App sings babies back to sleep in their parent’s voice

SleepHero is a sound-activated mobile app which automatically plays recordings of a parent's voice when their child stirs in the night.

Sleepless nights are a given for new parents: when a baby awakes in the night, the soothing voice of a mother or father is most likely the only suitable remedy. Now, SleepHero is a sound-activated mobile app which enables parents to reassure their children in the night, without even having to wake up. The app uses a repertoire of lullabies recorded in the voice of a parent, which play automatically when the child stirs, easing them back to sleep.

To begin, parents download the app onto their smartphone or tablet. They can choose from a selection of preloaded nursery rhymes or select their child’s favorite book. The selected text then appears on screen, prompting the user to record the song or story in their own voice. Parents can adjust the amount of noise needed for the app to be triggered into playing, and the length of time the recording should run for.

Parents can also choose from a selection of white noises if their baby responds better to those sounds. The app was developed by father of two Rob Tong, who was searching for a solution which would enable both parents and child to get a good nights sleep.

How else could smart devices be used to create calming environments for sleeping babies?