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The SlumberPod is expensive.
I looked endlessly for SlumberPod alternatives (which I wrote this article on) as I couldn’t imagine spending so much for a tent. My wife and I love the Guava travel crib, so we didn’t think we could like anything as much as the Guava.
Next, I looked on Craigslist. Surely, I could find a used one for half the price. Nada.
Well, I ended up coughing up the money (unfortunately I hadn’t found this Black Friday SlumberPod coupon code that got the price all-in down $154.44) as we were very tired with our 3rd daughter, living in a 2 bedroom duplex in the bay area.
So, was the SlumberPod worth it for us?
100%, Absolutely!
I’ll cover that in great detail while showing a comparison between my SlumberPod and our SlumberPod alternative. I still have my Slumberpod from years ago, and it’s still working, albeit some ducttape.
Also, SlumberPod has a special Black Friday deal that is much better than MY coupon code.
Here’s the process by going through the link below and adding a coupon code.
- This link will take you to the Slumberpod website where you will click “Shop Now”.
- Once you click “add to cart” then once you get to checkout, you would type in the code: BF20
- Voila, your total will be just $154.44 without the fan and $171.60 if you’d like the fan and . which is the best deal I’ve found. At my house, we have both the darker blue and black version, and both are excellent.
My Honest SlumberPod Review
I mentioned earlier that my wife and I had our youngest Dagny (at the time) in our room, and she was having trouble sleeping during naps. We lived in a small duplex, and let’s be honest that the blinds didn’t do a great job protecting from sunlight, especially with a portal a/c unit that was bulgy.
So, our neighbors let us borrow their SlumberPod. I was skeptical. It was terrible to assemble. I’ll explain that later.
But, wow, Dagny slept like a champion in her nap time as the Slumberpod fits over a crib really easily. We used again during night time, and it worked again.
So, being someone that likes to “save the cents”, I did not want to spend so much for a glorified tent, but I did, and am forever grateful.
That said, let me show you how we use the SlumberPod now and the pros and cons of the SlumberPod.
How We Use the SlumberPod Now
Currently, we use the SlumberPod for my youngest daughter, Bodil. She’s 10 months and still in our room, so we use the SlumberPod for her pack and play. We may have her nap her first nap in Dagny’s room (which she will eventually share), so we would move the SlumberPod over to her room over the crib.
We also use the SlumberPod on almost all travel trips. My wife and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary last month and brought Bodil, and the SlumberPod very much helped for naps and sleeping times.
And here’s a picture of a more rested couple, thanks to the SlumberPod.
Let’s cover the pros and cons next.
Pros
1. It’s actually really dark.
When we first purchased the SlumberPod, my wife decided to jump into the pack and play and shut the straps. It was a pitch black. Actually, I thought it would be helpful for you, so I took a picture inside the SlumberPod compared to inside the SlumberPod alternative below.
As you can see, the SlumberPod is much darker than the alternative, which is great for naps.
2. SlumberPod fits over a crib really well.
I wanted to share in my review how the SlumberPod fits over a crib well. We bought the SlumberPod to cover a pack and play, but it’s really stretchable material, so you can cover a crib as well. See picture below.
3. Material feels breathable
It gets hot, which I’ll cover as a con below, but the material does feel breathable. After using for 2 babies now, we definitely think it’s decent.
4. Easy to Transport
My biggest con is that it’s not fun to assemble, especially as a newbie, but I do love that it packages nicely in the bag it comes with. This really helps when we travel and need to pull the SlumberPod out for the hotel. My experience is that this is a big pro.
5. Works great for toddlers too.
It’s nice that it’s designed where a toddler can actually stand up inside the tent. Our SlumberPod alternative covers over the pack and play like the SnoozeShade Pack N Play, and it’s great for babies, but not toddlers who like to stand up.
Cons
While I love our SlumberPod, let’s cover the worst cons that make me question my sanity.
1. Assembly
Our SlumberPod alternative takes about 30 seconds – 1 minute to assemble. It basically just wraps over our pack and play.
The SlumberPod can take about 5-7 minutes to setup, and the long poles make it extremely difficult to navigate in a small room.
I am not a cussing man, but I have been tempted and maybe let one slip when assembling. I’d estimate the poles are around 10-12 feet.
Also, after about the 90th assembly this past month, I thought I had it, and then I assembled the poles incorrectly and humbled me all over again.
2. Heat
It gets hot if you don’t have air conditioning. I appreciate in the later models that they give you a fan. That’s helpful, but not great if it’s really, really hot.
My SlumberPod Alternative Experience
When we had Bodil, I realized that we were going to need another sleep companion, especially for travel. I decided that I wanted to try a SlumberPod alternative (this one from Amazon to be exact) after searching high and low for an alternative. It’s probably around $36-$50, so definitely lower. I didn’t want to purchase the SnoozeShade which is around $90. For $90, I would be close enough to where another SlumberPod may be worth it.
What I love about the SlumberPod alternative is that assembling can take 30 seconds – 1 minute. It also keeps things relatively dark, and is breathable. It may even be less hot than the SlumberPod.
That said, it was a bit more difficult for me to cover the bottom of a bigger pack and play (we have this one and it’s definitely a high recommend on my chart. 4.8 on Amazon too although ALSO pricey).
It’s also definitely not as dark. Check out this picture of me holding up this SlumberPod alternative.
All that to say, this SlumberPod alternative has definitely been fine for our family.
Summing This Review Up
The SlumberPod is a great resource that has helped my wife and I get more sleep. As I am a SlumberPod evangelist, SlumberPod has graced me with a $9.99 coupon if you are interested and want to “save some cents” (pun intended). The code below is helpful if you want the black with the grey accents, but I just found this coupon code in that gets the price down to just above $150, which is MUCH better than my code which is 5% off.
Here’s the process to do that.
- This link will take you to the Slumberpod website where you will click “Shop Now”.
- Once you click “add to cart” then once you get to checkout, you would type in the code: BF20.
- Voila, your total will be just $154.44 without the fan and $171.60 if you’d like the fan and . which is the best deal I’ve found. At my house, we have both the darker blue and black version, and both are excellent.
If you’d like a fan with the black, my code is savedbythecents, and you get $9.99 off your order from purchasing on the Slumberpod.com website. And, I just added it to my cart to confirm it works (screenshot below). It’s actually a 5% off coupon code, so if you purchase other accessories, it may be more than $9.99.
Hope this articles has been interesting. Please write me at savedbythecents@gmail.com if you have any questions or anything whatsoever about this SlumberPod review.
