Getting babies to sleep can be difficult at the best of times; not quiet enough, not enough white noise, too hungry, too much food, too hot, too cold, swaddling, unswaddling, overtiredness, rolling, transferring from bassinet to cot…
Then add into the mix teething, growth spurts, health problems, immunisations, crawling, sitting up and standing, and there are so many variables it can be difficult to navigate through them to find a sleeping solution that works.
Keeping babies at a comfortable temperature at night can be a key component to helping improve their length and quality of sleep. With the cooler months approaching, natural merino fabric is known for its ability to regulate body temperature. So when Kiwi brand Merino Kids sent one of their standard weight Go Go bags and a pair of their Essentials Pyjamas for my 7-month-old daughter to road test, I was particularly interested to see what effect it might have on her sleeping patterns.
Road test results
In the early months, Miss E started out as a great sleeper and we often had a full night’s sleep until we hit around the 4 month mark. Since then, she’s experienced some regression and I’d fallen into a pattern of feeding her to sleep whenever she randomly awoke in the evening. A month ago I was still getting up to breastfeed her multiple times throughout the night (which I didn’t mind as she has consistently resisted the bottle and it was quick and easy to feed her to sleep), but the decision to do this was soon to be taken out of my hands.
At the start of the road test, I ended up in hospital for three nights which left the husband to do all the baby night shifts on his own and resulted in some major changes to Miss E’s schedule once I was back home. Due to health reasons I had to cut out all night time feeds, and as she is at an age where removing the night feeds would likely remove the need to wake at night, I was interested to see how she would cope and if the new pyjamas and Go Go Bag would help.
When I first opened the package from Merino Kids, it was instantly apparent how much love, care and detail has been put into everything from the fabric, to the designs, the colour selection and the packaging. These products are beautiful to use for your own family but would also make a memorable gift.
Each night we put her into the Essentials Pyjamas after her evening bath and popped her into the sleeping bag just before bed time to read her a book. The sleeping bag was easy to put on with snaps on top of one shoulder and under both arms (to reduce the size of the arm holes). The pyjamas fit snugly, felt lightweight and were soft. The crossover design makes the top fit well, however you need to make sure you put baby’s head through the right space as there is an extra ‘pocket’ at the front of the crossover which Miss E ended up in on a few occasions!
We had already previously transitioned Miss E into sleeping bags when we took her out of the swaddle at 3 months. She had a habit of kicking her blankets off all the time but the loose restriction around her legs allowed them some freedom while continuing to stay covered, so I was already convinced of the benefits of using one.
After several weeks of consistent use of the Go Go bag and pyjamas together combined with the dropoff in night feeding, Miss E slept through the night for the first time in months. Since then, if she does wake it’s just once a night and I do feel the merino pyjama/sleeping bag combination has helped with this.
I also used the sleeping bag for all her daytime naps; as she’s always been a pretty good napper we didn’t see too much of a change in the time length of her day sleeps. However, she has become better at self settling and as she’s still got a lot of room to grow in the bag, Miss E has taken to curling into a ball to retrieve the bottom of the sleeping bag, using it like a lovey to hold on to and cuddle while she drifts off to sleep.
The thermometer on our baby monitor indicates her room is usually around 24 – 26 degrees so the Go Go Bag was within the temperature range for use. It’s interesting as without researching I would have previously been inclined to only use merino layers in the cooler months. However, having just come out of summer where Miss E was often sweaty when I retrieved her from the cot, I found it interesting that being in merino pyjamas and a sleeping bag left her neither sweaty nor clammy.
I used eco wool washing liquid to clean both the bag and the pyjamas, and used our front loader on a cool wool wash setting. I’ve put them through the wash a number of times and they continue to look, feel and smell great which is a testament to the quality of these products.
Key features
The standard weight Go Go Bag
- The pink/blue Go Go Bag Miss E trialled was sized for newborn to 2 years old*
- Available in a range of weights for different temperature conditions, however the standard weight is the most popular.
- Suitable for all year round use and room temperatures between 18 and 30 degrees celcius.
- Award-winning, 100% natural sleeping bag with a pure merino wool inner lining and an organic cotton outer.
- The pink/blue pair Miss E trialled were for a 6-12 month fit*
- These are new, having just been released at the beginning of March 2016.
- Made of 100% superfine merino.
- Cross-over neck line design for ease of use and a perfect fit around babies chest.
*As size reference for the photos, Miss E was 7 months old at the time of the road test and in the 50th percentile for weight and height.
Where to get them
The Merino Kids standard weight Go Go Bag is available for RRP $199 and their Essentials Pyjamas are RRP $99.95 Order online or find stockists at www.merinokids.co.nz.
For more information on Merino Kids, visit them on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/merinokids
Instagram – @merinokidsnz_aus
Twitter is @merinokidsNZ
Images / NZ Real Health