Sleeping bags - please help I’m clueless!

[Catastropheebs95]

My sister is due to have her first baby in a couple of months. I asked her what she wanted from me as a gift and she said could I please get her a sleeping bag? There are so many to choose from! I don’t know anything about them! She said she doesn’t mind what I choose as long as it’s unisex & decent quality, but I’m lost. What sleeping bags would you recommend have worked for you and why? Anything or any brands to avoid? Also, they all seem to be tog rated so what tog do I get for her if she’s due in September. Thank you!

I would stick to the Grobag brand and get a newborn wrap (you don’t use sleeping bags until the are a certain weight) then get the standard winter weight of 2.5tog.

Get 2.5 tog - we've had Tommee Tipee and M&S which are both good. We used them from birth. Had other brands as hand me downs, they're all the same essentially.

Not sure what your budget is, but we love our merino ones. They are all season because the material is temperature regulating so work in winter as well as summer (except the super hot temps where my baby was just in a vest!). We have a mix of Merino Kids and Superlove Merino and are happy with both. They both last to 18mo-2, and they have snaps under the arms to get a better fit and stop it riding up. Superlove says it’s from newborn, but we didn’t have them at the time so I can’t say but we found that all but the Tommee Tippee ones which are tight on top with snaps under the arms made me nervous about fit with a newborn.

They are pricy and ours are all from Vinted, but if you have a decent budget I rate them above the standard sleeping bags, and lasting from a tiny baby to toddler is significantly more than most do, so they are an investment. I actually have a Vinted parcel to collect today with a toddler footed Superlove Merino sleeping bag because my very long 16 month old is beginning to threaten to outgrow his baby sleeping bags.

I think you can take the stress out of this decision. If your sister is keen on natural fabrics for her baby, look for those. Also check whether she sleeps in a home that's outside a temperature range that's normally considered comfortable, if so get a more / less insulated bag. Otherwise, just pick a 2.5 tog one you think she'll like. No need for detachable sleeves, etc. We preferred a side zip and shoulder poppers, but babies manage to sleep in pretty much every baby bag going - you're not going to set baby up for a lifetime of poor sleep by making a 'wrong' choice. Also, it's likely there will be a selection of bags by the time baby arrives or shortly after, and if one 2.5 tog is a bit warmer than another, parents will choose accordingly for whatever the home temperature is (if both are clean and dry... sometimes a luxury parents don't have!)