SlumberSac In the Night Garden Tog Sleeping Bag

Wiggly Giggly Baby

I think newborns look so cute when swaddled in blankets, and when my son was born he was swaddled for the first few months. However he was an active baby from day one and he was soon wriggling about in his blankets. They would come loose so I was forever wrapping him back up. As soon as he became mobile he was rolling out of his blankets and he would scrunch them up and pull them over his face. This became slightly worrying as I couldn’t watch over him all the time while he was sleeping. Also he would get cold in the night as he became far too fidgety and his blankets wouldn’t stay wrapped around him for long.

I bought my first Grobag for my son when he was around six months of age. However prior to this I had never seen these before, so I wasn’t sure about them to begin with as I preferred the traditional way of swaddling a baby. However his safety and comfort was far more important, so I decided to give the Grobag a go. My son slept happily in his new Grobag, he was secure and kept at a constant temperature, so no more fussing about with blankets. I was thrilled with the how well my son slept and how easy they were to use, they washed and dried well and they maintained the soft feel and the colours didn't fade. So I decided to buy a couple more from the range to continue to use them on a permanent basis.

Will my Child Grow?

Grobags are available in different sizes, and they also come in different themes and colours to suit any child. Sizes available: 0-6 months/6-18 months/18-36 months/3-6 years.

The first two sizes of baby sleeping bags have side zips and "snaps" at the shoulders for easy opening and changing. Size 3 has a centre zip for growing babies.

Snug as a Bug

All of the Slumbersac range includes a free room thermometer so you can be certain that your little one won’t over heat in the night. The thermometer is a simple laminated card which can be placed anywhere in a child’s room. Alongside the temperatures is an indicator to which size tog you should be using, so you can choose the correct tog for the time of year. This is a great idea as you can keep check of the temperature of your child's room and you can be sure that you are using the correct tog.

Available togs

• 0.5 tog (for hot weather or very warm rooms 24C-27)
• 1.0 tog (for warm weather or warm rooms 20C-24C)
• 2.5 tog (for standard temperature rooms 16C-20C)

What is a Grobag?

Grobags are designed like a sleeping bag, the main difference is that they cover over the chest with arm holes to keep baby secure and safe. They either have a zip that runs up the front of the bag, or with a zip that goes around the side. This makes it easy to change your little one in the night with minimal disturbance. The bags are secure as they are fitted around the top to prevent a little one from wriggling into the bag for safety reasons. You need to make sure that your little one fits snugly in the bag so their head cannot pass through the opening, so it is important that you use the correct size. The leg area is wider and spacious so your tot can wiggle and stretch their legs freely.

Grobags are designed to keep your little one at a constant temperature as the air circulates in the Grobag so there is no need to use any extra bedding. It is important not to overheat a baby, it is better if they are a little cooler. Placing the back of your hand on the back of your child's neck or stomach will give you a good indication of their temperature.

Peaceful night’s sleep

I was so pleased with the Grobags that I went on to buy more, once my son needed the next size up I started shopping around and I came across the Night Garden Grobag. My son was 20 months and he did enjoy the show enormously when he had the pleasure of watching it from time to time, so I was expecting him to like a new sleeping bag adorned with his favourite characters.

In the Night Garden

In the Night Garden is a popular TV programme that is aimed towards pre-schoolers. The Night Garden is a magical place that exists between waking and sleeping in a child's imagination. The show always finishes with each of the characters going to sleep.

In the Night Garden range of Grobags are made exclusively for Slumbersac who produce an extensive range of Grobags and Slumbersacs.

Meet the Night Garden Friends

This sleeping bag features all of the leading characters; the front of the bag has a garden scene, on the reverse are dotted repeated pictures of the all of the characters to keep your little one company at bed-time.

The sleeping bag is made from 100% cotton, with a cotton lining on the interior making it soft against a little ones precious skin. It is really bright and cheerful with all of the characters my son is familiar with. The front has a zip that zips downwards so the zipper is not in a place that will irritate or intrigue a little one. It is a generous size which is just as well as my little boy is growing upwards very fast! The bag is cleverly designed as it has two poppers on the back so the extra length can be folded back and attached to make it shorter for a younger child, it is approximately 86cm in length, and when the child grows the bag can be extended to 110cm in length, so this will last your child a good amount of time.

Drifting off to Sleep

I was quite looking forward to putting my little boy into his new bag at bedtime and I thought he would be excited when he saw that his new sleeping bag was adorned with all of his favourite TV characters. So I waited until just before bedtime to show him his new bag, and I held it out in front of him saying “Oh wow, look at all the night garden friends” he looked a little bemused and probably thought I was bonkers. So I laid it out for him and laid him in it, his little legs and feet were having none of it! He is an excitable little boy and it took some effort to get him in, when I finally got him zipped in I excitedly rubbed his tummy telling him how nice his new bag was. I didn’t get as far as the door before he had taken it off and threw it over the side of the cot giggling. ‘Oh joy’ I thought as I went back, he had decided that he didn’t really like his new sleeping bag and it looked better on the floor. No amount of effort and convincing him how amazing his bag was made any difference at all. So I put a blanket over him until he nodded off.

The next night I was hoping that he would be a little more cooperative, and my jolly happy manner about putting him in the bag failed as it was the same as the night before, he managed to escape and throw it on the floor. So each and every night I continued to attempt to put him to bed in his bag, but I had to go back and put a blanket over him which he enjoyed screwing up and playing with. Once he was in the land of nod, I would sneak back in and put him in his bag and he would happily sleep through the night without a murmur. Each morning he would escape and the bag would be tossed somewhere across the room. I also tried putting him into it for a nap during the day, although by this age he wasn’t really interested in naps as he had far too much to keep him awake. After a few months of persuading him to stay in the bag and telling him how nice and soft it was, he eventually succumbed and he did stay in the bag. He then discovered that by raising his feet up he could see all of the characters even if they were upside down, so he happily chortled away to himself whilst talking to the characters. He also managed to walk up and down his cot in it with ease and roll around excitedly as he always does. I would often go in to find that he had unzipped it and his legs were sticking out while he was all curled up asleep.

My son is 31 months of age and he has shot up in height and he still comfortably fits into the bag, although he prefers a duvet now. This still gets used from time to time, and he is quite happy to sit and look at the characters, he is often sat up looking at them and talking to them. When he wears it now he will just carry on playing and walking around as usual, and it keeps him nice and warm and cosy through the night. I find that I don’t worry about him over heating or being too cold when he is wearing it, as it keeps his body at a constant temperature.

I really like the concept of Grobags as they provide a warm safe environment for a little one, and they provide peace of mind. This particular sleeping bag is of excellent quality and it washes up really well, it can be tumble dried also, it is still in great condition after a fair amount of use. It is great for all year round use as it is 2.5 togs, I can just change the amount of clothing that my son is wearing. I suspect that it will fit him for a few more months yet, so it has been excellent value for money.

Some may find their little ones will sleep better in a Grobag although they may not suit all, as you will find by this age toddlers have their own mind. Personally I have found it to be easier to change a nappy in the night without disturbing my son much as you can just unzip the bag from the side and once finished zip them back up.

All Slumbersac baby sleeping bags are 100% cotton lined and can be machine-washed and tumble dried. They make a great alternative to the traditional blankets, as they keep a little one feeling snug, secure, and warm.

~Availability~

This particular Grobag can be bought from Amazon for £14.99, or you can order it directly from the Slumbersac website.

You can visit the Slumbersac website to see the full range here:

www.slumbersac.com

Highly recommended.