Keeping Sleep Routines While We Travel Using The SnoozeShade For Travel Cots (Review)

I can totally relate to all the other mothers out there who complain about their little ones not sleeping when they should. Even though we travel, we do like to keep a sleep routine for Zoe. This loosely translates into two to three naps a day depending on what time she wakes up in the morning and then she is asleep in her travel cot (portacot) by 7pm at the latest.

In the nine months of Zoe's life we have had nine different roofs over our heads (or so it feels). Each place has its own quirks when it comes to our sleeping arrangements but we always make sure that Zoe is comfortable.

The main way we do this is with her bedding. We travel with a full set up for her. This includes a travel cot, Phil&Teds Traveler Travel Cot, comfy mattress, sheet, merino sleeping bag and of course bed toys.

Got to have those bed toys for her to play with in the middle of the night. Just for a few minutes though before rolling back over to sleep. Such a cutie!

In the past few months we have introduced something new into the equation. A SnoozeShade for the Travel Cot. This breathable portable blockout cover for the travel cot is amazing! It is perfect for daytime naps as it blocks out a lot of day light. It is however too dark at night. Perhaps because Zoe is used to some light, she seems to freak out a little if she wakes up in an almost totally dark cot. Understandable really.

Even though Zoe isn't a huge fan of being in a blacked out cot in a dark room, next time we are staying in a hotel where we are all living, eating and sleeping in the one room, the SnoozeShade will be staying on the travel cot for night time too. It is not much fun having to sit around with the lights off from 6 or 7pm as the little one is sleeping.

Attaching the cover to the travel cot is very easy to do. Chuck it over the cot and wrap the feet ties around the feet of the travel cot twice. I recommend wrapping them twice.

Perhaps its just because the P&T's Traveller isn't as tall as most of the other travel cots out there but we needed to make sure that the SnoozeShade was attached very securely so our little darling couldn't pull it off. Once it is on, it ain't coming off!

There are two curtained windows on the SnoozeShade. We keep the one on the “front” of the travel cot open. This is so that Zoe can still look through when she wakes up. Who am I kidding, it is so Andrew and I can stare at her while she sleeps! The other curtained window is on the opposite side of the SnoozeShade. We generally keep this down.

Half of the top of the SnoozeShade can be opened by a zip. The panel can then be stuffed into a side pocket away from little hands. Once that panel is done up it is very very dark inside. How dark? Well, I got in there with Zoe in the middle of the day in a brightly lit living room and experienced how dark it is with the top closed and one of the curtains down.

Very impressive for a lightweight UV mesh block out product!

The only thing that I am not too happy about is that it doesn't fit perfectly to the Phil & Ted's Travel Cot. Perhaps this is a bit much to expect of a one size fits all product but it is quite loose all round. If we keep the top opening zipped up completely it works quite well. However, if we leave it half open like we prefer to do, it becomes a bit too easy for Zoe to grab a handful of material to help her stand up.

This results in the material over the top drooping way down into the cot as she pulls on it over and over. This is no fault of the SnoozeShade and it isn't the fault of the travel cot, they just don't mesh well together. With a larger cot this is not a problem.

So what do I think? This is a brilliant product for most cots. We have tried it on two other slightly larger cots and it fit perfectly. It was possibly even a little tight making the material over the top even safer for grabby little hands. Love it!

You can read more about them at either SnoozeShade or from via SnoozeShade within Amazon.

Disclaimer: We received a complimentary SnoozeShade for the Travel Cot from SnoozeShade in return for our complete and honest review – good or bad. To find out more, click here.