A major component of a baby sleeping bag that contributes to a baby’s comfort level is the material used. If the material of the sleeping bag has poor circulation, then this is bad. Why? If it happens to be a fairly warm night, thereby increasing the room temperature of the nursery, your baby would likely sweat. The heat generated ends up trapped inside the sleeping bag causing the baby to heat up and feel comfortable. Even worse, the baby might overheat which is an avoidable situation (barring a fever) with the right material.

For example, fleece is artificial so it won’t breathe that well. However, on the other hand, material like cotton (and Merino wool on which I discuss more in my other post, “Lola & Ben Baby Sleeping Bag”) are natural, hence they would possess very good circulation.

Another thing to keep in mind when checking out the material of sleeping bags for babies is what, if any, allergies your baby has to different materials. Seeing a doctor and doing some fairly straightforward tests can easily determine this. A common scenario is that choosing the wrong material can lead to skin rashes, which would obviously contribute to your baby’s discomfort not to mention his or her health.

As a form of convenience for yourself, you would ideally want a material that is easy to wash and dry. Especially if you have more than one child under the age of 6, you would want to make things easy on yourself. Finally, a durable material – something that can last would be good. Baby sleeping bags can be pricey depending on the brand you choose so it would be preferable to opt for high quality material.

I hope that this post has highlighted the significance of selecting the right material for a baby sleeping bag. As a parent, you are naturally inclined to provide the best for your child and being well informed aids in this process.

As you know, the comfort of your baby while sleeping is of utmost importance. If he or she is uncomfortable, the baby will wake up crying in the middle of the night, which leads to you as the parent waking up cranky. Furthermore, it’s going to have an adverse effect on the baby’s health.

As pointed out in my other post on baby sleeping bag materials, natural fibers are what you want. Lola & Ben baby sleeping bags use completely natural material – specifically cotton and merino. For those unfamiliar with merino, it is a type of wool, considered to be the finest and softest wool from any sheep. Merino sheep exist in abundance in New Zealand. The baby sleeping bags consist of a cotton outer layer with an inner merino liner.

Now the part that is an ingenious design is that the merino liner can be detached from cotton layer. The significance here is that this feature makes the sleeping bags very versatile. You can use just the one sleeping bag in all climates (and effectively all seasons – hence their headline “4 Seasons in 1 Bag”), until of course your baby outgrows it. When it is a cold night, you would use both together. When the night is warmer, you have the choice of removing the inner liner and just use the cotton layer. Also, in order to make sure the merino material lasts, the two layers need to be washed separately, so being able to take them apart is essential.

Another feature of the Lola & Ben baby sleeping bag is that is comes with a double-ended zip that would lay diagonally across the front of the baby. On the end closest to the baby’s head, there is a cover for the zip similar to that of the Grobag. The second zip on the other end comes in handy when you want to change the baby with quick and ease during the night.

The idea of using sleeping bags for babies stemmed from Europe. It was very popular (in Holland particularly) because of the better sleep that babies can have as well as the parents. You see, traditionally blankets and sheet covers were used to keep babies warm, but the babies would tend to easily kick them off during their sleep. They then would wake up crying because of the cold air or other reasons. With sleeping bags, babies tend to sleep soundly and longer through the night. The people who started Grobag immediately understood this, being new parents themselves. This was basically how the UK based company was born.

Why is Grobag so popularly considered to have one of the highest safety standards in their sleeping bags? Firstly, they have worked closely with FSID (Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths) to develop sleeping bags for babies with health and safety at the forefront of their minds. FSID focuses on researching into and promoting safe sleeping practices.

The primary safety features of a Grobag baby sleeping bag include a zip-guard and chin-guard. How these work is that once you zip your baby up in the sleeping bag, the head of the zip is tucked away under a cover, which is secured via a snap-on button under the chin. The purpose here is two-fold: firstly, it prevents your baby from accidentally undoing the zip during sleep; and secondly, since the zip is not exposed, the baby won’t somehow hurt himself or herself by fiddling/playing with it.

Safety aside, Grobag baby sleeping bags are available in a wide range of sizes, TOG rating and designs. There are four sizes and are suitable for an age range from birth to 6 years old. Just remember to know your infant’s weight and height to get the right fit. There are three levels of TOGs, which basically measures warmth (higher equates to being warmer) – 0.5 tog is ideal for hot weather and warm rooms (24-27 C); 1.0 tog is suitable for warm weather (21-23 C); and 2.5 tog is ok for all year usage (16-20 C).

Another great feature is that they possess chemical free fire retardant polyester filling. A useful bonus that is bundled with each Grobag baby sleeping bag is a nursery thermometer. This would help a parent regular check if the sleeping bag being has the appropriate level of warmth.

With so many reasons going for a Grobag baby sleeping bag, there is hardly any excuse to not choose it.

The first criterion is the size of the sleeping bag. You want one that is not too small and not too big. On one hand, if it is too loose, your baby may kick it off during the night and he or she would end up cold and unprotected, which defeats the purpose to use a baby sleeping bag in the first place (as supposed to a sheet cover). An even more terrifying scenario is that a baby’s head can slip through the neck hole of a sleeping bag that is too loose and suffocate inside – SID related deaths.

On the other hand, a sleeping bag that is too tight would lead to discomfort and restless sleep for both the baby and the entire family. The sleeping bag should be long enough for the baby to move his or her legs around. Baby sleeping bags should have designations indicating the age range, weight and length of the baby for which they are appropriate. So know your baby’s height and weight before going shopping for a sleeping bag. Better yet, bring your baby along.

Another contributing factor to health and comfort is the material from which the baby sleeping bag is made. Firstly, be aware of any allergic reactions that your baby might have to certain cloth materials. Most baby sleeping bags are made from cotton, fleece and quilted materials.

Next, you want to consider the temperature at which your baby would be comfortable. The sleeping bags generally have what is called a TOG rating. It is simply a unit of measurement for the level of warmth that a material provides. The higher the number, the warmer the material. Again, analogous to choosing the right size, you want the appropriate level of warmth for your baby. You don’t want your baby to be too cold and end up catch a cold, but you also don’t want your baby to overheat. You’ll need to regularly check your baby to ensure the material you’re using and the clothing he or she is wearing underneath is the right combination for comfort.

Remember that your baby’s health is important so choosing the right baby bedding should be done carefully.

One kind of baby bedding product you may be interested in is the baby sleeping bag. Nope, not the variety of sleeping bags you take on a recreational camping trip with your friends. But it is similar in functionality. The way baby sleeping bags work is that the baby would still be wearing his or her sleeping attire or outfit. The sleeping bag goes over the sleepwear, so it acts more like suit.

Why would you consider choosing a baby sleeping bag? Well, it is common that while a baby sleeps, he or she often moves around a lot. If you use other products to keep your baby warm such as a quilt or some cover, since it can be loose, it is likely that he or she would kick or throw it off. This would leave your baby exposed and this is undesirable particularly when the climate in the surrounding environment is cold. With baby sleeping bags that is well fitted, your baby would still be able to move around without accidentally getting out of the bag.

When shopping for a sleeping bag for your baby, there are a few essential things to check. Firstly, it should not have a hood. Secondly, as pointed out earlier, the neck and armholes need to be fitted. This ensures that baby is much less likely to slip inside the bag, which would defeat its advantage. These points definitely should not be overlooked. More important than just a good night’s sleep, doing these checks contribute to safe sleeping of your child. Making the right choice reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).  For a more detailed guideline regarding safe sleeping, you can visit the sids and kids website.

One disadvantage of baby sleeping bags is that they could make your baby too hot, and since they can’t remove the bag from their bodies themselves, it might become a chore to take them off and put them on repetitively.