#safersleepweek began on 16th March and this year runs until 23rd March – whilst we need to be aware of safer sleep issues all the time, like many campaigns, it is encouraging that there is a dedicated week each year to the promotion of this.

You can find out more about safer sleep here – there are downloadable resources that are really useful for parents.

Safe sleep is something that many parents are concerned about and there are several ways to encourage this.

One recognised method of encouraging safe sleep is to use a baby sleeping bag, rather than blankets and duvets.I am aware that there are still many parents that do not appreciate the benefits of baby sleeping bags and this is not exclusive to first time parents.

I personally feel that these are a much safer option than a blanket or duvet until you move your child into a bed.

For us so far, that transition has been made age three but I know many families choose to do that much earlier and everyone will have their own reasons for that.

In my experience even older children can get wrapped up in the duvet and quickly overheat, so I just feel that remaining in a baby sleeping bag for as long ad possible is the safest option.

This also normally has the benefit of ensuring children do not kick off their covers and wake because they are cold during the night.

With our toddler, we have recently been through a period of him taking off his baby sleeping bag himself but we got around this by placing him in a closer fitting bag with a reversed zip. He seems to have stopped this now.

When I discussed this with one mum recently the reason she gave for not using a baby sleeping bag was that she wanted to use her matching bedding. Now, whilst for me personally this would not come into my decision making process, for those who are fanatical about coordinated everything this can be achieved.

Vertbaudet is a good place to start as they have all sorts of beautiful matching sets of things.

Their baby sleeping bags are very nice quality and they have a wide range of colours, sizes and styles.

This one is £21.60 at the moment.

This one is just £13.60 at the moment

If matching sets are a must for you, you can get them  to match the baby sleeping bag. Like this set below.

These sleeping bags wash well but if using a tumble dryer make sure the bag is opened out otherwise it will stay damp inside. For us these baby sleeping bags are an important part of both a bedtime routine and a way of encouraging safe sleep.

Sleep tight!