Night Lark Junior Washable Coverless Duvet Set review: “Making his bed is much easier for him now”

RRP at time of testing: £65 | Buy now from Amazon, M&S or Fine Bedding Company

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My verdict

Changing a duvet cover is one of those household jobs that shouldn’t be particularly difficult, yet somehow ends with somebody trapped inside a large fabric sack and questioning their life choices. A coverless duvet removes that particular bit of domestic theatre. The outer cover and filling are sewn together, so you make the bed, wash the whole thing when it needs cleaning and carry on with your day.

My six-year-old slept under the single 10.5 tog Night Lark Junior Blue Whale duvet for 45 nights from the start of September to mid-October. He moves around constantly and has a habit of kicking off his bedding, but the coverless design meant he no longer woke up tangled between a duvet and its cover. More importantly, it made straightening the bed much easier for him in the morning. 

We tested the single 10.5 tog set, which includes the coverless duvet and one pillowcase

It’s soft, smooth and considerably lighter than his usual Loaf duvet. The Blue Whale print is cheerful without feeling babyish, so I can see it working for younger children, older children and sleepovers without needing to redecorate the room every couple of years. The included pillowcase is plain white rather than whale-print, which is slightly less exciting but comes in handy if you like having spare pillowcases around. 

The good news is that if your DC isn’t a fan of whales, there’s plenty of other designs available in the range, including space, woodland and stars.

The main drawback is warmth. Night Lark describes the 10.5 tog version as suitable all year round, but my eldest’s bedroom is the furthest room from the boiler and runs cooler than the rest of our house. By mid-October he was beginning to feel cold, so we switched back to his thicker Loaf duvet and muslin bedding. I’d happily use the Night Lark from spring through to autumn, including summer, but I wouldn’t rely on it for winter in his chilly room.

At £65, it isn’t a bargain-bin duvet. However, it includes a pillowcase, fits comfortably in our washing machine and saves both time and linen-cupboard space. It has now become our spare duvet for sleepovers and warmer weather, which is a much more useful retirement than being shoved into a drawer and forgotten.

How we tested the Night Lark Junior coverless duvet

My eldest son, who is six, slept under the single 10.5 tog Night Lark Junior Blue Whale coverless duvet every night for at least 45 nights. Testing ran from the start of September to mid-October in his bedroom, which is the furthest room from our boiler and tends to be cooler than the rest of the house.

I compared it with his usual Loaf duvet and muslin cover, paying attention to comfort, warmth, weight, coverage and how well it stayed on the bed while he moved around. I also assessed how much easier it made making his bed for him and how easy it was to carry the duvet downstairs for weekend television.

I washed the duvet once in our 10kg washing machine using my usual 40°C, 60-minute anti-stain cycle. I then draped it over a clothes airer, ran the dehumidifier for three hours and left it overnight to check drying time, shape retention and whether the filling clumped.

Night Lark Junior Coverless Duvet: what’s in the bag?

Our duvet arrived in a recyclable cardboard box and was in perfect condition, with no noticeable smell. 

The single set contained the Blue Whale coverless duvet and one standard-sized plain white pillowcase - though admittedly, I was disappointed to see that the pillowcase didn’t match the design of the duvet. 

First impressions of Night Lark’s coverless duvet for kids

The first thing I noticed was the Blue Whale design. It’s playful without screaming nursery, and the soft blue, grey and white print feels suitably unisex. I’d happily put it in a young child’s room, a teenager’s room or on a spare bed for sleepovers.

The microfibre duvet is light, soft and easy to bunch up or carry around

My eldest liked it immediately, although he takes after me and is easily won over by new things. Some might call that materialistic. The microfibre fabric felt soft, smooth and cool to the touch. You can tell it isn’t cotton, but I didn’t find it unpleasant or flimsy. It arrived ready to use and needed nothing more strenuous than a good waft while I made the bed.

What exactly is a coverless duvet?

A coverless duvet is exactly what it sounds like: the decorative outer fabric is permanently attached to the filling, so there’s no separate duvet cover to wrestle on and off. When it needs cleaning, the entire duvet goes into the washing machine.

The idea isn’t new. My husband and I used a coverless duvet more than a decade ago when we lived in the Middle East, although they were much harder to find in the UK then. The trend has finally caught up with us, and children’s bedding is where the concept makes the most sense.

Is the Night Lark Junior Coverless Duvet comfortable to sleep under?

My eldest slept just as well under the Night Lark as he did under his usual duvet. He didn’t complain about the weight, texture or coverage, and the filling remained evenly distributed throughout testing.

On a standard single bed, the duvet gives good coverage without feeling bulky

It’s lighter and less bulky than his Loaf duvet, but it still drapes neatly across a single bed and stays in place despite his enthusiastic night-time wriggling. It can flatten when somebody sits on it, but one good shake restores the loft. 

He also found it easy to carry from his bedroom to the sofa for weekend television, which has become an important unofficial testing category in our house.

Does Night Lark’s coverless duvets regulate temperature well?

The 10.5 tog version kept my son comfortable from late summer into early autumn. He didn’t wake sweaty or clammy and was happy using it during warmer nights, despite the all-season tog rating.

Once temperatures dropped in mid-October, however, his cooler bedroom exposed its limit. He began feeling cold and we returned to his thicker Loaf duvet - because simply wearing pyjamas to bed is out of the question, obviously.

The microfibre also feels cool when you first touch it, so although I’d use it through spring, summer and early autumn, I wouldn’t choose it as his only winter duvet.

Night Lark coverless duvet for kids: is it easy to wash and care for?

My previous experience of washing a super king coverless duvet was only ever washed with the help of a dry cleaner, so I’ve no prior experience of trying to clean one of these things myself. 

The Blue Whale print feels playful without looking too babyish

That said, The Night Lark Junior fitted comfortably into our 10kg washing machine, with no shoving, pleading or fear for the drum. I used my standard 40°C anti-stain cycle for 60 minutes. Afterwards, I draped it over a clothes airer, switched the dehumidifier on for three hours and shut the door. It was dry by the following morning, with no clumping, misshapen corners, fading or loss of softness.

Night Lark says the single can be washed in a standard 7kg machine and recommends tumble-drying it thoroughly. I didn’t use a tumble dryer, so I can’t confirm Night Lark’s advertised 90-minute drying claim but in my rather less scientific airer-and-dehumidifier setup, overnight was perfectly manageable.

How does it compare with a traditional duvet?

A traditional duvet gives you more choice. You can change the cover when you fancy a different look, choose natural fillings and swap to a heavier duvet without replacing the decorative layer. It also means you only wash the cover most of the time.

The Night Lark wins on everyday practicality. There’s no cover to bunch up, slip around or swallow a restless child overnight. Bed-making takes seconds, and my six-year-old finds it much easier to do without help. For a child’s bedroom, that trade-off feels worthwhile.

What tog are Night Lark Junior coverless duvets?

The Junior Blue Whale set comes in 4.5 tog and 10.5 tog, with both available in single and double sizes. Night Lark positions the 4.5 tog as its summer option and the 10.5 tog as suitable all year round.

Bound edges and even quilting kept the filling neatly in place during testing

Based on our test, I’d describe the 10.5 tog as a strong spring-to-autumn duvet rather than a guaranteed winter one. Room temperature, the child and their usual bedding all matter, and our colder bedroom needed something warmer once autumn arrived.

Night Lark coverless duvet for kids: is it worth the money?

At £65 for a single duvet and pillowcase, this costs more than plenty of ordinary children’s duvets. It also feels more synthetic than cotton bedding, so the price won’t make sense for everyone.

For us, the time saved has real value. My son finds making his own bed much easier, the duvet washes easily and I don’t need to store a second set of matching covers. I’d pay full price for that combination, particularly for a child’s room or a regularly used spare bed.

Does it justify replacing your duvet and cover?

I wouldn’t throw away a perfectly good duvet solely to buy one. We’ve returned to my son’s warmer Loaf setup for winter, and a traditional duvet still gives us more flexibility when his room is cold. As an additional duvet, though, it has earned its place. 

We’ll use it from spring through to autumn and keep it ready for sleepovers. It’s quicker to put on a bed, easier for a child to manage and far less bulky to store than a duvet plus several covers.

Night Lark Junior Coverless Duvet: who is it best suited to?

It’s best suited to parents who want quick, low-faff bedding for children’s rooms, bunk beds, sleepovers or spare beds. It also makes sense for children who already help make their own bed and households that don’t want gazillions of duvet covers shoved into a drawer somewhere.

The single duvet fitted comfortably in our 10kg washing machine and dried overnight on an airer

I’d think twice if your child’s room runs cold, you want an entirely natural fabric or you don’t have enough space to wash and dry the whole duvet. The single was easy in our setup, but larger coverless duvets are a different beast entirely.

Final verdict: should you buy the Night Lark Junior coverless duvet?

Yes, particularly if the thought of changing another child’s duvet cover makes you want to lie down under it and refuse to come out. The Night Lark Junior is soft, light, easy to wash and makes bed-making much easier for my six-year-old.

The Blue Whale design should last beyond the nursery years and the duvet survived 45 nights, one wash and repeated trips to the sofa without fading, clumping or losing its shape. The plain white pillowcase is less charming than a matching one would have been, but it’s a minor gripe.

Other junior designs include space, woodland and animal prints among others

My only real caution is warmth. The 10.5 tog wasn’t enough for our colder bedroom once temperatures dropped, so I wouldn’t treat “all year round” as a promise carved in stone. For spring to autumn, sleepovers and spare-bed duty, though, it’s exactly the sort of bedding tired parents will appreciate.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is our resident lifestyle expert with a practical focus on sleep, wellness and everyday comfort. She’s equally at home tackling frank, NSFW-adjacent topics as she is road-testing kitchen appliances, mattresses and vacuums that work for real parents. As a mum of two, she writes with the time-poor and sleep-deprived in mind: honest product reviews, realistic routines and products that make parents’ lives easier.

When she’s not at her desk, she’s probably product-testing with her two helpers, lost in a good book or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

All prices are correct at the time of publication.

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