These baby sleeping bags are baby and parent-approved
Baby sleeping bags are designed to help your little one sleep safe and sound. We know how important getting that nighttime routine nailed is for new parents (for both you and your baby), and it all starts with the right environment – from your bedside crib and mattress to their sleepwear.
With a sleeping bag, they’ll be able to wriggle and kick their arms and legs without being restricted, while staying at a comfortable temperature. They also offer a safe sleeping environment as they remove the need for additional covers. According to baby sleep charity, The Lullaby Trust, sleeping bags are a good option for little ones as they prevent your baby’s head from being covered by wriggling under any loose blankets.
Plus, popping your little one down in a sleeping bag can benefit their hip development and act as a sleep cue for both daytime naps and bedtime.
The Good Housekeeping Institute recruited a panel of parents and babies to test out the market-leading sleeping bags and swaddle bags, as well as analysing them in the lab. These are our experts’ top picks at a glance – keep scrolling to read our detailed reviews and everything you need to consider before you buy.
How to choose a baby sleeping bag
Before shopping, there are a few things to consider, including the tog rating, nursery temperature, size and style of sleeping bag you want.
Tog rating
In a similar way to adult duvets, baby sleeping bags come in a range of fabrics and tog ratings to keep your baby warm and cosy throughout the changing seasons. Tog ratings range from 0.5 togs (best for the summer) up to 2.5 togs (better for chilly nights).
Our testing expert, Sally Hall, recommends buying at least two of each tog rating so you can have one in the wash and one for your baby to sleep in. “You need a couple of winter bags of around 2.5 togs and a couple of summer bags too,” she recommends. “Adjust the tog rating your baby needs depending on how warm or cold your house gets.”
The NHS also recommends taking both your baby’s clothing and room temperature into consideration when choosing the right tog.
Sizes
Baby sleeping bags typically come in three different sizes: 0-6 months, 6-12 or 6-18 months; and 12-24 or 18-36 months. Some are adjustable too, with arm holes that can be widened.
Sally recommends opting for a size that’s snug around the chest but still loose on the lower half, giving them plenty of space to wriggle and kick their legs.
Design
We've tested both swaddle bags and sleeping bags, and some designs that can do both. Swaddle bags mimic the snugness of the womb and can be comforting for newborns. Having their arms inside the sleeping bag also calms the Moro reflex (aka the startle reflex), a normal, involuntary movement where your baby suddenly throws their head back, cries and extends their arms and legs when they're surprised by a sound or movement.
The Moro reflex usually disappears after two or three months and once your baby shows signs of rolling, it’s recommended you switch to a regular baby sleeping bag. Some sleeping bags are adjustable with poppers on the side so you can switch between using it as a swaddle bag or having their arms out.
Care instructions
You want a sleeping bag that's easily to clean, so check the care instructions before buying. You don’t want to be tackling a midnight poo-nami only to realise you can’t pop it in the washing machine. Luckily, all the ones in this list are machine washable but only a few can be tumble dried, which may be a deal breaker for some.
How we test baby sleeping bags
We first ensure that all items conform to British safety standards. Note that some sleeping bags in this list are made by brands based in Australia. These products all comply with fire hazard regulations under AZ 1249.
Then, to find the best baby sleeping bags, our expert first assesses the quality of the construction, the tog rating and the overall design. They make sure there aren’t any poppers or zips that could irritate your baby’s skin, as well as looking at how easy it would be to dress and undress your baby, and how straightforward a nappy change would be. They also put them through the wash to check for any shrinkage or colour fading.
Most importantly, we send each sleeping bag out to our panel of babies and their parents, to see how they fare in real-world conditions. Our (grown-up) testers provide extensive feedback on what they like about the design and what doesn’t quite hit the mark. They also tell us whether they’d recommend the product others and if they’d consider purchasing it again.
All this feedback is collated and the products are given a final score. These are the baby sleeping bags we rated top.
All-Season Sleeping Bag
Score: 98/100
With its smart, adjustable design, it’s no wonder this was a resounding hit with our panellists. Thanks to removable insulating layers, it can be easily transformed from a 1 tog sleeping bag to 2.5 togs for those chillier nights, making it a versatile, year-round buy.
Created with soft, brushed cotton, the top section sits snug across the baby’s torso while the bottom is wide and spacious to allow for kicks and wriggles. There are mesh panels around the neck and under the arms for breathability, helping to ease any concerns about your little one overheating.
And that’s not all – this sleeping bag has a zip along the bottom and up the side, making night-time nappy changes as fuss-free as possible. Our panellists found the zip a little fiddly to do up on occasion and our expert noticed some puckering around the zip after washing, but otherwise, this design was hard to fault.
1.0 TOG Cocoon Swaddle
Score: 98/100
If you can’t decide between a swaddle bag or a normal sleeping bag for your newborn, let us introduce you to Ergopouch’s two-in-one design. Swaddling can help calm your baby’s Moro reflex when they’re very little, but after two or three months, you can simply unsnap the poppers on the side to let them stretch their arms out.
The functionality and attention-to-detail really stand out with this design. As well as the double-ended zip for quick nappy-changes, it's made with super-soft cotton material that’s GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified, the gold standard for organic textiles.
There are thorough instructions to help you (and your baby) get used to the swaddle – something our panellists really appreciated. It even comes with a thermometer and tips on what to dress your baby in under the bag – a dream for first-time parents.
Clever Year Round Sleeping Bag 1.5 TOG
Score: 98/100
With a 1.5 tog rating, Mori’s sleeping bag sits in the middle of the typical tog range, which means it's a good year-round option – a bit of a goldilocks bag, if you will. Suitable for wearing in room temperatures from 18C up to 24C, you shouldn’t need to switch it out unless the weather is particularly chilly or warm, making it excellent value. It’s also designed to suit babies from newborn up to two years, with adjustable arm hole poppers to ensure a snug fit as they grow.
The USP isn’t just its year-round suitability though; our panellists raved about the innovative slot on the back to place the harness of a pushchair or car seat through. Simply transfer them from the pram to the cot without disturbing their nap – very clever!
Baby Sleep Bag
Score: 97/100
Made with sustainable bamboo, this sleeping bag is soft-to-the-touch, breathable, and wicks away moisture, ideal for keeping your little one snug yet cool on hot, sweaty nights.
Our expert loved the versatility of this design too. While you can’t adjust the tog rating like our joint winner from Tommee Tippee, there’s a good selection of sizes available, ranging from newborn up to two years. The smallest size can also be converted from a swaddle to a normal sleeping bag using the handy side poppers.
The bag has lots of room in the bottom half for your baby’s legs to bend and kick, which was a real box ticker for our panel, as was the double-ended zip for less disruptive nighttime changes.
SunzPouch Sleeping Bag
Score: 97/100
With one zip at the base and another across the front of the bag, SnuzPouch has thought of everything to make dressing your baby and changing their nappy a breeze. No surprise then that this sleeping bag was a real hit with our parents, who all agreed there was little to dislike.
The only thing they flagged was the tog rating. It isn't adjustable and we tested the 1 tog option, which wouldn't be suitable all year round. However, there is a 2.5 tog bag available should your baby need something warmer.
There's also a range of patterns available, all using grey as the base colour. Our panellists were fans of the neutral colourway, as it matches most nursery aesthetics.
The Original Grobag One Tog
Score: 96/100
This is the older sibling of the joint winning Tommee Tippee sleeping bag above, and its high score proves it’s another reliable choice for your baby.
Our panellists loved the super soft OEKO-Tex-certified, breathable cotton, and we loved the little details such as the cover to keep the zipper away from your baby’s skin. It also washed well in our lab.
The zip runs from the bottom of the bag and up the side, making nappy changes easier, although panellists with wriggly babies would have preferred a double ended design (from the legs and chest) to make dressing just as simple.
Swaddle Up
Score: 96/100
If your baby loves to sleep with their arms up, this cleverly designed swaddle sleeping bag is a no-brainer. Its winged design allows babies to sleep in a natural, arms-up position. It’s also made from soft, chemical-free cotton, so you don’t need to worry about them putting their hands in their mouth. There's a double ended zip for simple dressing and nappy changes, too. Our panellists found it fitted well but would have liked a few more colourways and designs to choose from.
We should also flag that the product information is slightly different to those of other designs in this list. Instead of a tog rating, Love to Dream uses Lite, Moderate, Mild, Warm and Extra Warm labels to help you find the right bag for your nursery. We tested the Mild sleeping bag, which is best for temperatures from 18-24C, but there’s plenty of information on the brand’s website if you’re unsure which to pick.
Organic Baby Sleeping Bag Honey Rice
Score: 93/100
This bag is made from a blend of organic linen and cotton, making it a good choice for babies with sensitive skin. It also washed well, keeping its shape.
It’s secured with poppers at the top, while the bottom is zippered to allow easy access whenever a nighttime nappy change is needed. There are extra poppers under the armpits to ensure a snug fit too.
Our testers particularly loved this sleeping bag for its gorgeous colourways – the honey rice was a firm favourite.
$39.95 at thelittlegreensheep.co.uk
Organic Cotton Giraffe Sleeping Bag
Score: 86/100
We always expect a little bit of luxury with any product from The White Company, and this soft cotton sleeping bag didn’t disappoint.
With poppers on the shoulders (and under the armpits on the smallest size), you can adjust the suit to ensure a good fit. It also boasts a classic zippered design along the bottom for easy nappy changes. Our tester did note that the zip cover, which is designed to protect your baby’s skin, isn’t very large and is a little fiddly to use.
Panellists said it washed well but would have liked it to be tumble-dryer friendly. It's only available in 1 tog, so is best for warmer nights.
The verdict on baby sleeping bags
It was tough competition at the top of our list with three sleeping bags scoring an impressive 98/100. Your choice will probably come down to budget and aesthetics. The Tommee Tippee Grobag All Seasons stood out for its innovative dual tog, year-round design and removable insulating layers, while the Mori Clever Sleeping Bag is another good year-round choice, thanks to its goldilocks 1.5 tog rating.
Our other joint winner, the Ergopouch Cocoon Swaddle, is the best pick for longevity as it transforms from a swaddle into a sleeping bag once their Moro reflex disappears.
Why you should trust the Good Housekeeping Institute
We’ve been testing products at the Good Housekeeping Institute for over 100 years and have used all that experience and expertise to start testing parenting products. Last year, we launched our first ever Parenting Awards, spending months testing products in the lab and with parents in real-world conditions.
Our in-house expert, Sally J. Hall, has written extensively about pregnancy, birth and parenting, testing thousands of products for little ones, and she's passionate about finding the ones that make parents' lives easier. She worked with the Good Housekeeping Institute's homes writer, Megan Geall, who has written about hundreds of sleep products, to curate this tried and tested list of the best baby sleeping bags.
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