Choosing the best summer sleeping bag for your baby

Summer has finally arrived, bringing with it clear skies, warm weather and long sunny days. But for new parents, summer can also bring a new list of worries and challenges around keeping little one safe, cool and comfortable when it gets hot.

In the summer, parents have to think more about how to keep their baby cool, how to protect them from the sun, and how to dress them at night to keep them comfortable. Keeping your baby’s temperature regulated, especially at night, is vital to make sure your baby sleeps safe and sound and isn’t at risk of SIDS or other life-threatening conditions such as hypothermia. It’s especially important when babies are younger than six months, as they won’t have developed an effective thermoregulatory system, and so are unable to cool themselves down or heat themselves up.

Choosing the right summer sleeping bag for your baby is crucial for keeping them safe and reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Keep reading to discover which sleeping bags are best for summer, and the benefits of merino wool for temperature regulation.

Choosing the Right Tog

Here at Merino Kids, we refer to togs as weights, and our sleeping bags come in Winter Weight, Duvet Weight or Standard Weight.

Typically, the higher the tog of the bag, the thicker the material will be. At MK, our weight system categorises our sleeping bags through wadding, so our Winter weight Go Go sleeping bag features pebble-shaped wadding to provide another layer of merino wool.

Choosing the right tog really depends on the average annual temperature where you live. However, one of the many perks of our sleeping bags is that they are naturally temperature regulating and can be used all year round. For other fabric sleeping bags, you might have to have different sleeping bag togs for different times of the year which can add up in cost and get confusing when it comes to dressing.

Here are the five recommended tog ratings to dress your baby for sleep based on the temperature:

• Room under 14 degrees: Use a 3.5 tog, with a cotton long sleeved bodysuit and sleepsuit. It is unlikely you will ever use a tog of this thickness unless you are in a very cold climate
• Room under 16 degrees: Use a 2.5 tog bag with a cotton bodysuit and sleep suit
• Room at 17-21 degrees: Use a 2.5 tog with a cotton bodysuit
• Room at 22 to 25 degrees: Use a lightweight 1.0 tog to 1.5 tog with a cotton bodysuit
• Room above 25 degrees: Use a 0.5 tog sheet or muslin bag and a short-sleeved bodysuit

Here are the Merino Kids recommended weight ratings:

• Room 16 - 20 degrees: Use a Winter Weight sleeping bag, equivalent to 2.3 - 3.5 Tog
• Room 16-22 degrees: Use a Duvet Weight sleeping bag, equivalent to 1.4 - 2.5
• Room 17 - 27 degrees: Use a Standard Weight sleeping bag, equivalent to 0.5 - 1.8

As you can see, our own weight system is much simpler and has a wider temperature range than the tog system.

When choosing the right weight sleeping bag for summer, we would recommend going for our Standard Weight sleeping bag, which is equivalent to 0.5-1.8 tog and can be used when the temperature of the room is anywhere between 17-27 degrees.

With our Standard Weight bags, when dressing your baby for winter, you can just layer them up more and wear thicker clothing underneath the sleeping bag if you are worried about them getting cold. In summer, you could go for a short-sleeved body or sleep suit to keep them nice and cool.

The benefits of a Standard Weight sleeping bag is that they can be used all year round which makes dressing your little one for sleep much simpler.

The Benefits of Merino Wool

Merino wool comes from a breed of sheep called the Merino, which is known for having the finest and softest wool of any sheep. Merino Sheep are born to survive the scorching summers and freezing winters of New Zealand. Their wool allows them to survive in these extreme temperatures, and is also packed full of natural fibres, and is also super soft and gentle on the skin.

Merino wool is naturally moisture wicking, meaning that it absorbs perspiration from the skin and releases it into the air. This means that your little one will never feel clammy or uncomfortable since the humidity between the material and skin is lowered.

Another benefit of merino wool is that it is temperature regulating, which is especially important in children under six months old as they are unable to regulate their own temperature. This is why our sleeping bags don’t need a tog rating, they can be used all year round and work to keep your little one cosy in the winter and cool in the summer.

Merino wool is also proven to improve sleep routines, reduce skin allergies and is fire resistant, making it the perfect cosy and safe choice for your little snoozer all year round.

Shop our Standard Weight Sleeping Bags for your baby to keep them comfortable and safe every night of the year.