You may also remember the below was one of my solutions. It was a cheap sleeping bag with a physio strap around the chest to keep it on. Unfortuantely, I have found Owen has started to wiggle out of this, so it is no longer effective.
I like the warmth provided by a sleeping bag and the length it provides, so I worked on a way to keep it on. Here is the finished product:
So what is it? It's a do it yourself toddler sleeping bag! It's a sleeping bag with a polar fleece vest attached to the top.
What do you need:
- Sleeping bag - I get the cheap ones from Kmart/Big W as they are for "warmer" nights/climates, which make them perfect for house temperatures (but not so for camping). Usually you get one for around $12. Don't get the hooded ones. Also it will say hand wash only but I wash mine on a handwash/gentle cycle in the washing machine with no drama.
- Polar fleece vest
- Velcro (only required if you want the zip on the side)
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
Once you have your supplies think about where you want the zip of the sleeping bag. Owen sleeps between his left side and his stomach, so we needed the zip on his right side for maximum comfort. If he just slept on his back or sides I could have put the zip up the middle. It would have looked funny at his feet, but that wouldn't have been an issue.
- I cut the armholes clear from the vest
- I then sewed the vest to back, middle, top edge of the sleeping bag (making sure the sleeping bag zip would be on his right)
- I then sewed the left front piece of the vest to the front left of the sleeping bag meaning there was now an arm whole for his left arm.
- I sewed two pieces of velcro on the right front edge, one on the vest and the other on the bag, so they velcro shut when placing him in. If you have the zip up the middle you can sew the right front peice of the vest direct to the sleeping bag.
- You will also see I trimmed the zip off of the vest and put the vest inside out. I thought that might be more comfortable for Owen.
It is worth noting I am no "sewer", I don't have a fancy or good machine, so I did struggle with getting the tension right the thickess of the velcro and the sleeping bag, so don't look at my sewing and stitches, it is all far from perfect. You could go all out and match the vest and the sleeping bag, but I just used a vest I had.
Here is how you put him in
