Startup provides slumber party packages

July 20, 2018

A Sioux Falls mom has turned the slumber parties she created for her children into a business.

Erika Boen of Wild Child Slumber Adventures sets up individual-size tents in a customerā€™s house, decorates the area and packs up everything after the party.

ā€œAt a regular slumber party, you never hear that they want to go to bed, but they are excited about sleeping in the tents,ā€ she said.

The cozy A-frame tents are open on both ends and are strung with lights and bunting. Boen offers more than 20 themes from colors to sports and unicorns. Each tent comes with an air mattress, linens, decorative pillow, lantern and snack tray. Rental add-ons include photo booth accessories and a disco light. Wild Child also sells personalized party favorsĀ and craft boxes for activities such as pillow decorating.

ā€œI love it when they (parents) videotape the childā€™s reactionā€ to seeing the tents, Boen said. ā€œThe kids are blown away; they just love it.ā€

The standard rental package is five tents with accessories for $250. Each additional tent is $40. Thereā€™s a mini package for three kids for $170. The ā€œbestieā€ option provides two tents for $60 that parents can pick up and return.

Boen and her husband have five children ranging in age from 1 to 9. Her mother taught her to sew when she was growing up, and she likes to use those skills to create Halloween costumes and other play items for her family. She made the tents for her kids when they had sleepovers with their cousins. Ā ā€œMy mom was like, ā€˜I think you could do this as a business.ā€™ ā€

She started Wild Child Slumber Adventures last fall but has been busy with a full remodeling project on the familyā€™s new home, so she hasnā€™t done a lot of promotion.

ā€œSo far, itā€™s just been word of mouth and Facebook,ā€ she said. The business has a website, wildchildslumberadventures.com.

ā€œIā€™m OK with it growing as slowly as it has been. ā€¦ I donā€™t want to be a full-time employed mom.ā€

But she does see the potential to grow and is already expanding her offerings to include an outdoor package with a round tent that can sleep six.

As a parent, she loves the idea of providing activities for kids that donā€™t center around technology.

ā€œSlumber parties allow kids to make memories and build friendships.ā€

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Startup provides slumber party packages

A Sioux Falls mom has turned the slumber parties she created for her children into a business.

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