Toddle pod review

Jack was a brilliant sleeper to begin with, at 2 months old he was sleeping through the night in his crib. Then the dreaded teeth appeared, since then he has been awful at night. I have tried everything from swaddling to rocking him to sleep, filling him up with milk and nightly baths but nothing seemed to work. He will fall asleep in our bed or on the sofa with one of us but not in his cot, he just screams the place down.

I have tried controlled crying but the walls of our bungalow are so thin we don’t want to upset the neighbors. It seemed to me that Jack didn’t like the mattress in his cot, a cold waterproof unforgiving thing. His crib, swing seat, our bed and Mummy and Daddy cuddles all had one thing in common, he was cradled and in his own little protective nest.

When I came across the poddle pod uk page on Facebook I knew this was exactly what I had been looking for. I ordered a toddle pod from http://www.poddlepod.com/ for the low price of £36 inc p&p. I personally thought this was excellent value for such a valuable product. The toddle pod is a bigger version of the poddle pod and the poddle pod is safe, secure nest for your baby. When you place baby inside the poddle or toddle pod the sides gently pull inwards to cradle baby and make them feel as if they are being hugged.

The Poddle Pillow was designed to meet an infant’s need to feel secure and a mother’s need to know her baby is safe and comfortable. When a baby is laid on top of the pillow, the sides gently pull in to hug them, making them feel as if they are still being held or touched. This comforts the baby and ultimately makes them more content when parents need to lay them down. This design also helps prevent the baby from rolling or turning, easing your mind and giving you the confidence to take care of yourself. The Poddle Pillow features a non-padded centre Pod. When a baby is laid on top of this area, the sides of the pillow will gently pull in to snuggle the baby. This gives them the sensation of being held or touched, allowing them to feel secure even after they are laid down.

Our toddle pod arrived quickly even though our part of the country was in the middle of a snow storm. As soon as I unwrapped it Jack wanted to lay in his new toddle pod and 10 minutes later he was testing out its napping qualities.

He was able to roll out of his pod but also able to roll back in when he wanted to allowing me some freedom instead of the endless whine for me to pick him up then put him back down.

That night we put the toddle pod in Jacks cot, I was a little worried of him rolling off or wiggling up so his head was dangling but the pod filled his cot so this wasn’t a problem. Jack hasn’t slept that solidly since he was a newborn and even though he rolled onto his front in the pod he didn’t wake himself up like he usually does. The pods should help make the transition from a crib or Moses basket to a cot easier because its like a nest and cradles baby in the same way the crib or Moses basket did.

For Jack the toddle pod is somewhere nice to lie for a nappy change, to snuggle up with his bear , to play with his parents or to kick his legs in the air without rolling over :). Both poddle and toddle pods have many other uses:

• Napping
• Tummy time
• Photography
• Lounging
• Infant massage
• Sponge baths
• Co-sleeping
• Dressing and changing baby
• Travel

and much more…

This is a brilliant product created by a mummy for mummies. It is a product full of careful thought and love, created by someone who really know what mummies and babies need. It is a practical and safe baby aid for parents, grandparents, baby sitters etc and would make a thoughtful gift to a new mum.

Update: Jack is now 16 months old and still sleeping in his pod every night. With the cold weather drawing in I put my hot water bottle in his pod while I change him so his bed is toasty warm when he gets in. I then get my hot water bottle to snuggle with while I sit on the floor reading him stories.

2nd update: Jack is now 20 months old and STILL sleeping in his pod, everywhere he goes his pod goes. When stays over at Nannys his pod goes too, when we go for picnics with Grandma we take his pod for him to lounge in the shade. He is starting to outgrow his pod now though so I think we might need to purchase an upgrade if he doesn’t like a toddler bed.

Poddle pod are now working on older children and adult versions of the poddle and toddle pods so I might have to get myself one, if these photo’s of Jack is anything to go by.

You can find out more about poddle pod by visiting their website, following them on Twitter or liking their Facebook page.

Disclaimer: I bought this product myself for my own use and was not bribed or forced to do this review.