Baby Sleeping Bag Guide

You may have heard the name Grobag from various new parents. If you’re not familiar with this brand, then allow me to provide some useful information about them. I’ll give a brief overview of the organization behind the Grobag baby sleeping bag and then explain why their name is synonymous with excellent baby bedding products. After reading through this post, you’ll hopefully have a better understanding of what Grobag can do for you as a parent with an infant child.

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.

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When you go shopping for a sleeping bag for baby, it is vital to choose the one that suits the best. In this post, I want to cover the fundamental factors that should form part of your decision in picking out this essential garment for you baby. The bases for these factors are the baby’s health, safety and comfort. Once these things are taken care of, you can think about the aesthetics of the baby sleeping bag. Once you’ve read through this post, you should have a clearer understanding and hence better equipped to ask the right questions of the sales people behind the sleeping bags.

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.

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Bringing a child into the world is definitely a wondrous event in life. As a parent, you then have to think about several things to best take care of this young being. After all he or she is so small and vulnerable. One of the most important aspects in caring for a baby is the bedding. Some of you may ask, “Why would this be so essential?”. Well, you want your baby to have a comfortable sleep. At the very early stages of life, he or she would be sleeping a significant of the time, so baby bedding become that much more significant.

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.

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