Buyer’s Guide

We all know the importance of getting the essentials for our new born baby. It is easy to get overwhelmed with newborn baby clothes, high chairs, strollers, the diaper bag and the like, but lets just focus in on sleep time right now. Not only because babies spend a lot of time sleeping but also for safe sleeping habits.

What is a baby sleeping bag?
When we think of a regular sleeping bag we think of that nylon, slippery sleeping bag we used when we went camping. Baby Sleeping bags are not like that at all. They can come with many different options. One being an armless sleep sack with a zipper on the side or the front. A Really nice option is to find one that has a two way zipper. It has shoulder straps and the neck fits snugly around your baby so her head does not slip under the covers during the night. It also covers your babies feet completely, as it is just a big bag at the bottom. Parents like to use them when they are worried that their baby may pull a blanket over her head, or move some way under the covers, or even when they get a little older you may have a problem with them kicking their blanket off, a properly fit sleeping bag will not come off your baby.

Tog Ratings
The tog rating simply a rating that is normally used for duvets but represents how warm the item is. The higher the tog rating the warmer the bag is. You can expect to see tog ratings around 0.5 to 2.5. Some baby sleeping bag manufactures make a summer and winter version of the same bag. You want to keep your baby warmer during the winter but not to get too hot.

Zip-ups and Buttons
Some models have zip-ups and some have buttons. Lets look at the zip –up options first. There are many different types of zippers out there. There are the side zip, which will start at the top of the bag and go all the way around the bottom, just like you were zipping up a suitcase. Others have a front zip. It is nice to find a zipper that is a two way zipper that way you can change the diaper on a sleeping baby. Some have locking mechanisms that discourage babies and sometimes toddlers from unzipping the zipper. Along with that you get an extra layer of padding up by the neck so the zipper does not annoy the baby. They also make the bags with poppers over the shoulders. These are popular with younger babies.

Ages
You can expect to use your baby sleeping bag for quite a while. The age range typically goes in 6 month intervals. So 0-6 months, 6-12 months and so on. It is important to properly size the sleep sack so your baby does not slip down into it. I have read that some people do not recommend it for newborns, but to wait a couple of months. I have read that even toddlers like the feeling of the bag because they are nice and warm and they don’t need to worry about getting cold at night when they loose their blanket. I believe one manufacture has bags all the way up to 10 years of age!