SlumberPod The Original Blackout Sleep Tent Travel Essential for Babies and Toddlers, Mini Crib and Pack N Play Cover, Sleep Pod for Kids with Monitor Pouch and Fan Pouch, Blocks 95%+ Light, Black

*Update*I reached out to the seller regarding the hole. They responded withon a day. After providing some information and the photos, they are sending a replacement._______Right out of the box, this product looked very promising and indeed can be pretty compact for travel. The instructions were attached to the travel bag, so I appreciate that they won't get easily lost and anyone should be able to read and assemble.The instructions were easy enough to understand, but getting the other end of the pole in the end cap/slot can be a bit tricky and might be easier with two people. I found it easier to assemble in a more open area, due to the poles being so long, and then just placing it over the pack-and-play (PnP).Upon assembly though, I noticed a small hole on one side. It seems small now, but already, after a few days of use, I can see it will probably get bigger over time assembling and disassembling when we travel, and we travel often. I reached out to the seller in hopes of getting a replacement. But for now, because it works so well in helping my baby stay asleep, I will continue to use until I hear from them.It really does keep it dark in there. Even in front of my south-facing windows, although some light comes through, it's not enough to cause any issues. The vents are helpful, but we still use a fan in the upper fan pocket to help keep it cool enough when zipped up. Otherwise, it will get hot and stuffy inside. I also like the fact that there is a pocket for a baby monitor. However, the plastic can make it tricky to place. Any wrinkle in it makes it impossible to see past it, so I have to spend quite a bit of time playing with it to get a clear image. But once set up, it's great to keep an eye on baby.

*Really long review, but I wanted to be as thorough as possible.*I think this is a really smart invention. We have used the SlumberPod every night for 9 weeks and will continue to use it while our baby (currently 13 weeks) room shares with us. Before I get into the review, I think it’s appropriate to offer a little back story so you understand my perspective and why we use this product.When I was pregnant, we didn’t “prepare” our cat well for bringing a baby home. At the time, our cat slept in our room on a cat bed and we would leave the door open, so he can roam around during the night if he chose.When we brought our daughter home from the hospital, we put her in our room in a pack-n-play and had to close the door at night (cat not in the room) because we were concerned he would jump in the pack-n-play. This made our cat cry and moan and meow ALL NIGHT LONG. This went on for weeks. I figured he would eventually stop meowing at all hours of the night, but at 3 weeks he was still going strong.While I was pregnant, I saw SlumberPod on a Facebook group I follow and people were raving about it, but at the time I didn’t know if I would purchase it right away because it’s a bit spendy and we knew we weren’t going to travel with our baby while she’s teeny tiny.I had looked around at alternative privacy pods that were less expensive, but frankly I found something I didn’t like about the ones I had looked at... I’ll touch more on that later on, so you know where my head was when making my decision.After about 3 weeks of hardly any sleep (between a newborn baby and a cat meowing all night), I purchased SlumberPod from Amazon in the wee hours of the morning. Did I / do I feel silly spending $150 to accommodate a cat, Yes! But, what do you do?! I needed sleep and I needed my daughter to be safe. I can honestly say, it’s the best money I’ve ever spent. We can leave our bedroom door open, which means our cat doesn’t meow all hours of the night anymore. I’m a better mom when I’m fully rested.**I do feel a responsibility to say that you should use common sense when buying SlumberPod to keep an animal out of the pack-n-play/ cot. I’m not sure if the makers of SlumberPod advise using it this way, but it works for us. My cat is 11 years old and just eats and sleeps. In all truthfulness, my cat probably wouldn’t have jumped in the pack-n-play anyway, but it’s nice to have something to keep him out just in case.**Here are my thoughts on the cheaper options I had considered and why I decided to pass on them:I looked at two other privacy pods and both of them have a flat top (where SlumberPod has a dome, tent-like design). I had concerns that if the cat did try to jump on the privacy pod- thinking it’s a table or other flat surface- he would land in my baby’s pack-n-play, which is obviously a safety concern. I also read reviews where people with older kiddos had issues with the kid standing in the pack-n-play and the top opening because of the flat surface and velcro.Before using SlumberPod, I had some concerns so I want to share what those concerns were and then my findings after using it daily for 9 weeks:1. Would my baby be able to breathe well with a tent pod over her pack-n-play? Yes, she’s able to breathe just fine. There are several air vents and we have all of them open and the SlumberPod is still plenty dark with the vents open.2. Would it be a pain to change the sheets on the infant insert mattress while keeping SlumberPod over the pack-n-play? No issues. The pack-n-play mattress has a tri-fold, so I just fold the mattress together and slide it in and out through the large door.3. Would the zipper wake my baby when she’s in the drowsy state and we are putting her to bed? This probably depends on your child, but we haven’t had any issues with the zipper disturbing her.Additional thoughts:I also really like the baby monitor pocket. There is a clear window inside so if you have a video monitor you can still see your child.You can’t beat the customer service! The SlumberPod inventors are a mother- daughter duo and you can tell they really do care about their customers. I know it’s a spendy product, but I honestly think it’s worth it. I look at it as an investment and since we use it nightly, the cost per use goes down each day. Although we haven’t traveled with it yet, it seems like it would be easy to travel with because it’s so compact and isn’t too heavy- and yes, it comes with a travel case.

This is truly a magical product. Didn’t introduce it to my child until she was 15 mos old (bc I had never heard of this product until I saw a friend with one recently) but wish I had had it sooner! It really is a great product and even though we introduced it to her late (aka once she could stand/walk/feel confused about a new surrounding), it didn’t seem to bother her. It helped her to sleep in later than she usually does while we were traveling. The one downside is that it gets pretty hot and stuffy in there. We bought this version that comes with the slumberpod fan, and while it does help distribute the air, unless you have sufficient AC it does not really help. When traveling we stayed at a place with no AC and no ceiling fan, though the ambient temp stayed around 68 degrees Fahrenheit (a lot less than what we set it at home), but it still felt stuffy inside the slumberpod even with the fan. If you have running AC, I would knock it down a degree or two lower than what you normally set it at at home to prevent your child from being uncomfortable. Otherwise, it works great! 5 stars despite the airflow issue because it blocks out enough light that we could keep the pack n play in front of the tv at a hotel and watch tv without waking her, AND she slept so well in it when she wasn’t distracted by any minimal light coming through. So a huge win for extra sleep for the parents!I was VERY hesitant about the price, but now we will use it regularly for stays at grandmas house, traveling, etc. I was sold when I saw that it fits over a toddler bed too. So we can keep using it even after our little outgrows the pack n play. I’d recommend adding it to your Amazon baby registry and hoping someone buys it for you, but if not, try to use the registry discount on it!