Sleep Number Review: Sleep Like a Baby

I don’t think I have to tell the parents out there about the sleeping woes of having a baby. First, there’s all the back pain and discomfort when you’re growing the dang thing. Then it comes out and it’s all, “Hey, pay attention to me!” at 3 am. If you survive long enough to finally, finally get it sleeping through the night, you’re up every 15 minutes freaking out about whether or not the little milk gnome is still breathing. Long story short: I don’t get a whole lot of sleep. I need to maximize the few Zzz’s I’m able to sneak in.

Sleep Number heard my sleep-deprived complaints and asked if they could send Nate and I a bed so we could try to get some better sleep and do a Sleep Number mattress review. We were like, “Sleep? What’s that?” and eagerly agreed. Nate’s brother got our old bed and we kicked his well-loved futon mattress to the curb before upgrading him with our queen mattress to make way for the new Sleep Number i8.

To be honest, I didn’t know a whole lot about the i8 before they showed up to install it. I was amazed at how many layers there were! They put down the base and then a mattress casing that they filled with two side-by-side air mattresses surrounded by foam. Next came a three-inch Intralux comfort layer with Aloe Vera-treated fabric for increased air flow. On top of that they put a layer of foam, which actually zipped right into the bed covering so it can’t come loose and hang to one side (I used to have a foam cover that didn’t secure tightly like that and it was SO annoying to constantly adjust). The bed comes with two remotes to adjust the air inside the mattress, so each person can have their own setting. It’s so quiet when it’s filling up that I don’t even notice if Nate decides to change his setting while I’m already asleep.

We’ve had the bed for a couple weeks now and absolutely love it. I can’t adequately describe it other than to say it’s like sleeping on a cloud. My back pain is relieved and Nate says he likes “feeling like he’s in a cozy pocket of comfort.” Then he said something about it being the mattress equivalent of a Hot Pocket, but I stopped paying attention and started fantasizing about a bed made of cheese and pepperoni with little mozzarella pillows.

The very best part? Some Boy loves it, too. In the middle of one of his crankier moments I set him on the bed and turned the firmness way down to 30, hoping the movement of the deflating mattress would distract him for a few seconds while I snagged his pacifier off the nightstand. Lo and behold, he stopped crying and fell asleep. Just like that. The kid who usually won’t nap for more than 30 minutes slept for two hours straight while I stood there utterly befuddled. I told Nate they should make Sleep Number cribs. Genius, right?! But he said it would be a suffocation risk if the baby turned over into a soft mattress. Oh yeah, that. Anyway, it’s an absolute lifesaver to have somewhere where I can plop him down (under constant supervision, mind you) and know that he’ll sleep soundly for awhile. Gives me my hands free to sit next to him and fold clothes, sort diapers, contemplate why that chick on Grey’s Anatomy complains so much when she’s married to a gorgeous doctor. Ya know, all the typical mom stuff.

In short, we love Sleep Number because it helps us…and our baby…sleep like a baby.

Sleep Number sent us their i8 bed to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.