What You Need to Know About Your Baby Sleeping Bag

First thing is first, we need to make sure you understand all the different names this bag can have. Well that is one, bag, but here are some others: Infant sleep sack, baby sleep sack, baby bag.... You get the idea. These are all good names but we need to remember what we are trying to do. That is provide a familiar environment so our baby can go to sleep were he/she is because she recognizes the familiar surroundings. There are many different types of baby sleeping bags. There are ones with sleeves and ones without sleeves. I prefer the sleeveless kind because I feel it gives my baby better circulation in their little bag.

You can decide what type of style of zipper you want. They make all sorts of options. They have the classic front zip , they make a diagonal zip so that the bag will open up flat. They make a zipper that unzips in the shape of a 'u'. They make side zips. As you can see there are all sorts of different options out there for you to choose from. It is useful if you can find a two way zipper. This means that it zips from the top as well as from the bottom. This makes it easy for you to change the diaper or nappy even when the child is still sleeping.

There are all sorts of sizes to choose from when it comes to baby sleeping bags. They usually range from 0-6 months then 6-12 months and so on. I have even seen a size that fits a 4 year old! I guess if you find out what works stay with it. Size IS very important. You need to make sure that your babies little head is big enough so that it is not going to slip down through the shoulder straps at night. You also want to make sure that your baby has plenty of room to kick his little legs around and that they arm holes are plenty big even with some clothing on. I would suggest perhaps transitioning your baby into the baby sleeping bag after 3 months. I see some people that put newborns in a baby sleep sack but I would not recommend it. I have found that most newborns prefer to be swaddled. Now the baby sleeping bag can also be a great transitioning tool from the swaddling phase to the non swaddling phase.

The TOG rating of your baby sleeping bag refers to how warm it is. The higher the TOG the warmer the bag. You probably don't want to go over 2.5 TOGs for a winter bag. You probably want to be in the range of .5 TOG to 1 TOG for the summer months. The TOG rating was originally used for quilts and duvets but it is so easy to use that it has transitioned into the sleeping bag market. The main thing to remember is to not let your baby get too warm. The best way to check is to hold your hand on your babies chest. If it feels cold they need more clothes, if it is hot take off some clothes, simple enough, right?