What is a safe sleeping bag?

In the years of working with sleep bags I’ve seen zips and poppers that come off, necks and arm holes that are too big (allowing babies to fall into them or climb out), sleep bags with Velcro on them (allowing them to become attached to the mattresses) — these are just a few unsafe examples.

Your baby or toddler might be alone in their sleep bag for up to 12 hours at night so it needs to be as safe as possible.

Top 5 tips when choosing a safe sleep bag:

• Never use a sleep bag made from a stretch material such as jersey.
• Never use a sleep bag with a zip down the side.
• Never use a sleep bag with poppers or buttons on the shoulders.
• Never tuck the sleep bag in under the cot mattress.
• Before using a sleep bag make sure it has fitted neck and arm holes and check that your baby or toddler cannot not slip into the bag.

There a few reasons why a sleep bag should always have a zip down the front.  It helps parents/carers remember to put the baby on their back to sleep safely.  For example, if baby has been rocked to sleep and then put in a front zip sleep bag, research shows the parents/carers will put the baby on its back. If the zip is at the side parents/carers might put the sleeping baby on its tummy and then zip the sleep bag up around the baby. With a side zip parents/ carers can forget to zip the sleep bag up fully resulting in the neck being too big and the baby is at risk of slipping inside the sleep bag. When you have a walking toddler parents/carers often open the bottom of the side zip so the child can walk around after or before sleep. This is something I never recommend as it is a danger to your child’s safety. Opening the sleep bag can also make it a risk if around an open fire. It can also result in the toddler tripping.

Why no poppers or buttons on the shoulders? This is because they can pop open or be left open again, resulting in the baby slipping into the sleep bag.

Why no stretch material such as jersey? This is because after some use the neck can stretch and the baby can slip into the sleep bag. Some babies and toddlers climb out of the neck as well and this means they are in the cot with a quilt like loose piece of bedding and this is very unsafe.

The above are some of the reasons I created the Save Our Sleep Safe Sleep Bags. My range ticks all the boxes when choosing a safe sleep bag for your child. They are sized in line with my Safe Bedding Guide which means you get more use out of your sleep bag.

Le gach dea-ghui, Tizzie