Having three kids in less than four years meant I was used to living in a state of sleep deprivation. And though my “babies” are now old enough to sleep (mostly) through the night, I am so excited for you new mamas because there is a cool crib mobile that can help lull your baby to sleep and—this is important—get them back to sleep if they wake in the middle of the night. I love when technology is put to such good use.

The Watch Over Me Dream Station by B Kids is part crib mobile and part smarty-pants computer that uses timed cycles and sensors to get a baby used to falling asleep without a parent awkwardly hanging over the crib rubbing a back, or endless rocking.

It works by running through five cycles that try to mimic the stages of a baby’s sleep. After putting your baby in the crib, the Dream Station will first play computerized music as tiny lit stars bounce off the three white paddles which are slowly and hypnotically moving up and down. The music isn’t anything you’ll put on in your free time around the house (seriously), but at least there are a bunch of tunes you can scroll through if you get tired of hearing the same one each night.

When the sensor notices that the baby has stopped kicking and wiggling, the Dream Station moves from playing quieter music, to white noise, to—finally—silence.

If you can’t get the Dream Station positioned on the side of a crib—or if you use a co-sleeper like we did— you can still sit the unit up on a dresser or night stand, and it will run through the stages for a few minutes each–though, keep in mind, that the sensors only work if they can be  positioned over the baby. This is important to know because if your baby starts to kick or fuss after being asleep for a while, the sensors will notice it and turn the base light on. It is now that we all hope the baby thinks, “Oh, all is well. I’ll just go back to sleep.” Your mileage may vary.

This is probably best used with very young babies who haven’t yet grown used to a parent appearing at their crib side every time they peep. And, of course, no amount of light or music is going to quiet a hungry or wet baby. But I am certain that back in those early, oh-so-very-tired days, if I could have found something that gave me a few more hours–in a row!—of uninterrupted sleep, I would have traded my car for it. And I’m not even kidding a little.

B Kids Watch Over Me Dream Station is available from our affiliate Amazon.