Play tent FAQs

Sensory Spaces (Podsplay) are pop-up dens built for immersive, calming sensory play — interchangeable themed jackets, light-diffusing or blackout lining, colour-changing sensory light and Bluetooth speaker, folding flat in about 90 seconds. Cosy Corner (moi mili) is our reading-nook range — heavyweight cotton teepees and hanging canopies that stay up permanently as a quiet spot in a bedroom or lounge. Different makers, different materials, same design ethos.

If your child needs a calming, screen-free space to regulate — especially children with autism, ADHD or sensory needs — start with Sensory Spaces: the enclosure, lining and light are designed for that job. If you want a beautiful reading corner or bedtime nook, Cosy Corner is a better fit, gentler on the wallet, and made from natural cotton and pine rather than technical fabrics.

Yes — many families do. A Cosy Corner cotton teepee in the bedroom for reading and a Sensory Spaces den for regulation is one of our most common combinations. They arrive separately, though, because they ship from two different workshops.

Because they're made by two different suppliers. Sensory Spaces ships from the Podsplay workshop and Cosy Corner ships from the moi mili studio in Poland, each with their own lead times, packaging and return routes. If you order from both ranges you'll get two tracked parcels, and each has its own return label.

Podsplay. Play Tents Ltd buys direct from their workshop rather than from marketplaces, so every den is a genuine original and ships with its own EN71 safety paperwork. This is a different supplier to our Cosy Corner cotton range.

A pre-tensioned fibreglass frame threaded through sealed sleeves, a 100% dye-sublimated polyester themed jacket for colour-fast prints, a soft light-diffusing (or, on some themes, blackout) inner lining, and a reinforced non-slip PE base. There is no cotton and no pine in this range — that's Cosy Corner.

Designed for children aged 3 and up, with adult supervision for younger toddlers. There's no upper age limit — the Inflatable Sensory Den is roomy enough for one adult and a child, and plenty of primary-age children still use theirs daily as a reading den.

The Inflatable Sensory Den is our roomiest — a 150 cm cube (interior floor approx. 140 × 140 cm) designed to live permanently in a bedroom or playroom, shipping with a memory-foam mat, a remote-controlled colour-changing sensory light and a Bluetooth speaker. The Den is the portable size — a 120 cm cube (interior floor approx. 110 × 110 cm) under 2 kg complete, with the same light and speaker, built to travel in a padded backpack. Jackets are cut per frame and are not interchangeable between the two.

For small and shared bedrooms, the Den: roughly 1.2 square metres of floor, packs flat in under 90 seconds and stores under a bed. For travel, also the Den — it packs into a padded backpack (42 × 42 × 8 cm) and weighs under 2 kg. Choose the Inflatable Sensory Den when you can give over a permanent corner.

They're used every day in mainstream classrooms, SEN provisions, hospices and sensory rooms. The lining softens outside noise and light, the sensory light has a low warm setting, and the Bluetooth speaker plays music or audio stories at any volume. The Inflatable Sensory Den suits a permanent bedroom or classroom corner; the Den folds away for travel and sensory breaks at school.

Yes. The themed jacket unzips from the frame in under a minute, so as interests shift from dinosaurs to space to the deep sea you swap the jacket rather than the whole den. Themes include Sub Aqua Quest, Galactic Space Adventure, Walking with Dinosaurs, Magical Princess Palace, Polar Ice Igloo, Rumble in the Jungle and Sunset Savanna Safari. Jackets are cut for a specific frame size.

Yes. Every Podsplay den is tested to EN71 parts 1, 2 and 3 and the fabrics comply with BS 5852 flame retardancy. The fibreglass frame sits inside sealed sleeves so there are no exposed poles or sharp parts, and the sensory light and Bluetooth speaker are low-voltage, USB-rechargeable and carry CE and UKCA marks.

Setup takes about three seconds — unfold it from the bag and the pre-fitted frame pops into shape, with no assembly or tools. Folding uses a three-loop twist (a diagram is printed on the carry bag and a step-by-step guide is in our Setup Guide); most parents get to 90 seconds within a week. Packed sizes are 60 × 60 × 12 cm for the Inflatable Sensory Den and 42 × 42 × 8 cm for the Den.

Spot clean the jacket with a damp cloth and mild soap. For a deeper clean, unzip the jacket and machine wash cold (30°C) on a delicate cycle, then air dry — never tumble dry, iron or bleach. The Inflatable Sensory Den's memory-foam mat has a removable cover that washes at 30°C. Wipe the frame with a dry cloth.

Dens are shipped directly from the Podsplay workshop on a tracked courier — most orders are dispatched within 1–2 working days, then 2–4 working days to most UK mainland addresses. Free UK delivery over £50, otherwise £3.95. Returns are 14 days from delivery, unused and in the original packaging with jacket and electronics included; message us first and we'll send the correct Podsplay return label. Manufacturing defects are covered for 12 months.

moi mili, a small family studio in Poland that sews in short batches. We order direct from their studio, so every piece is a genuine moi mili make. It's a completely separate supplier to Podsplay, who make our Sensory Spaces dens.

100% raw OEKO-TEX® certified cotton canvas on untreated solid pine poles. No synthetic linings, no plastic frames, no flame-retardant coatings and no electronics — the opposite spec to the printed-polyester Sensory Spaces dens.

Roughly 170 cm tall with a 120–130 cm base — comfortable for two children, or one child plus a parent for bedtime stories. Allow a clear square of about 130 × 130 cm because the pine poles fan out at the base. Full dimensions are on each product page.

Slide the pine poles through the stitched fabric channels, tie the top with the included cotton cord and shape the base — about five to ten minutes the first time, no tools needed. Once up it's designed to stay up; it isn't a pop-up. To store it, untie the top, slide the poles out and roll the canvas into the included cotton bag.

Yes. Remove the pine poles first, then machine wash the canvas alone at 30°C on a gentle cycle with a mild non-bleach detergent. Reshape and air dry flat — no tumble drying, and don't iron directly onto printed panels. Wipe the poles with a dry cloth.

Yes — the cotton is untreated and skin-safe, the pine poles are sanded smooth with rounded tips, and the frame stands stably on a flat indoor floor. Recommended for age 3+, with supervision for younger children, and keep it away from open flames and heaters as you would any cotton structure.

Ceiling-hung cotton canopies that create a soft enclosure over a reading corner, bed or floor cushion (each ships with a hook and instructions — about fifteen minutes with a screwdriver), plus the Cosy Accessories collection: handmade cotton garlands, cushions and playmats sized for the 120 cm base.

Pieces ship tracked from the moi mili studio and normally arrive in 3–10 working days. Because everything is handmade in small batches, an occasional piece is made to order and takes 2–22 working days — we email you the date if that applies to your order. Free UK delivery over £50, otherwise £3.95. Returns are 14 days from delivery on unused items in original packaging; contact us first so we can arrange the correct moi mili return label. Made-to-order and personalised pieces are excluded unless faulty.

Standard tracked UK delivery is £3.95 and free on orders over £50. Tracked express delivery is £6.95 where the maker offers it at checkout on Sensory Spaces items; handmade Cosy Corner pieces can't always be expedited.

You'll receive two parcels with separate tracking, because Sensory Spaces ships from the Podsplay workshop and Cosy Corner ships from the moi mili studio. They rarely arrive on the same day, and each has its own return label if you need to send anything back.

Yes — we ship anywhere in mainland UK, Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands and the Channel Islands. The same £3.95 charge and free-over-£50 threshold apply; remote postcodes may take an extra 1–2 working days on top of the usual 2–4.

We ship across the UK today and offer delivery to Ireland, most of Europe and select worldwide destinations at checkout — rates, duties and taxes are calculated at checkout based on your address. If your country isn't listed there, delivery isn't available yet.

Send us a photo within 48 hours and we'll arrange a replacement or full refund. We raise the fault with the maker directly — Podsplay or moi mili — so you don't have to. Manufacturing defects are covered for 12 months from purchase.

Both ranges are designed for indoor use. Either can be used on a dry lawn or patio in calm weather with supervision, but neither is waterproof — and the untreated pine poles on Cosy Corner teepees should be kept off damp grass. Bring everything in before rain and dry it fully before folding away.