Pur-Flo Sleep Sack Review

Just before Christmas, we were sent the PurFlo Sleepsac to try out - the timing was perfect.  This is a really spacious sleeping bag with plenty of room for a wiggly Holly and it arrived at a time when our house was particularly chilly and our daughter was particularly fidgety in her cot.

The PurFlo Sleepsac is a sleeping bag available in a number of different sizes from newborn right up to around 3 years old (110cm).  Holly tried out the 9-18 months size in a 2.5 tog weight which is good for a bedroom or nursery that is around 10-20 degrees at night time (it also comes in a 1.0 tog rating for warmer nights).  If your child suffers from chilly arms when they are asleep in a sleeping bag then you'll be pleased to know that the PurFlo Sleepsac comes with nifty detachable zip-on arms.

The Sleepsac zips up from the top, down the body in a diagonal line and then across the bottom of the feet.  It is by far the easiest sleeping bag I've used when it comes to getting Holly in and out of it.  There is a good level of protection around the base of the zip at the top so that it doesn't rub against her chin when she is asleep and the zips for the arms are well tucked away so she can't feel them.

The beauty of the PurFlo sleeping bag is that it designed to be both anti-allergenic and anti-bacterial.  The outer fabric is 100% cotton but the lining is 100% bamboo which has anti-bacterial properties and is far more absorbent than cotton in the event of an accident (or sweatiness!).  The filling is made from PurFlo's anti-allergenic Amicor which prevents build up of bacteria building up after several nights of use and dispels dust mites which are linked to both Asthma and Eczema.

The PurFlo Sleepsac comes in either plain colours or these gorgeous embroidered designs in a range of colours.  We love this neutral giraffe design as it literally could have been made for our nursery (which is painted in neutral colours and decorated with African animals!).  The embroidered SleepSac costs between £29.95 and £46.95 depending on size - I think they are worth every penny.

   

Ergopouch Swaddle and Sleeping Bag Review

The ergoCocoon hybrid swaddle/sleeping bag is an ingenius hybrid of a swaddling blanket AND a sleeping bag for your baby. Holly has been trying one out for the last couple of months and is definitely loving it!

A few weeks ago I was following a conversation on facebook between a group of mummies who were wondering how to transition their baby from the tight swaddling they had used in those first precious few weeks with their newborn baby, into the relative freedom and roominess of a sleeping bag. I think a lot of parents worry that when you slowly stop swaddling your baby tight that they will feel uneasy when you lay them to sleep and it can affect their ability to sleep peacefully.

The ergoCocoon hybrid by ergoPouch is the perfect solution to this anxiety. It can be used as a tight, self-contained swaddling cocoon which holds your baby's arms tight against their body. Or, simply by unbuttoning the sleeves, it can be used as a more traditional sleeping bag with a little more room to move inside. ergoPouch sell a wonderful selection of swaddles and sleeping bags but this is the next generation - two in one!!!

Holly's ergoCocoon is a natural coloured light organic cotton (although it is available in grey, pink and blue as well). With the arm-holes fastened to make a swaddle, it is suitable from about 3 months upto 12 months but if you are happy to use it just as a sleeping bag then you can use it from birth. When we first got it, Mr. B. was worried that it was very tight already and that holly wouldn't fit into it but you see, that's the point! It's supposed to be tight to swaddle your child and offer them the comfort of closeness when they sleep.

The quality of the fabric is outstanding. This is a very luxurious item that any parent would be proud to place their baby in. At £42 it is more expensive than many baby sleeping bags but you can definitely see why.

The top half of the ergoCocoon Hybrid Swaddle is a 1 tog stretchy fabric and further down it is a 2.5 tog cotton sleeping bag. On the inside it is lined with organic bamboo terry fabric to be soft and reduce humidity. All in all, it seems to do a very good job of keeping Holly warm where she needs it, but cool enough for her to settle.

I love the flexibility that the hybrid swaddle has. Holly likes to fall asleep with her arms free but will quite often wake herself up in the night by bashing her face with her hands so with this I can gently slip her arms back in once she has fallen asleep and then fasten up the poppers.

I find the zip a bit tricky to undo and once or twice found myself having to really root around Holly's neck to unfasten the zip. Thankfully there is also a zip at the base (it is a two-way zip) so if all I want to do is to change her nappy then I can use the bottom one instead to stress her out a bit less. This is also intended to make it easier to put your baby into a car seat or pram harness without waking them but personally, I wouldn't attempt it just because it would result in bunching of the bag around the crotch strap of the car seat (and because Holly ALWAYS wakes up when I put her in the car).

You can find out more about ergoCocoon Hybrid Swaddle at www.snuglittletots.co.uk.

Gunapod wearable blanket review

Holly has been trying out the The Gunapod from Gunamuna which is available in the UK exclusively from Tesco. We have used the Gunapod since birth as a wearable blanket for Holly both at home, at family and friends houses and in the pram.

The Gunapod isn't really a sleeping bag, it's more like a wearable fleece blanket. The genius of it is that it features a set of different zips and snaps which mean you can open and close it in numerous difference combinations. This seems to baffle Mr. B to the point where he can't use it - he just hands Holly over to me and gets me to do it!

The zips are designed so that I can put Holly into the Gunapod from the front, back, top or bottom. I can unzip it to give her feet some air or I can unpopper it to slip her out for a feed or a change. Personally I think it's a work of genius. I particularly like using the Gunapod in the pram because I can lay it down on the pram base and then place a sleepy Holly onto it before zipping it up around her. I don't need to wake her up at all. The video below gives you an idea of how easy it is to use.

In terms of weight, I found the Gunapod to be refreshingly light compared to other sleeping bags - this makes it more appealing for me to take out and about, especially in the pram, and because it is a low tog (1.6 tog I think), it is suitable for summer nights - I think I'd probably want a more traditional sleeping bag in the winter. Saying that, the Gunapod is made from man-made fibres (polyester) and so, during the recent hot weather I chose not to put Holly in it because I was worried she could get a bit hot and sticky - the fabric can be a bit slippery when I pick Holly up in it. Despite this, the fabric is deliciously soft and makes me want to snuggle Holly when she is wearing it.

The Gunapod comes in brown, pink or cream and comes in three different sizes; it costs £20. Find out more about the Gunapod on the Clothing at Tesco website.