"One idea can change your life" — When Shark Tank investor Lori offered a $100,000 deal with Dreamland Baby

Tara Williams, founder of Dreamland Baby, appeared on Shark Tank season 11 episode 24. She created a weighted blanket sleep sack to help her newborn son sleep. The sleep sack comforts babies and helps them sleep through the night. Tara claims it increases serotonin and melatonin, reducing stress and promoting relaxation.

The sleep sacks come in two sizes and contain non-toxic, food-grade poly pellet beads. When asked by the sharks what made her product unique, Tara explained that hers was the only sleep sack with weighted beads inside. She also shared her inspiring story, recounting how her husband lost his job the day before her induction date, and she was laid off two months into her maternity leave.

With a baby who wouldn't sleep and no income, Tara created the product to solve her problem. The sleep sacks cost between $12.20 and $13.60 to manufacture and retail for $79. The sharks were skeptical, Kevin O'Leary and Daniel Lubetzky dropped out first, followed by Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec. However, Lori Greiner showed interest and began negotiating with Tara.

"Listen, one of the most important, but I think wonderful thing about our country is one idea can change your life," Shark Tank investor Lori Greiner stated.

Lori ultimately offered $100,000 for 25% equity, but Tara countered with 20%. They eventually agreed on $100,000 for 22.5% equity on Shark Tank.

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Dreamland Baby's journey before and after Shark Tank

Tara Williams originally hails from Danville, California, and graduated from Bentley University with a finance degree in 2009. In 2019, she furthered her education by studying SEO and social media marketing at Stanford University. Her career began with a marketing internship at Smith & Nephew in 2008.

She later worked as an endoscopy sales representative before moving to Beacon Endoscopic as a national sales trainer. Tara also worked at AbbVie and Bioprint AM. In 2019, Tara founded Dreamland Baby after struggling to soothe her newborn son. She discovered that a heavier blanket calmed him, leading her to create weighted swaddles.

Tara's mother-in-law helped her sew the first prototype. The swaddles are wearable blankets made with multiple cotton layers and poly pellets for weight. Initially, Tara made them for friends and family, but as word spread, she launched a Kickstarter campaign. The campaign raised $24,541 in three days, leading to the official establishment of Dreamland Baby. She began selling her swaddles through her website and on Amazon.

Following her appearance on Shark Tank, Dreamland Baby's business continued to grow. Although the deal with Lori Greiner didn't finalize, Tara kept selling her swaddles on the company's website and on Amazon. However, she later reduced her Amazon inventory due to counterfeit products.

Despite this, her genuine swaddles received several 5-star reviews. Tara's products are now available in stores like Target, Bloomingdale's, Baby List, and Nordstrom. As of 2025, Dreamland Baby's annual revenue has reached $2.5 million, with total sales exceeding $10 million. Tara has expanded her product line to include transition swaddles, sleep sacks, pajamas, blankets, and crib sheets.

These items are available on her website, where she also offers bundle packs. Tara actively updates her Instagram account with product information and sleep tips for parents. She provides advice on helping babies sleep through the night and shares customer testimonials. The official Instagram handle of Dreamland Baby currently has over 245,000 followers.

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ABC is currently airing season 16 of Shark Tank, which marks Mark Cuban's final appearance on the popular reality show.