Confession: The idea of sharing a room with my toddlers while traveling scares me. My solution is always to book a vacation rental or hotel suite with more space—both to keep the kids separated and so my husband and I don’t have to quietly tip-toe through the dark in a paranoid stupor, trying not to wake our kids before we’re ready for bed.
Booking a bigger space isn’t always an option, though. This was the case for us on a recent Disney cruise, where we would be sharing one room with our four-year-old (who is hyper-dependent on his bedtime routine at home). That’s when I caved and paid full price for the SlumberPod toddler bed, an item regarded by many as a “travel lifesaver,” that I’d been stalking for months.
What exactly is the SlumberPod?
The SlumberPod is a bottomless tent made of a breathable, stretchy blackout fabric that can fit over pack-and-plays, mini cribs, and air mattresses.
With ventilation panels and a front-zip access window for safety, the SlumberPod creates a dark, cozy ‘safe’ space—free of distractions—so kids can sleep peacefully while parents stay awake and don’t have to worry about the lights, TV, or their kids seeing them and wanting to party all night. (We’ve all been there.) Additional features include a monitor pocket and optional mini-fan. Oh, and it was invented by moms. Need I say more?
How do you travel with a SlumberPod?
Weighing only five pounds, the SlumberPod toddler bed easily fits into a carryon bag. We use it with an inflatable air mattress and both are compact, lightweight, and quick to assemble. In less than five minutes, we had everything ready to go, tucked against a corner next to my son’s sound machine from home—thunderstorms setting, volume on the fourth dial.
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Two collapsible support poles are part of the package. My advice is to have one adult put it together without anyone else around. Especially if it’s your first time fidgeting around with the SlumberPod, the poles are flimsy (not by fault, so they can bend with the shape of the canopy) and could take out an eyeball if you’re not careful.
Does the SlumberPod fit in any cruise ship cabin?
Think of it this way: Any cabin that can accommodate a pack-and-play or mini crib will fit the SlumberPod. The same goes for hotels and resorts.
So far, I’ve only brought the SlumberPod on Disney Treasure, where we stayed in a Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah. Those cabins are among the most spacious standard accommodations at sea, so we didn’t have to move around any furniture in the living space and still had plenty of room even after setup. We’ve never had any trouble in hotel rooms.
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Several online reviews from parents who’ve brought their SlumberPods on cruises attest that you can set them up in various cruise lines’ cabins—including Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line—usually with a little rejiggering of the layout.
When booking your cruise, be sure to request a pack-and-play or mini crib in advance. Cruise lines provide them upon request, and it’s always best to secure one early to ensure availability.
Should you splurge on the SlumberPod?
If your little one is a light sleeper or can’t share a bed with you, you’re sick of trying to hang sheets over windows, your kids thrive with familiarity (darkness and a sense of security), or you honestly have no idea and just want to make sure everyone sleeps on your next trip or you’ll all go insane, then the SlumberPod is definitely worth the splurge.
Heck, my son—whose bedtime routine at home sometimes spans multiple hours because he has a hard time “turning it off”—slept through the night in his SlumberPod toddler bed. You could say I’m mildly obsessed. Now we never go on a trip without it.
