During baby’s first months, good sleep – for both you and your little one – will feel like something of an unaffordable luxury. It won’t always be plain sailing but creating the right environment can help you on your way to a peaceful snooze night after night.
A great source of advice is The Lullaby Trust, which strongly advises keeping cots and cribs free from toys and loose bedding. And one safe alternative to loose blankets is a sleeping bag. Not only will it stay put all night, ensuring your baby stays safe and warm, but it will often come with extra features to make navigating bedtime even easier.
Sleeping bags come in a range of sizes and tog ratings. When looking for the right tog, you’ll find that most brands have temperature guides on their website to help you (invest in a room thermometer for maximum accuracy), but overall, the most popular option is 2.5 tog, which should work for most of the year.
A 1.0 tog is ideal for summer – and you can even pick up a 3/3.5 tog if you have a particularly cold house in the winter. Of course, you should also consider what your baby will be wearing underneath the bag.
And while sizing is much like baby clothing, note that your child’s head shouldn’t be able to pass through the neck opening when fastened. Many designs also claim to be suitable from birth, but there is often a minimum weight requirement of around 8-10lb (depending on the product/brand), so be sure to check this before you purchase.
How we tested
As well as looking out for clever features, such as zippered sections for night-time nappy changes, adjustable poppers for a perfect fit, and temperature-regulating fabrics, we looked for the most beautiful designs on the market too.
All were tested on babies within a range of age groups – from newborns to toddlers about to make the transition into their “big bed” – with parents feeding back to our writer on how well their little ones slept as well as how easy the bags were to keep clean.
We can’t promise they’ll work miracles, but this snuggly selection will certainly ensure the best night’s sleep possible – for both you and baby.
The best sleeping bags for babies and toddlers for 2022 are:
- Best overall sleeping bag – Mori ribbed front opening sleeping bag: £49.50, Babymori.com
- Best sleeping bag for stylish print – DockATot sleep bag: £55, Dockatot.co.uk
- Best sleeping bag for summer – The White Company safari print sleeping bag: £32, Thewhitecompany.com
- Best sleeping bag for breathability – The Little Green Sheep organic baby sleeping bag: £33.95, Thelittlegreensheep.co.uk
- Best sleeping bag for newborns – Halo sleepsack swaddle ideal temp: £19.98, Halosleep.co.uk
- Best sleeping bag for matching accessories – Ickle Bubba bunnychino sleep bag: £22, Icklebubba.com
- Best sleeping bag for active toddlers – ergoPouch sleep suit bag: £62.95, Ergopouch.co.uk
- Best sustainable sleeping bag – Malabar Baby quilted sleeping bag: £55, Scandiborn.co.uk
- Best sleeping bag for transitioning out of the swaddle – Tommee Tippee original grobag: £39.49, Tommeetippee.com
- Best sleeping bag for changing nappies – SnüzPouch sleeping bag: £29.95, Snuz.co.uk
- Best sleeping bag for mid season – Aden + Anais twinkle boutique sleeping bag: £44.50, Adenandanais.co.uk
- Best high-street sleeping bag – JoJo Maman Bebe meadow print sleeping bag: £28, Jojomamanbebe.co.uk
- Best budget sleeping bag – Sweet Dreamers ‘sheeping’ bag: £21, Sweatdeamers.co.uk