Sep 7 2015

Baby Sleeping Bags with Feet from Slumbersac

Posted on September 7, 2015 by admin

Until now I’ve resisted using sleeping bags with both of my children. Although they’ll both kick off their duvets, it didn’t appear to bother them so I always assumed they were just hot. Heidi also likes to party in her cot when we read her a story and is unable to get to her feet and pace up and down in a sleeping bag. She also suffers from night terrors so I was concerned they might restrict her and terrify her further still.

Yet the biggest reservation for me was that bedtime is very regimented in our house and even the slightest deviation from routine has them giving us the runaround until midnight. My kids change into their jammies a good hour before they go to bed to give them plenty of advance warning that bedtime is imminent. They then come downstairs and play games with us before climbing the stairs to brush their teeth - an impossible task if her feet are encased in material.

Heidi Slumbersac

Yet there’s tons of evidence to suggest that, used from birth, sleeping bags are great for slumbering little ones. They replace traditional sheets, blankets and duvets which have been directly linked to suffocation and cot death. Research has found that the ‘old’ way of covering babies causes discomfort, as top covers are easily kicked off or tangled, resulting in your baby becoming either too hot or too cold. Sleeping bags solve this problem by keeping your baby at a comfortable temperature at all times. Being lightly swaddled at night will also simulate the conditions of mum’s womb and help baby relax into a peaceful sleep.

Yet if I were to embrace this with Heidi now, she’d need a sleeping bag that still allows her to walk - in my opinion without this, they’d be downright dangerous for my little stunt-woman.

HeidiPlay

So when I clocked the all new baby sleeping bags with feet from Slumbersac, I was intrigued enough to give it a go. Heidi is a notoriously terrible sleeper, and I have often wondered whether temperature plays a part. She might kick off her sheets, but is this because she simply dislikes the fuss of them, and not because she’s sweaty and hot?…

… Only one way to find out!

Our new sleeping bags with feet provide your toddler with the freedom to move about while still enjoying the comfort of their sleeping bag. Now you can get your little one ready for bed nice and early and they can still play until you’re ready to put them down. This clever design allows your child’s feet to fit inside the sleeping bag when sleeping, so toes stay nice and cosy! Available in 4 sizes from 12 months to 4 years in two tog ratings with three very sweet designs

What do I think?

First up, Heidi’s sleeping bag arrived impeccably packaged with even the post-lady commenting on how sweet the owl design on the packing bag was. First impressions were therefore that this would make a really lovely gift for a child in need of an extra layer as sweaty summer nights give way to autumn.

Slumbersac

For exactly this reason, we plumped for the 2.5 tog so Heidi would be extra snug at night. Heidi is actually 1 year 6 months but I opted for a 18-24 month size to give her room to grow. This means the bag is slightly too big for her at the moment, but I wanted to see if this greatly affected her ability to walk in it - after-all most of us “buy big” for our kiddies. Thankfully, you can see from the piccies, she’s able to move with ease and, owing to the reinforced cuffs on the ankle, can negotiate the stairs without tripping over the excess fabric too.

HeidiSmile

The quality is also really impressive. I’m pleased to see that zips are plastic and fully concealed so as not to come into contact with Heidi’s skin. The zip also closes downward (so when dressed for bed, the dangly bit of the zip winds up near her nether regions, rather than her neck) to further prevent any irritation. From a safety and comfort perspective, it’s therefore up there with the major league players in the baby sleeping bag market.

The best bit, she loves it. She doesn’t complain when we pop her in it and it doesn’t affect playtime before bed. We’ve also noticed that she’s sleeping more soundly and for longer periods in-between waking.

Heidi Bed

Although Heidi’s toes stay free whilst she play, when she’s asleep we simply tuck these inside the sleeping bag to keep them toasty. I do wonder about her arms though. Given she’s so snug elsewhere, I wouldn’t want to pop an extra sheet on her, but this sleeping bag is sleeveless. It would therefore be a neat improvement on the design to see the higher togs with arms - or maybe even detachable arms so parents can choose depending on baby’s room temperature. I should point out that Slumbersac do actually do long-sleeve sleeping bags (not yet for the feet design) but there are winter-time solutions that I’ll have to try out on mini-madam.

All in all, I’m really happy with Heidi’s new Slumbersac and wouldn’t go back. Having seen how comfy she is, I can’t think why we resisted this long - we could have been enjoying extended periods of sleep ourselves if we had just bought into the sleeping bag trend sooner.

Bag your own from just £19.99 (£23.99 for the biggest size at maximum tog rating) from Slumbersac.co.uk, or find out more on any of their social media channels:

Twitter: @SlumbersacUK / Instagram: @Slumbersac / Facebook: @SlumbersacUK / Pinterest: @SlumbersacUK

Mar 31 2015

Helping your child to sleep through the night in their own bed

Posted on March 31, 2015 by admin

Many parents will know the frustration that comes with trying to transition a young child to sleeping through the night in their own bed. When your young child has been used to sleeping in your room and in some cases even sharing your bed, it can be difficult to wean them off this habit and get them used to sleeping independently in their own room and their own bed. However, unless you want to be in for many sleepless nights, this is something that you have to focus on doing sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, there are a number of tips that can help to make this process a little easier on both the parents and the child. By taking a few key steps and making sure that you stick to your guns, you can help to get your child used to sleeping in his or her own room and bed far more quickly making the transition less stressful for all parties.

Some of the steps you should take

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In order to avoid having to share your own bed with your child for years to come, putting these simple steps into place is vital. Some of the key steps to take in order to make this transition as painless as possible include:

Make sure the room is properly equipped: It is important to ensure that the room you have selected for your child is properly equipped. Spend some time choosing the right decor based on your child’s age and interests, as this will encourage them to want to spend time in the room. You can even get your child involved when it comes to choosing the decor for the room. Also, make sure you invest in a comfortable and practical bed, such as the Bedstar single ottoman bed. This will ensure that your child not only gets to enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep but that they also have a plenty of storage space for toys, books and other items that might otherwise clutter up the room.

Develop a routine: It is important to have some sort of routine in place for younger kids, as this will help them to settle more easily. Make sure you establish bed times, how long they can read or watch television for, and when lights need to be out. A routine could help if your child experiences sleep problems when it comes to sleeping alone.

Don’t give in: It is all too easy for parents to give in and let the child sleep in their room for ‘just five minutes’ or ‘just one night’. It is important that you also stick to the rules that you put into place, as giving in simply sends mixed signals to the child.

Help them to settle: It is well worth investing in some appropriate reading materials so that you can either read to your child each night to help him or her settle or so that they can read for a while themselves.

All of these small steps can help to make it far easier to settle your child into a regular routine whereby they sleep through the night in their own room and bed.

Dec 4 2014

Cellular blankets get the Farrow & Ball treatment with Abeille

Posted on December 4, 2014 by admin

We all secretly know that cellular blankets are the safest to use for newborn babies. They have dozens of air holes to ensure baby does not suffocate, and also retain warmth without overheating.

Yet when we shop for our babies, thousands of swaddle blankets jostle for position on the shelves of even the dinkiest of baby boutiques. We’re also bombarded with cute stripey knitted blankets, super-soft fleeces and jersey blends. To touch, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the chunkier blankets will keep your winter baby warmest, yet this is simply not the case. The clever ‘cell’ construction of a cellular blanket traps air to keep your baby warm in winter and cool in summer.

If we’re honest, the real reason the cellular blanket is so often overlooked is the sheer ugliness of it. They’re coarser and less tactile than their knitted cousins, and look so boring in comparison. Yet these are the only blankets our midwives recommend and our hospitals swear by. Simply put, they’re best for baby and we should be embracing them.

Step forward the prettified cellular blanket from Abeille!

Heidi Abeille

Abeille translates as bumblebee in French, and perfectly sums up the honeycomb construction of the cellular blanket. And it’s this name that close friends Michelle and Daisy chose when they started their new baby blankets business - with the simple idea to take the ‘essential’ Cellular blanket and make it beautiful again.

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Abeille have given their blankets the Farrow & Ball treatment, with 3 classic colourways to complement the vintage or shabby chic nursery. Not only this, they’ve increased the size from the traditionally pathetic dimensions we’re all used too (which barely covers baby within her moses basket) to 100cm x 75cm, making it a far more cosy environment to sleep under.

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Finally, they’ve increased the weight of the cotton to make it bouncy and noticeably softer on your baby’s skin. When folded up on the sofa, it looks plumper and far more luxurious than other cellular blankets.

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More colourways will surely follow to complement more nursery schemes, but the Farrow & Ball shades are a really good start (and handily unisex). Heidi has a lovely dove grey shade (forest) which perfectly matches her yellow, grey and white nursery palette. There’s also a snow white and creamy colour available from the website. Although Heidi is currently suffering with a runny nose and painful teeth, she was able to pose for a few pics for mummy with her new blankie.

At £19.99 there’s a considerable hike in price on other cellular blankets (usually under the £10 mark), but they’re still MILES cheaper than M&P’s popular £35+ knitted blankets and countless other designer brands. To get such a quality, well-proportioned and stylish blanket under £20 is pretty impressive.

Thanks guys! We love ours.

My Mills Baby

Reviews, giveaways & musings from a skincare-obsessed stressed-out mummy!

Tag Archives: Baby Sleep Safety