product review - merino kids

i always say that i'm going to be a better blogger, and i just keep being terrible.  isla has had a lot of trouble sleeping lately, and we are just very tired.  this post has been sort of a long time coming, as i've started it about 100 times, but i can definitely say that we have now been using this product since october, so i have plenty to say about it! 

i was asked to review the merino kids sleep sack last summer shortly after i had isla.  of course, she was very tiny, and it was very summery, so i wanted to wait until she was a little bigger and i was a little more comfortable.  she was also doing well with being swaddled, and i wanted to see how long that would last.  well, right around the time we moved into our new house (late october), she was done with the swaddle and we were ready to move on. we started using it as soon as she was done with the swaddle and the nights started getting colder!

about the merino kids sleep sack:

• it's made from superfine merino which means it's natural, itch-free and allergy safe.  
• it's fire-resistant without the chemicals that are in jammies
• grows with your child for up to two years (maybe longer if they're little like mine)
• regulates body temperature- insulates child when the air is cool and releases excess body heat when the temperature rises.  your baby stays warm and dry and won't overheat!
• machine washable!
• easy to get baby in and out
• has a belt aperture which enables the child to wear the sleep sack in a stroller or car seat!

my first impression of the merino kids sleep sack was that it was gigantic!  i think i could probably put ian inside of it comfortably (although i have not tried).  i was initially worried about putting isla in the sleep sack with it being so big, but it fit her perfectly (she was probably around 8-10 lbs at the time) and i knew that there was no way it could move up around her face.  the merino kids sleep sack snaps at one shoulder and then has snaps underneath each arm to make it tighter for smaller babies.  now that she is mobile, she can move easily in it, although she hasn't figured out how to stand in it yet (which is good for us).

since it has been very cold here (many nights in single digits and below zero this winter) and the windows in the house aren't the best, isla's room has stayed chilly despite our insulating efforts.  when she wakes up in the morning (or the middle of the night for that matter) she has been comfortably warm without feeling overheated.  she has a few pairs of jammies that are footless, and dave has put her in the merino kids sleep sack and she has had warm feet upon unzipping (warmer than mine are in socks)!

another benefit of merino is that it blocks odor.  this can be a good or bad thing.  we have another sleep sack that we use when this one is being washed (since we air dry it) and whenever she wakes up wearing it, i can always smell her diapers- not with this sleep sack- it is odor free!  it's also very easy to wash- i use a wool safe detergent and wash it on our handwash cycle and then lay it flat to dry.

the price of the merino kids sleep sack is $99.99- i know, you may be freaking out seeing that.  don't- this sleep sack is well-worth the price.  remember the other sleep sack that i use when this one is being washed (it's also the sleep sack we used with ian)?  that sleep sack is a size small and only covers the 10-16 pound range.  now isla is 8 months old and still within that range- so it wouldn't matter to us- but i know people who have babies that are almost out of that pound range at 2-3 months of age!  with one sleep sack that costs $20-$25 only lasting 2-3 months, you would need to buy one in every size s-xl just to get your child to their 2nd birthday.  with merino kids- 1 sleep sack has you covered from birth to 2 years, and maybe even longer based on your child's size!  they also have the toddler size sleep sack that goes from 2-4 years!

i also previously mentioned my worries about isla wearing the sleep sack during the summer- well, the merino kids sleep sack is perfect for baby to wear year-round because of its ability to regulate temperature.  in the summer, baby can just sleep in a onesie or even just a diaper and stay the perfect temperature.  it's perfect because the need for blankets is eliminated- no need to worry about whether or not your baby has pulled his or her blankie over their face!

one final thing i want to rave about is that the merino kids sleep sack is not made of fleece like some of the others.  i don't know why parents think fleece is such a wonderful thing, but it isn't!  not only can fleece be treated with chemicals to make it flame retardant, but it is also very warm- too warm!  once in a hurry, i took ian to the pediatrician in his jammies- a fleece blanket sleeper.  while there, the pediatrician informed me that wearing something like that, even in the dead of winter was a risk for overheating.  the other sleep sacks aren't quite as thick as blanket sleepers, but it's still fleece that's most likely being worn over jammies.  the one that we use as a substitute is not fleece, but a cotton/minky fabric.  i also mentioned earlier that the merino wool is itch-free and allergy safe- something that probably would've been a Godsend for ian's eczema as a baby!

overall, this sleep sack has been absolutely wonderful for us, a little cumbersome at her small size because of the extra material, but i know that it is only because there is so much extra room to grow into.  i see us using this for a couple years into the future and maybe longer if another baby ever comes along.

if you've managed to read through my really really long review, now you can see some really adorable pictures of the sleep sack in action on a super-cute baby!

 ready for bed!

 flipped over!

 wearing our merino kids to Disney on Ice!  staying very warm!

 one of my favorite features- you can buckle your child into their car seat/stroller/swing wearing the sleep sack.  this is going to be perfect for road trips!  someone was ready to get out of their car seat though and not happy!  

testing the sleep sack out in the swing!

*Disclaimer:  I received this item free of charge in exchange for reviewing the product.  All opinions expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone.