It’s been pretty chilly lately and as we struggle to keep the house warm, many of us are looking for cosy, new winter bedding. There are so many different options with pillows and duvets made of various different materials. So how do we chose the best winter bedding for our children?
It’s so important for our children to get a good night’s sleep to ensure healthy growth and development. Getting the right bedding and providing the right sleep environment will help. Children have different sleep time needs depending on their age and so here are our recommendations on the best bedding for each stage.
The current recommendations for young children under the age of 12months is that they should not use pillows, quilts or duvets (The Lullaby Trust – mattresses and bedding). In our experience, baby sleeping bags like the grobag are a great option for babies over 8lbs and toddlers. Available in various sizes and togs you can chose a grobag to suit the season and temperature of your child’s room. They will make sure a young child is cosy but not at risk of overheating during the Winter months. We have also come across the thin Theraline Baby pillow which is very popular and claims to prevent ‘ flat head syndrome’. Given the current advice that you should not use pillows for babies under 12 months, we would recommend you speak to your health visitor or GP / Nurse if you are considering using one of these.
As your baby becomes a toddler and reaches their 2nd birthday, their bedding requirements change. They are probably in a toddler bed or cot bed now and so although it is still important that their room is at the optimum temperature, a pillow and duvet becomes an option. Most manufacturers offer toddler sized pillows and duvets. Bed-wetting may become an issue so machine washable pillows and duvets are vital. A good value choice for this age is the John Lewis Soft Touch Washable duvet and junior pillow set which comes in a 7 tog (thermal insulation) which should be perfect for a cold night at this age. If you have a slightly bigger budget, the Panda Junior bamboo pillow and luxurious Panda Cloud duvet come in cotbed and single bed sizes. The duvet is 4.5 tog. These products are incredibly soft, hypoallergenic and popular with little ones as they have a cute little panda face on it. Another great Winter bedding option is a wool pillow and duvet. Naturally temperature regulating and environmentally friendly, we love the Fogarty Little Sleepers Wool 4.5 Tog Cot Bed Duvet & Pillow Set -which is perfect for toddlers.
By school age, children often become more particular about their needs and tell us what they like! Although, they need less sleep as they get older, even a teenager requires a good 9-10 hours every night – click here to read about the recommended hours of sleep for kids.
Allergies may have been identified too (see our reviews and advice for anti-allergy pillows and duvets) and they will be sleeping in a full sized bed. The pillow and duvet options are now the same as an adults. Whether your child is 3 or 13 years, we would still always recommend a washable duvet and many manufacturers are now offering bedding that is a bit more interesting and may even appeal to your child rather than just being part of the furniture.
The Panda bedding range has certainly been a hit in our house, with my 9 and 12 year old fighting over who is going to have the cute pillow and duvet. The toddler pillow is definitely for those aged 3 and under, the kids’ pillow for ages 4 – 11 really; consider buying the adult memory foam pillow though for any kids over 10 or 11 years as the junior pillow is quite small. M&S also offer coloured duvets now which are washable and look good, meaning you don’t even need a cover – definitely one to pack for the student! A budding Astronaut may like the idea of the adjustable height Simba hybrid pillow and temperature regulating duvet – made with Outlast which regulates heat and was inspired by NASA, it comes at a price but should last a long time.
Our children have such busy lives, it is so important that they sleep well to thrive.