly of ABS plastic (think outlet covers to get an idea) with the lighting underneath being LED.
These miniature lights certainly won’t skyrocket your electricity bill regardless of the lighting, but it’s nice to know that LEDs require a lot less power to function. So when your electricity bill does come around on its monthly visit, it won’t cripple you.
Exclusive to 2nd Gen
The second generation certainly isn’t reinventing the wheel with some fascinating new design, though it has one or two steps forward most consumers will appreciate. The most notable is the adjustable digital clock at the bottom of the 2nd gen device. While this may be largely useless to a baby still trying to understand how its arms work, it will be helpful as they grow older.
The second generation is going to weigh slightly more, though it would be hard to notice without technical specifications telling us the difference. The newer model is going to be a 1.5-pound burden that takes up about 4 x 4 x 6.5 inches of space in total. While it is bigger, it is hard to think the minor difference will be an issue for most consumers.
Hatch Sleep Membership
Hatch has decided to opt for a premium plan in addition to its products with the Hatch Sleep Membership. This is not a required purchase and the product still has all the listed features below without Hatch Sleep.
If you do plan on utilizing the Hatch Sleep membership it will run you just under $50 annually.
The price of both of these products is the same at a hair under $70 MSRP. Adding on an additional annual membership (for the 2nd generation) won’t be horrific, though it could dent your wallet.
You get a very large selection of auditory aids to help bring you into a deep, restful slumber. While they remain fairly cryptic on everything that comes with the membership, it seems like a hub for more and more additional content. The premium subscription will grant access to new ambient noises, sounds, songs, and children’s stories.
The most significant and recent update to the subscription is Hatch’s “Wind Down Channels” which feel like radio stations for ambient noise. They basically play a revolving, random selection of noises, songs, and sounds to keep you or your children from growing accustomed to the bedtime routine.
Reviews for the service seem favorable, though it ultimately comes down to whether or not consumers want to pay a recurring fee to sleep better.
Verdict
They are both great devices, though they definitely are going to split the readers down the middle as to what they want. The first generation is not limited to Wifi access and can work offline as well as being a bit smaller. The second generation comes with a slick digital clock and a compendium of auditory options for bedtime or morning.
While both of these come recommended by yours truly, there are other alternatives in the Hatch list of products.
The most similar is going to be the upgraded Hatch Rest Plus which also comes with a first and second generation. For those not entirely satisfied with the features and functions of these products, those upgraded devices may be worth a glance. We have a comparison article that should be out alongside this one that compares those products.