All new parents know that nothing is as important as your baby’s sleep—and your sleep, because those two are intrinsically linked. So, when a product makes a significant difference in helping our little one catch those precious zzzs, you better bet it gets our interest.
The Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother isn’t anything new. For many years, this soother has helped babies everywhere relax and drift off to a peaceful sleep with its cheerful ocean-themed design and mellow magic. It plays more than 25 calming classical melodies, along with gentle lights and ocean sounds. Its characters sway to relax baby during quiet time or sleep, and the soother’s Drift Off function gradually softens the lights and sounds every ten minutes to help baby fall asleep. Plus, it’s easy and safe to attach to most crib rails, or place on a bedside table by a basinet.
It’s a beloved, best-selling soother with thousands of 5-star reviews. I’ve gifted it at many baby showers and used it for my own two babies, whose little bodies seemed to instantly relax as Opus the octopus and Neptune the turtle floated across the soother. Turns out lots of other parents have been getting excited about the Sea Dreams soother, too. Recently, the soother has caught fire on social media.
There are almost 78,000 views on a @moms TikTok video with a brilliant suggestion—The Sea Dreams Soother is a lifesaver for babies who hate the car. I wish I had this intel when driving my daughter Simone around as a baby—she would cry as soon as we buckled her into her car seat, and often not stop until we reached our destination. (This was extra fun with another passenger—our very anxious, occasionally carsick dog.)
Since babies should be rear facing in their car seat, attach the soother to securely the headrest so your baby can get a great view of calming lights, melodies, and ocean sounds. It’s a game-changer for long drives and road trips. Bonus: the remote control lets parents activate the soother from the front seat.
No two nighttime routines are the same. Caregivers can select from four modes to give baby the perfect combination of lights, music, character motion, and sounds baby needs for bedtime.
Want to check in on baby after bedtime? The Crib Check Light Button, located on the top of the soother, provides gentle illumination so you can easily peep your sleeping angel.
Why do certain things go viral, and others stay under the radar? Why do some ideas and products get talked about so much more than others? Jonah Berger, author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On, says, “researchers have been hard at work analyzing the human behavior behind out decisions to talk and share.” He organizes the principles that cause something to spark public imagination into an acronym STEPPS, which stands for:
Here’s why the Sea Dreams Soother hits on all these six notes:
Social Currency: We like to pass along things that make us look and feel good (think, a fancy car or a smooth-as-silk face cream). Baby Einstein is venerated for its focus on sparking baby's curiosity through discovering language, exploring the arts, and embarking on adventures.
Triggers: If something is top-of-mind, we’re already focused on mulling it over and thinking about solutions. Exhausted, frustrated parents everywhere are perfectly primed to care deeply—and urgently—about getting their babies to sleep better. Sea Dreams Soother to the rescue!
Emotion: “When we care, we share” writes Berger. There’s nothing so emotional as having a baby who is challenging to soothe, or awake when you’re so exhausted in hurts. (Hi, I’ve been there.)
Public: We want to share things that are easy for others to see and understand. The Sea Dreams Soother is so charming and friendly—with its ocean characters and sweet tunes—it’s visually appealing for social media.
Practical Value: People want to help others. A useful product is way more likely to be enthusiastically shared, and the Sea Dreams Soother fits the bill 100%. Helping another parent soothe their baby is certainly a good, meaningful deed.
Stories: “No one wants to seem like a walking advertisement, but they will talk about something if it’s part of a broader narrative,” Berger explains. The story of a family learning together to take care of a new baby and get it to sleep is totally compelling and relatable.
Next time you catch the Sea Dreams Soother on Instagram or TikTok, you’ll know why. And next time you’re switching in on for your baby, you might want to share the magic with other tired parents.
Hannah Howard
Author