You’ve probably seen the Hatch Restore all over social media the past few years. People swear by it. My immediate connotation with the Hatch is thinking of friends with kids who used a red-green system to indicate when the children were finally allowed to emerge from bed at a reasonable hour in the morning (and it seemed to work!?). So when people started talking about their Hatch, I assumed they were just stealing the device from the kids.
But, no. The Hatch Restore is a chic take on what started as a kids’ line. It’s both an alarm clock and a sound machine, along with a device that helps you with sleep routines. Here are my thoughts.
A Hatch Restore Review
I’ve been using the Hatch Restore for three months now (probably a bit more? This post has sat as a headline in my drafts for at least a few weeks!). And, after a few months, I can speak to whether the Hatch Restore is actually worth it.
For years, I’ve just used my phone as an alarm clock, plus a straightforward sound machine. It got the job done, and, most times, I don’t even need to use my alarm. But, as I’ve worked on improving my evening and morning routines in the past few months, I was eager to try out the Hatch. I’ve been prioritizing getting in bed and reading rather than working until 11 PM or later, then sneaking into the room long after Adam has turned out the lights. The idea of the Unwind was appealing, and that’s one of the main reasons to use the Hatch Restore.
It’s super easy to set up. I literally just took it out of the box, then connected my phone. Which is important to note — you do have to download the app and connect your phone. I found that easy to do, though you have to decide whether you’re going to pay the subscription fee for full access ($49.99 annually), or whether you’ll make do with the free version. I’ll address that question in the next section!
With the Hatch Restore, you can get granular about the times and days when different routines automatically kick in. There’s a Cue to Unwind, Unwind, Sleep noises, and Wakeup sounds, in that order. For me, I have the Cue to Unwind kick in at 10 PM, and it’s lovely background noise while I sit in bed reading. Then it shifts into Sleep noises to remind me that it’s time to actually turn in for the evening. In the morning, Wakeup sounds turn on, though I’ve always been out of bed for quite a bit of time (hot take: I don’t like blackout shades because I like getting up with the sun!).
I love the sounds and the cues, but I find the lights to be unnecessary, and I’ve turned them off throughout all the different settings. Regardless of how I use the settings, it also serves as a reminder to stop and think about my sleep routines.
You can find it at Target and Amazon, in addition to the Hatch website.
Do You Need to Buy the Hatch Subscription?
I did a lot of scouring the internet trying to decide whether the Hatch Restore was realistic to use without the subscription. There are, of course, varying opinions, and I hoped that at least Reddit would give me some sort of secret intel on what I can access without paying the $49.99 annual subscription for all of the different sounds, meditations, and music options. Alas, there was nowhere on the internet that I could find a straightforward list of what’s available without a Hatch subscription. Not even that Hatch website would tell me (though perhaps that’s not surprising).
So that’s exactly what I’ll give you. I opted not to buy the subscription. If I was really into sleep meditations, perhaps I would have, but I’ve gotten by without.
- The Cue to Unwind sounds include lavender sky, mint tea, and yawning.
- There are a few of the Unwind samplers available, including a reading of The Great Gatsby, a meditation series, and moonlight jazz.
- For Sleep noises, there are a decent number of options, including pouring rain, various color noises, bedside fan, thunder and lighting, and rain on the porch.
- Wakeup sounds include harmony at dawn, heavy sleepers shuffle, meditative flute, and ambient sunshine.
For me, I have the lavender sky Cue to Unwind, I skip the Unwind step, then it goes to stormy seas for Sleep, and I have it on harmony at dawn for the Wakeup alarm, though I rarely make it to that.
Final verdict: Without the subscription, the Hatch Restore is still totally usable. It’s an attractive clock, and I like the ability to put each step on a timer, which is then broken down by day. For example, you might not want it on the weekends (I do). I also appreciate that I can control it from my phone, which is helpful when I don’t want to get out of bed to trigger the Sleep noise early. Is this a totally necessary purchase? Of course not. But I’m a fan, and, yes, I do get the hype.
