As a perinatal therapist, I know that sleep deprivation is absolutely a contributing factor for perinatal mood disorders and overall distress in general. Protecting sleep is one of those “non-negotiable” that I work on with parents. Any time there is a product on the market that can support protecting sleep, like the Slumberpod, I’m all for it!
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
The Slumberpod has been a game changer in our home for years now! The Slumberpod was hitting the market with my first and I was able to get my hands on one in time for the birth of my second child. I have gotten the most use out of it by far this last year.
Sleep deprivation is probably the main reason that I have so many patients. I’m not kidding. Sleep is not a luxury that we just have to tolerate being without. It’s actually dangerous to be in a continuous state of sleep deprivation.
Not just for adults! For infants and toddlers, their brains are doing so much growing and regulating in their sleep. Which is why it is important to protect sleep!
Did you know that adults just need one four hour stretch to mitigate the side affects of sleep deprivation? I don’t know about you, but a four hour stretch seems WAY more feasible than a seven hour stretch! Especially if we facilitate the right sleep environment for our kids. Even on vacation!
For me, I don’t compromise on having a dark, quiet, temperature-controlled space for my little’s to sleep in. The Slumberpod makes this extremely simple by having a dark ventilated space with a fan for that babes to rest and recharge! My husband always jokes that if they made one that fit over our bed, I would sleep in it!
Maximizing use of Slumberpod
As soon as my youngest child turned four months old, I utilized the Slumberpod over his bassinet while we were room sharing. We were most definitely beginning to wake one another up throughout the night, but we weren’t quite ready to move the baby to his room yet. Especially because he was on a completely different floor and was still waking at night to feed.
My husband’s alarm goes off for work anywhere between 4-5 am and I would immediately panic and flail about attempting to wake him before the alarm would wake the baby!
The sleep deprivation was really starting to marinate around that four-month mark and then I thought to myself, WAIT I’m sure that I can use the Slumberpod over the bassinet. In my sleep deprived state I was associating the functionality of the Slumberpod with the pack n play.
Literally that night I set up the Slumberpod over the bassinet and kept the set up that way until I moved the baby into his room at six months old. I made a little video that you can see here on our set up!
At the same time, we transitioned our two eldest children to room sharing. Our then two year old took this as an absolute free for all of course. I think she literally thought she was at baby Coachella every night and she was ready to PARTY!
I grabbed the Slumberpod and crib attachment and set that bad boy up right over her crib for the first month that she began room sharing with our eldest who was four at the time. The crib attachment is no longer being made but rumor has it that Slumberpod is rolling out a new product in the future!
The week before we set up her room that way, I let the two eldest explore around the Slumbperpod and use it as a fort. I always tell parents that the more that toddlers can anticipate a routine and have time to adjust to change, the better. She had a positive association with the Slumberpod and did not have disrupted sleep.
You can take a peek at how I use the Slumberpod over the crib here. I know the the new and improved Slumberpod is going to be a game changer!
Bottom line- the Slumberpod is not just useful for travel. It’s great for day to day use and when family comes to town because I know the majority of us do NOT have a guest room and that is perfectly fine! Please do not compromise your sleep due to sleeping arrangements not being ideal! You’ll thank me- I promise!
*While this post is sponsored these are our true and authentic opinions.
