Ah, the SlumberPod. I bought this because we were going on a quick weekend trip to NYC but I still wanted to get some good sleep. I wanted to see how the SlumberPod worked for our 2 year old, who did NOT sleep well in the hotel crib on the previous trip. I had very very high hopes. Read on to see how that went! Did the SlumberPod really help everyone sleep? And was it worth $200? Here’s what you need to know before buying a SlumberPod.
I bought the SlumberPod with my own money, but if you do purchase using my links I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business!
What is the SlumberPod?
This baby gear invention for travel became super popular after its appearance on Shark Tank (season 11). It’s essentially a bottomless tent that creates a very dark environment, perfect for sleeping. It is tented in the middle so young children can stand without bumping their head on the fabric. The SlumberPod blocks 95% of light, has been safety tested for breathability, and is machine washable. The latest model (3.0) has 2 interior pockets for a fan, 1 interior pocket for a camera, and weighs 5.5 lbs.
It’s created for ages 4 months and up, and it fits over a variety of playards, mini cribs, and travel cots.
How we approach sleeping in hotels with our 3 little kids
With our first all the way back in 2017/2018, we didn’t have a fancy contraption like the SlumberPod, so we would just kind of call it a night when she went to bed. I remember sitting in a hotel room in California when she was about 6 months old and thinking, “Well this is kind of miserable,” but there wasn’t much we could do at that point. It was around 7pm, she needed to go to sleep, and so we just read our books in the dark and called it a (very early) night.
Now we seek out hotels that have a family-friendly setup, like the all-suite Fairmont we stayed at in Hawaii. That allowed us to put the kids to bed and stay up in our living room watching a movie or chatting or planning the next day’s adventures.
If we are all staying in the same room, things are a little trickier. Our 7 year old is not tired as early as our 2 year old or 4 year old, so we often put our 2 year old to bed with a blackout cover (basically it’s a SlumberPod alternative) over her pack n play, and then we let our 4 year old and 7 year old stay up a little later. I bought the SlumberPod alternative blackout cover on Amazon for much less than the SlumberPod. (It’s currently on Amazon for less than $40!) It worked with our 4 year old when he was in a pack n play and it has helped our youngest fall asleep, especially during nap time when we didn’t have blackout shades where we were staying.
I had very high hopes for the SlumberPod. Here are my honest thoughts!
Honest thoughts on the SlumberPod (that might surprise you)
Like I said, I had really high hopes for the Slumber Pod. It seemed like THE piece of baby gear we were missing for great sleep while traveling with a toddler. All of the SlumberPod reviews I read were just gushing about how amazing it was and how it created miracle sleep for kids!
What I like about the SlumberPod
There are some things I love about the SlumberPod, like how small it folds up for ease in travel, how it has a built-in pocket for a fan (included when I bought it from this site for discounted open-box baby gear), and it fits over a variety of baby sleep surfaces, like a pack n play or crib. I also like that there’s a second interior pocket for either your baby monitor or a second fan.
What I don’t like about the SlumberPod
What I did NOT like about the SlumberPod unfortunately outweighed the pros. To start, assembly was frustrating. We had arrived in NYC at our hotel around 8pm, a bit past our youngest’s bedtime. Putting it together reminded me of trying to put together an old school style beach tent on a windy day. I really thought we were going to slam it into a window by accident or break something.
It was fairly cool in the hotel room, but I still put the fan on in the interior pocket and was a little worried about the temperature inside of the playard. My 2 year old normally sleeps in a sleep sack, which I left off because I thought it felt warm. (Which, honestly, probably contributed to the not-great sleep.) I wish I had brought the Nanit camera so I could tell the actual temperature inside of there (the Nanit has a temperature sensor, which is one feature I love!).
Assembling the SlumberPod was rough. The poles are SO long, and you’re likely to poke an eye out if you aren’t careful. That said, it’s a very simple design- just an X crossing over the top of the tent.
So did it help the toddler sleep in the hotel room??
Not at all. I was honestly so disappointed because I was thinking this was going to be a miracle travel item for our toddler. She normally sleeps a fabulous 14 hours a night at home (plus takes a nap) but suddenly hates sleeping away from home. For two nights the blackout and fan did nothing, and she woke up on the hour looking for me.
I’m not getting rid of it just yet, though. We’re heading out on a European adventure this summer and I plan to bring the Slumber Pod with us (or just rent one there… haven’t decided yet!) to see if it’s helpful this time around. I’ll come back and update, but just know that I’m now skeptical of this particular toddler travel item!
Where to find SlumberPod on sale
If you want to try it for yourself, you can find a great open box deal (basically items that were returned but are in like-new condition) at Good Buy Gear, which is where I found mine for $85.
The SlumberPod makers created their own sound machine that I’m a big fan of- you can read my review on the SlumberCalm here if you’re interested! You can see it below attached to the SlumberPod in our hotel room.
How big is the Slumberpod?
Once assembled, the SlumberPod 3.0 measures 54″ long, 40″ wide, and 53″ tall. It is slightly larger than previous versions. When we started to put it together I was worried it wouldn’t fit in the hotel room, but it was fine. It is tall enough that my 35″ daughter could stand up with plenty of room. According to the brand, the SlumberPod will fit playards and mini cribs up to 44″ long, 30″ wide, and 38″ tall.
We used it with a standard Graco Pack ‘n’ Play and it fit right over the travel crib. Once it’s taken apart, the SlumberPod is 5.5 pounds and measures 17″ long, 5″ wide, and 6″ tall in the carrier bag. It’s lightweight and small enough that it’s easy to bring when traveling. It would definitely fit in a checked suitcase and probably even a carry on suitcase.
How does a dark room help promote better sleep for a child?
The concept of the SlumberPod makes total sense. Blackout drapes/shades at home are important for signaling that it’s time to go to bed (according to a bunch of sleep experts, including the one we followed with our first child), but…
Do babies absolutely need blackout in order to sleep? No. Think about the last time your child slept in their stroller… it probably was not pitch dark out. Granted that’s not a full night’s rest but still. According to various sleep sources I read, having a darker room promotes better sleep for a child.Melatonin production: Darkness helps stimulate melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep.
Fewer distractions: A dark environment reduces visual stimuli, helping toddlers settle down faster.
Better sleep quality: Many toddlers sleep more deeply and wake less often in a darker room.
Sleep experts say that brightness in a room at sleeping time can be a problem, like if there’s too much light from a TV, hallway, or uncovered windows, and may:
- Delay sleep onset
- Cause more frequent wake-ups
- Lead to shorter overall sleep duration
So is the SlumberPod worth the cost?
TBD, but for now I say if your little one sleeps in a pack n play/travel crib, go ahead and try the SlumberPod alternative blackout cover on Amazon first. (It’s currently on Amazon for less than $40!)
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