11 best baby sleeping bags for keeping them cosy

Australian sleep brand ergoPouch has been providing babies and children with safe sleep solutions since 2009. Scooping many awards for its range of sleeping bags, there’s no denying their brilliance. 

The brand’s jersey sleeping bags come in two sizes (3-12 and 8-24 months) and a whopping four tog weights. We’ve tried all the variables but during summer evenings have found ourselves often reaching for the 0.2 tog, which is the lightest on the market and kept our little tester snug and cosy but cool overnight. Still, realistically, the 1 tog will get more use. Made from 95 per cent GOTS-certified organic cotton, plus 5 per cent elastane for a bit of stretch, it’s soft to the touch with a jersey feel and washes incredibly well.

We found this design of sleep bag one of the easiest in which to dress our wriggly baby, with just one zip to navigate, but we also praise its nifty two-way zip, which makes bleary-eyed nappy changes much easier. There are also six dreamy designs to choose from and it’s easy to decipher the tog weight even in a panic dash, thanks to the handy exterior labelling. We appreciate the fact you can purchase a two-pack, making comfy and safe sleep much more affordable.

We’re often waxing lyrical about Sainsbury’s TU baby range, and its 1.5 tog sleeping bag is no exception. Perfect for temperatures around 21C to 23C, which our mini tester’s nursery often sits around, it kept him happy and snug, without overheating.

Available in four sizes, from newborn to six months up to 18-24 months, this sleeping bag comes with a favourable price tag but it’s worth bearing in mind it’ll only last around six months. It features two poppers on each side of the neck and a handy double-ended zip. While we couldn’t fault the quality or design, one small frustration is the unclear labelling. To find the tog rating, you have to look at the reverse of the care label, which is trying when you’re bleary-eyed or in a rush.

Mori is a baby brand praised for its sleep essentials, from sleepsuits and super-soft pyjamas to award-winning sleeping bags. All of Mori’s pieces are crafted using sustainably sourced fabrics, and manufactured in trusted factories, meaning products do come with a higher price tag but, with this brand, you truly do get what you pay for, and you’ll be chuffed with how well all its products come out in the wash. 

In true Mori fashion, there’s more than meets the eye with this sleeping bag, as you get two products in one. Eliminating the need to have two separate sleeping bags for summer and winter, this multi-tog sleeping bag features a removable inner padding layer, which detaches using the discreet internal poppers and external zip. With the plush wadding, you have a 2.5 tog option for the chilly months, without the wadding it’s a 0.5 tog for warmer weather. This bag also has a longer lifespan (newborn to two years old) than many other options – simply use the poppers to tuck up the extra length at the bottom until it’s required. However, we’d never advise parents to just have one sleeping bag – babies are known for projectile spewing and disastrous nappy leaks, after all.

There are also some safety popper fastenings on the armholes, to ensure the sleeping bag stays in the right place, which is particularly helpful for younger babies, and it features a double-directional zip, to make those middle-of-the-night changes a little simpler. Made from the brand’s signature soft fabric – 70 per cent bamboo and 30 per cent organic cotton ­– we found it makes the pre-bedtime feed and snuggles pure bliss.

JoJo Maman Bebe is a stalwart retailer and brand in the baby world and, for many parents, a go-to for essentials. It’s not short of sleeping bag options, either, with bags with separate legs, adorable appliqué designs and a range of tog choices. Even better, you can save £10 when you buy two baby sleeping bags.

We love this gorgeous muslin sleeping bag, which comes in four playful designs, with a traditional side zip and double poppers at the shoulder, which, admittedly, can be a bit fiddly. There are also two poppers under the right armpit, designed to slightly alter the length, but we didn’t find they made much difference.

The quality, however, is fabulous, with two layers of super-soft breathable cotton muslin, which kept our little tester cool during summer slumbers, and it washes up brilliantly.

Founded in 2008 by mum-of-six Lynda Harding, Sweet Dreamers is a family-run UK brand that promotes safer sleep for babies. More recently, the brand launched its range of sleeping bags, covering three age groups (newborn to three months, three months to one year and 12 to 24 months) and the traditional summer and winter tog ratings. 

During testing, we found it easy to get our baby in and out of the bag, thanks to a simple two-way front zip, which is convenient for nappy changes. This fuss-free design truly makes a difference when your baby is fighting bedtime, too. We also applaud the small thoughtful details, such as the exterior tog labelling, and the added underarm popper, which may be useful for babies closer to the younger age bracket, for extra snugness. What we loved the most, though, was the undeniably soft material, which is made from 95 per cent bamboo viscose and 5 per cent elastane to gives baby some extra stretch for kicking about. It’s perfect for bedtime snuggles as well as being sustainable, breathable and kind to baby’s skin. A final perk for parents is that you get 10 per cent off when you buy two sleeping bags.

You may have heard other parents refer to a sleep bag as a ‘grobag’ and wondered why. It’s not just a catchy name – invented by the Gro Company, the ‘grobag’ kickstarted the baby sleep bag revolution back in 2000. The business is now under the umbrella of Tommee Tippee and is still a market leader when it comes to baby sleeping bags. 

But how did they fare during testing? Firstly, we praise the money-saving bundle concept, which allows you to cherry-pick not only colours and patterns but sizes and tog weights, too. You get two sleep bag designs, and one steppee, which has handy built-in legs for babes on the move. This bundle has your baby covered for two and a half years, at an impressive price. Quality hasn’t been compromised, either. Made from a soft, cotton-rich material, the sleeping bags are gentle on our little tester’s skin and they can be tumble-dried on low heat. It’s snug at the top and more spacious at the bottom, ensuring cosy nights’ sleep while offering plenty of freedom of movement. Our only slight grumble is the zip, which is two-way but has to be fed through from the top, which can take a bit of navigating with a non-compliant baby who is protesting sleep.

Next is often a time-short parent’s best friend and the high street retailer isn’t short of baby sleeping bags. This option comes in three tog weights – 0.5, 1 and 2.5 – and Next has split the sizes by height, which can be helpful if you have a taller-than-average or smaller-than-average baby.

Our eight-month-old tester tried the 65-80cm size, which is for babies aged approximately six to 12 months. We loved seeing our snoozing baby in this vibrant safari animal print, and we were impressed with how well it washed. This sleeping bag is sadly missing a two-way zip, which means unzipping the whole thing for a nappy change. We also found you have to hunt for the care label to find sizing and tog weighting, but this isn’t a deal breaker.

This bag is designed to help babies transition from being swaddled to having their arms free while sleeping. The unique patented ‘arms up’ wings allow baby to touch their faces and suck on their hands or fingers without losing that snug womb-like closeness.

Due to our tester’s age (and apparent dislike of being swaddled), we tested out the swaddle-up transition bag where the wings can be zipped off to convert into a snug sleeping bag, which comes in two weight-categorised sizes. Due to the intended snug design of this sleeping bag, it’s worth bearing in mind there’s a shorter product lifespan of around three months of use.

A highlight for us has to be the dreamy material, which is unlike any of the other sleeping bags we tested. Part of the brand’s bamboo range, which is specifically designed for temperatures of more than 20C, it’s silky to the touch and wonderfully tactile. Plus, while it’s rated at a 1 tog it’s super lightweight, which we believe our wriggly tester appreciated on hot evenings.

We’re big fans of The Little Green Sheep, having tested its cot mattresses and baby bedding before, praising the brand for its conscious materials and built-to-last products. Being impressed by its nursery offerings, expectations were high when it came to reviewing the brand’s range of sleeping bags. 

Available as 1 tog and 2.5 tog in 0-6 months and 6-18 months sizes, this sleeping bag’s quality is undeniable. While the fabric isn’t as soft to the touch as some of the others we tested, it feels hardwearing, thanks to the combination of linen and cotton. We found both tog weights to be breathable, but also loved the plushness of the winter 2.5 tog, with its quilted design.

Supreme quality aside, with a product of this price point, we were disappointed not to see a two-way zip, and some clear tog and size labelling would have been handy. While the sleeping bag was a cosy fit up top on our eight-month-old tester, thanks to the built-in poppers, the neck opening isn’t particularly generous on the 2.5 tog, possibly due to the extra thickness, so, we’re dubious on whether we’d still be able to use that one at the maximum suggested age. 

This sleep bag has been thoughtfully designed to combat a problem every parent faces at some point in the first few years of a baby’s life: unexpected poo. Whether that’s during the middle of the night, that final feed before bed or as a morning surprise, a nappy change with a sleeping bag isn’t always easy. Snuz addresses this by featuring a specific nappy change zip, placed over the mid-section of the sleeping bag, which we found super useful on more than one occasion. 

This nappy zip feature is the highlight of this sleeping bag but we were a little disheartened by the feel of the material on the exterior, despite being 100 per cent cotton, however, the inside certainly felt softer much softer and our little tester slept soundly in this sleeping bag. Again, there is no clear labelling for the tog size, leaving us to root around for the care label. There are, however, 10 great prints to choose from, three tog weights and two sizes: newborn to six month months and six to 18 months.

This sleeping bag is almost too beautiful to be worn – from the delicate strawberry embroidery detail to the contrasting picot trim collar, it’s simply stunning. In fact, Mamas & Papas’s full range of baby sleeping bags, cutely named dreampods, are beyond adorable – there are even matching nursery interiors available if you’re a sucker for harmonising.

There’s no doubt baby will look super cute in this sleeping bag but is it functional, too? The answer is yes. Practicality hasn’t been overlooked, with a two-way zip for nappy changes, adjustable poppers on the arm holes (for a snug fit), and 100 per cent cotton jersey lining, which is wonderfully soft on baby’s skin. While there are only two sizes and two tog weights available in this design, we’ve been happy with how this sleep bag handles multiple washes.