While reception sites run the gamut from a formal restaurant to a backyard, you both want to make absolutely certain that your site can comfortably hold the number of guests you wish to invite. They hold the energy of your thoughts, feelings, habits, deeds, and more. You’ll be more likely to sustain your lifelong love of yoga when you have a clear purpose every time you step onto your mat. Some of the sounds have a slightly canned quality, and I found that the rainfall and fire-crackling options also had some white-noise fuzz in the background. It’s all controlled through the corresponding smartphone app, which I found easy to use. I’ve tried the Dohm and found it exceptionally easy to use - you really just have to plug it in and switch it on, so I think it’s very appealing for those who hate futzing with too many settings. If you have anxiety about the appearance of your nibbled nails, you may find that using positive visual imagery can be a powerful motivator. Interview several choices. You both may think that wedding photographs are all the same, but they really aren't.

While there are sound machines with more options out there, I think the LectroFan offers a good amount of customization without veering into overcomplication. That makes them much more travel-friendly or convenient to move to different spaces throughout your home. It’s fairly small, so it doesn’t take up much space on a nightstand - Mendes and Ro both take theirs with them while traveling. And it comes highly recommended: Samantha Irby and Eva Mendes own similar models and have sung its praises. But it does have a seven-foot-long power cord, which makes it a little easier to use if your outlets are inconveniently spaced. And because it runs on rechargeable batteries, what is yoga you can truly use this little machine anywhere. Additionally, in the white colorway, I think it looks a little like a medical device, but it also comes in gray, black, tan, and pink as well if you prefer a less sterile look.

"I also liked that it didn’t look like another brightly colored baby product and would look nice around the house." The time-to-rise light is one of the features that makes the Hatch Rest an investment beyond the baby years; like a sunrise alarm clock, it’s a light feature that signals to kids when to wake up. Senior editor Simone Kitchens (who overall prefers the Dohm) agrees that the LectroFan is much louder than the Dohm: "I like that you can crank up the volume on the Lectro, which sometimes you need to." Another handy feature includes the physical buttons on top of the machine - no need to use an app or consult a manual to use this sound machine - as well as a sleep timer. With 16 sound options, volume controls, and sleep timer options (30, 60, or 90 minutes), it does much of what a larger sound machine does, but takes up only a fraction of the space. I think the app controls also make a nice touch for parents if they need to control the settings without disrupting their kids’ sleep. Ro also likes the variety of pitches you can choose from on the LectroFan, as well as being able to control the volume.

Yang says that having just one switch to operate on the Dohm makes it easier to use in the dark, particularly compared to the LectroFan, which has several buttons for various controls. That keeps her from hitting the wrong button and accidentally changing her settings in the middle of the night, as she’s done with the LectroFan, which forces her to cycle back through all the options to find the right one, disrupting her sleep. The Hatch Rest comes highly recommended by lots of parents and experts on children’s sleep. While it has to be plugged in, you can use either a USB port or an AC outlet, and it comes with an adapter. I’ve indicated whether each machine below needs batteries, is rechargeable, or whether it needs to be plugged into an AC and/or USB power source. Strategist staff writer Lauren Ro has tried both the LectroFan and the Yogasleep Dohm (our pick for best mechanical sound machine below), and prefers the LectroFan for its compact size and customizability. The Yogasleep Dohm uses an internal fan to generate a "white noise" sound mechanically. For a kid-specific portable option, we like this machine by Yogasleep (the makers of our best mechanical sound machine).