Baby sleeping bags, fantastic invention! (Baby Sleeping Bags and Bedding in general)

Member Name: mummyB

Product:	Baby Sleeping Bags and Bedding in general
Date:	31/07/08 (107 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: baby can kick freely and stay warm

Disadvantages: None!

I bought these while I was pregnant, as I was terrified of baby bedding! I was convinced I would either wrap my child up too much and cause him to overheat or use too little bedding and he would be freezing cold! As it turned out I did try normal bedding first, so am able to compare this to sleeping bags.

When my son was born I realised the sleeping bags I had bought were too heavy for use in our house in the summer (we had bought 2.5 tog, but our bedroom temperature was between 21 and 24 most nights, even with the window open!) so I decided to try out blankets and sheets. I really didn't like using them, I was constantly worried about how many layers he had on, checking the temperature of the room and then consulting the leaflet I had got with my blanket pack. I always tucked the blanket and sheet in really tightly as I was worried my son would manage to either kick them off and get cold, or they would end up over his head. He turned out to be quite a kicky baby so really hated the restrictive nature of this, especially when he was about a month old and would cry and struggle again them.

My son outgrew his moses basket quite quickly, so he had to go into his cotbed. I was really not happy about using blankets and sheets in this so went on the look out for some cheap 1 tog sleeping bags to see if he liked them. After a bit of a look around I bought him a couple from BHS. I must admit, I have never looked back since buying them, and wish I had done it earlier. The sleeping bags I bought came in a number of sizes (I was finding it hard to get a 1 tog in size 0-6 months) as well as colours and designs. There are poppers at the shoulders and one side as well as a zip to fasten the child into it. I found the fit of the BHS bag very good, lots of room for my son's legs and fitted securely around his arms. They also wash really well and although it says not to put the in the tumble dryer I had to a few days ago and it was completely fine.

My son seems to be very comfortable in his sleeping bag, he can stretch out freely now and kick his legs as much as he wants and no longer wakes himself up. He seems to be sleeping more soundly and for longer. I am much happier now too and don't worry about overheating as much. I just check the temperature and either put him in his vest if it is hot (24ish) his long sleeved vest if it is ok (22ish) or a sleep suit if it is a bit cooler (20ish). I will definitely keep using sleeping bags, and will use them from birth for any other children I have.

One tip a friend shared with me recently was not to use sleeping bags if your child is ill as they find it even harder to regulate their temperature and can get far too hot (she was told this by her health visitor after it happened to her child). Something to keep in mind!

Summary: Sleeping bags are definitely the way forward in baby bedding!