KidCo Peapod, Cranberry

We were considering bringing our pack-n-play on an airplane trip and were not looking forward to it due to size/weight. I found this item and read all about it via reviews and the recall of the older product and subsequent redesign. There were many positive reviews so I finally decided to go for it and we are so happy we did. It fits in the suitcase, is lightweight, and she slept in it easily. We just made sure she had a few naps in it at home, prior to traveling, and she did really well on the trip. Now we feel as though it will make trips to the park or even camping easier along with future distance traveling. Folding up is not super intuitive - make sure to watch the youtube video and practice a couple of times. Overall a great product.Pros:-lightweight-simple setup-compact when folded-quality of materials-can use until age 3Cons:-slightly difficult to fold up until you watch youtube video-slightly more expensive than I originally wanted to spend (now that I've used it, I think it's well worth the price)

We're getting to that age where our daughter is old enough that pack-n-plays are obnoxious to deal with while traveling but she's too young to sleep in a bed (we don't cosleep and want to avoid it for all our sleep's sakes).Enter the Peapod. This thing is amazing. It folds up small, weighs next to nothing compared to a pack-n-play, and provides a comforting sleep space that *looks the same* to your kid no matter where you travel. I'm really not looking forward to having to lug around pack-n-plays again when we have kid #2.Few notes:- This is not a safe sleep space for <12 mo as it reduces air flow which is a risk factor for SIDS. Pack-n-plays are certified for infant sleep and are the safest option for <12mo.- You *need* to sleep your kid in this thing at least one night at home on the floor of their room before traveling (ideally a few days ahead of time in case the first night goes poorly). Make it a whole thing - tell them you got them their *very own tent*, make a big deal about opening it up, have *them* put their stuffed animals in it. Now our daughter crawls into it on her own at bedtime. I would not try it for the first time while traveling. If they aren't into it, it's game over. Even with careful introduction your kid may refuse to sleep through the night in it (happened to our friends) so know how to rent/request a pack-n-play as a backup option.- It can get quite warm when zipped - careful of overheating. We got our daughter up from a few naps to find her dripping in sweat despite appropriate clothing for the temp. Err on the side of less clothing especially for naps. You may need to put them to sleep in it, then sneak back in and unzip it to let air flow. You may also need to put them to bed in just jammies then later add a sleep sack after they go to sleep for the night if camping outdoors.- The bottom mat is not very thick; we put it on top of a thermarest while camping for insulation + cushion.- Watch the YouTube video to learn to fold it. Don't try to wing it.

I love amazon reviews and was very shocked when I read the previous model's review by a woman whose son died while in the unit. Her credentials are valid. She used her real name, has a photo of herself, has other reviews that seem fair and was by no means a troll just trying to scare people about some competitors product. I feel...sick and horribly saddened for her loss and my pain for her held me off from buying for a few weeks until I read up on the changes made and other reviews. While the unit was in transit, I was actually stressed, thinking, "am I a horrible mother, subjecting my child to death?!" Well, the unit came today and i believe that the redesign was successful. Any movement that would put a child up against the wall will in no way block air to the child. It is completely mesh and air flow is great. Additionally the mattress pad is attached underneath the entire pod which means that it cannot move around inside and bunch up and provide a suffocation risk. As for the floor of the unit presenting a suffocation risk, I believe that it mimics the structure of a crib bedding. My crib has a plastic coated mattress with a sheet on it. Although there is no sheet here, it's the same concept. I still would never recommend the first model and I still find that mom's review 100% valid. That beings said, I am very happy that I bought this.Other things I like... I didn't really realize that the unit literally pops up when you open the elastic straps. I thought you had to assemble it like a tent. This is fantastic and it eliminates user error. Not to mention, the size! The size is perfect for air travel. No pack and play! (Which my kid hates because it has a wobbly floor)As for moms who have concern with their kid hating it and refusing to be in it. Here is what I did. I popped it open in the living room. The I got super excited and showed my kid a new toy that I put inside it. Later I put her bottle on the floor in there and she climbed in on her own and laid down to drink it and then continued playing. I zipped it up and kept close by to let her know it was safe and good to be in there. I left it our living room for a few days before our trip and she had no problems with it.

Bought this for travel sleep and play for my 7 month old. It’s easy to travel with and a good size for baby to grow into. It works great so far and I don’t have any issues folding it back down but I do have some concerns about manufacturing quality and also the age range:- inside the tent it says “for use by babies over 1 year” but the amazon listing says 6 mo- one of the metal zipper tabs already popped off and there are some stitching fuzzies I’m not thrilled about quality for price. There’s apparently a warranty and I may need to look into that after not even owning it a month. So I’m concerned about how long it will last