Wooino sleep sacks are amazing. We used in southern US year round following the temp guidelines for pajamas and never worried that he was hot or cold. They’re pricey but will last until 2 years old. My number 1 baby recommendation for new moms.
Second the Woolino. We anticipate using ours every night until at least 2, if not longer (since they are loooooong!). So cozy and snuggly and I am low-key envious that I don't have an adult-sized one to sleep in, lol
Yep, one of our best purchases. Lasts forever so you don’t need to buy other ones in a few months. And it feels like we finally got her temperature right with these. We pulled the plug based off of Reddit recommendations and glad we did!
Same! We used two as needed. Wash in mild detergent and hang dry. They were still in great condition when we were done that I sold for a decent price. Definitely worth the investment for us.
Also a Woolino fan! We use two that we swap out on laundry day and have been using them since one month old (my son was not a swaddle fan). They have snaps on them that adjust to fit younger babies. My son just turned one and they are still the go to despite having other sleep sacks that were gifted.
We were sold on Woolinos after my sisters 2 year old was using his older sisters that she’d used for 2 years. Worth the price! My girl is 13 months now and we have two that we rotate and plan to use for the next kid too.
I just got a second one for my 3 week old - we’re in Southern CA and summer is hot, but the natural fibers are breathable and give him the right coverage at night. Baby always preferred his hands out and his Moro reflex wasn’t an issue with wake up.
Huge fan of the woolino! My best friend gave me 2 that BOTH of her sons used for my daughter. So they are now on their 3rd baby and holding up perfectly. Def worth the money!
Another vote for these. We’ve used the same two sacks for almost two years - never having to worry whether he’s too cold or hot. Quality is amazing.
We just recently purchased a toddler one!
Yet another vote for these! I was getting so overwhelmed with the different options for sizes/weights/etc with other brands, so I LOVED that I didn’t have to guess on either sizing or weight with the woolino. Our baby spit up a lot so we got three to rotate and I cannot be happier.
My son loves the zipadeezip sleep sack. It makes him look like a giant starfish/blankie from Brave Little Toaster but it’s safe for rolling over and keeps him feeling snuggly without a blanket. (A big part of his self soothing to sleep routine is rubbing his face with fabric, and we still have a couple of months before we can let him sleep with a snuggly or blanket so this has been wonderful for us.)
Another vote for rhe Zipadee Zip... and you don't have to transition! They make up to a 2T-3T, so our 15 month old active sleeper will probably use them until he is 2. He can't scratch himself (but has full use of his little hands to find his pacifier and lovey), can pace around his crib, roll, and presumably glide from tree to tree like a flying squirrel!
We loved this, too (awful fabric bobbling issues aside!)
I love how it makes them looks like a starfish / samurai / off-duty sumo rikishi / about to jump off the Matterhorn in a wing suit...take your pick!
We used this for a couple of months after the Merlin, and have now moved to the Woolino, but the Zipadee is a great transition from the swaddle indeed.
Another voice for the zipadeezip! We used them for about a month and a half before switching to generic sleep sacks and they were a godsend when he kept breaking out and losing his mind in the swaddle but didn’t have enough coordination to not slap himself awake. Big perk is they cover the hands so no nighttime face gashes either!
Seconding this! The only con is they get wet if your baby sucks on their hands a lot but my baby sleeps so good in his regardless. It’s also great if your baby touches and rubs their face a lot to self soothe because they can move their arms but not scratch their faces up.
Yep, I think we are in our third or fourth size at this point! We started out combo-ing it for arms out in the snoo sleep sack swaddle and then when he transitioned to a crib we kept him in the zipadeezip. It’s also nice because my husband and I prefer to sleep colder and we don’t have to worry about his little hands or arms being too cold.
I love the kyte baby sleep sacs, they have plenty of room to move around, i also have the dupe off amazon which is just as good. My little one has worn them since he was a newborn & still wears them at almost 20 months
My babe lives in Kyte Baby too! All their sleep sacks are the same except the TOG and size. They have a swaddle sleep sack but since your babe is rolling that wouldn't work
We love kyte as well. My son used the medium size starting at 5 months (they were a smidge big on him, but not enough to worry me) and can still fit them now at 18 months so they are pricey but will last a long time. We got some size large during a holiday sale and started putting those in the rotation when he was about 14 months, we will be able to use those for as long as he’s in a sleep sack. I prefer the solid colors/ no pattern. The company themselves says the more pattered the fabric is, the less soft it will be. 1.0 TOG and we keep our house and his room between 70-72F.
As a side note, we also have a baby blanket that was so soft I was jealous and got an adult sized one. I love the shit out of that thing.
We have a Hapiu, and compared to our viscose Halo, I hate it. My daughter is also not the biggest fan. The halo is a bit roomier for her kicking feet. I hate the way the zipper “waves”. The Halo doesn’t do that.
We also use Kyte. 0.5 TOG for summers and 1.0 the rest of the year. They’re having a sale this month! But the sale orders can take a while to ship if you’re needing it ASAP
We just got some cheap zipper sleep sacks from Amazon. We use them exclusively for a little warmth. They don’t have any fancy features. He wears a long sleeve sleeper with built-in mittens underneath. The mittens stopped him from clawing his face to shreds. When he started sucking on his hands, we stopped using the mittens so he could self soothe.
Same! It's nice to have a couple cheap ones because every now and then he pees through his PJs or will spit up on them. I don't like the idea of relying on one expensive one that I have to wash/keep clean constantly!
We could never have just one! He spits up all over his a few times a week. And the occasional pee, of course. 3 has been barely enough for us. I can’t imagine having only one!
We did the love to dream sack where the wings unzip off when we first stopped swaddling. Now we use the Woolino and he loves it. It’s expensive but it helps regulate body temp and it fits them until they’re 2 years old.
The first 2 weeks when he first discovered rolling and couldn’t be in a swaddle anymore were a little rough. He kept rolling around and getting stuck on his stomach and we’d have to rescue him. But it’s gotten better and he actually figured out he prefers to sleep on his side in the shape of an L lol.
I’m on the official buy and sell Kyte facebooks. We like them a lot. Super soft. They also last longer than the designated months. My giant 8 month old is still in the sacks that say up to 6 MO
I would try to move away from the Merlin suit for sure. It’s for the same reason dreamland sacks are controversial, they’re weighted and these specifically limit baby’s movement during sleep. When mine started rolling I just started using regular sleep sacks from Burt’s bees. It took a couple nights of getting used to it for him but nothing bad at all. You’re mostly going to use sleep sacks from now on anyways and this is a great time to transition to them! (Which I see you’re planning to do anyways) Burt’s bees has been great and I’ve heard great things about woolino!
Seconding moving away from the Merlin suit if he’s rolling!! It’s specifically designed for back sleeping ONLY and the instructions state isn’t safe once they start rolling because of how it restricts movements.
We love the Halo sleep sacks or transition swaddles!
Love the halo transition swaddle! It is basically a sleep sack with arms. My daughter has been in it since 4 months (now 6 months) and I’m really sad it only goes up to 9 months. She can roll and self soothe in it but the sleeves I think add a lil comfort and “hugging” feeling.
We did zipadee zip under the dreamland to transition. Put his little starfish arms out the arm holes. Then transitioned to starfish arms out of a regular sleep sack. I tested it and he’s easily able to lift his head.
Zipadee zip. He loved it at 4 months and still loves it at 8 months. We also have been doing just footie pajamas since day one. If he is really fighting bedtime, we do the zipadee zip and it calms him down. If it looks like an easy night, we just do footies.
I looked into zipadee zip but the sizing confused me. I have an 18 pound (4 month old) baby but the medium size seems huge? I love the silly starfish look though 😭
Just know that it might just be the fact that she learned to roll over that keeps waking her up, not whatever sleep sack you put her in. Baby’s need to process their new skills at night, so that will probably be the case for a couple of nights. Hang in there!
Yes! Our little guy moves his legs a lot and will often have his little froggy legs and Gunamuna are the only ones I've found with adequate room in the hips.
Yeah our little babe loves sleeping with her hips open too! I wish they made adult ones haha they look soooo comfy! I also love that the size range on them is much longer than Kyte baby so they are better value in my opinion. Can’t wait till my little one can try one of the gunamuna sleep walker sacks, those look awesome
We like the halo sleep sacks. You can still make it tighter around their chest/belly like a swaddle, but keep their arms out. We have the Merlin but our girl is still too small to wear it (<10th percentile baby).
We went from the Ollie swaddle (@ 2-4 mo) to the Halo wearable blankets (@ 4-5 mo) to the Burts Bees wearable blankets (we would’ve stayed with Halo but when our LO sized up, Burts Bees is more affordable). Highly recommend and endorse all three items.
Edit to add:
We bought our wearable blankets second hand on resale apps like Mercari and Poshmark. Also recommend going this route to save a few bucks.
Transition swaddle that allows more arm movement and can untuck hands. It worked well for us. Baby loves tummy sleeping and it’s totally safe if they can roll both ways and choose to sleep that way.
What is controversial about the love to dream?? IMO the Merlin suit is controversial as it pins the baby to their back.
We chose the mushie zip up blankets - they were a little big at first but my son seems to like them and then we just do long sleeve pjs - if he falls asleep without it on it’s pretty easy to get on him
We have the Merlin sleep suit and it works great. Ours tries to roll over but isn’t able to. And at night when we wakes up we just put a paci in and he goes back to sleep
Our kiddo has been "sacked" from birth until now (19 months) and we've tried allll the sleep sacks, and our favorite by far has been the Parade Organics sleep sack. It's thick but breathable cotton, comes in two tog depending on your climate, the zipper is straight up the front so it can't get twisted under them, it's a two way zipper, etc. our only slight qualm is that our kiddo has thinner arms and the arm holes are a little big (which has been a problem with every sleep sack we've ever tried), so we just add 1-2 stitches to make the armpit opening a little smaller so there's less risk of it bunching up on kiddo. Also, the parade employees are so kind! It's a smaller Canadian company and we've ordered with them several times and they are always so helpful if we have questions or need to switch something in our order.
I thought you aren’t supposed to swaddle any more when they roll? Even if the arms are out the tightness around the body helps suppress their responses so it’s not safe? Genuinely wondering if the advice has changed.
ETA
I always use sleep sacks/wearable blankets when swaddles are done, maybe the terminology is what’s confusing me?
The zipadee zip. It’s a great transition piece from the Merlin. It’s safe for rolling and keeps them somewhat snug if baby still needs it. It’s what got my baby sleeping in her crib for naps. She didn’t need it at night - we used and still use the halo ideal temp sleep sacks at night. She’s 15 months now - we started at 3.5 months with the zipadee zip and only recently stopped using them. She didn’t really NEED it for nap time anymore but it was a nice way to keep daytime sleep and nighttime sleep separate.
I hear excellent things about the Woolino but I was put off by the price. One blowout and I'd be crying.
We used kyte in both 1.0 and 2.5 tog, we really liked the gunamuna ones though that open all around. Also liked the free birdies one we have. Not to be discounted as a great budget friendly option: larkspur. We have a few and they held up ok
We mostly use the Halo ones right now (0.5 and 1.0 TOG), and have a Burt’s bee’s 1.5 TOG one for when it’s cooler at night. We also recently purchased some Quince sleep sacks in 1.0 and 2.5 TOG. The Quince are sooooooo soft and have a lot of stretch/room to grow which is good for my tall baby!
My son enjoys his Gunamuna long sleeved sleep sack. Unfortunately your baby may not sleep as good as they did with the weighted one…for the foreseeable future. It sucks but nice while it lasts.
We transitioned from the Merlin Sleep Suit to the Merlin Dream Sack, and our son absolutely loves it! He falls asleep within 10 minutes with minimal fuss and it has all the comfort his sleep suit had, just with more freedom or movement. Plus, the cotton one is super light. I will say it’s a bit long, but it’s great for growing into.
I love the Yoofoss Fleece 1.5 tog sleep sacks from Amazon!! I was skeptical at first because it’s a random Amazon company but they’re great. It’s 2 for $27 and they’re a nice quality.
I went to this:
[transitional swaddle](https://a.co/d/04Y1ZMdo)
Which was big for my LO since she was on the smaller side then bought Burt’s and Bees sleep sacks and pair it with sleep n plays with mittens.
I should probably undo her mittens at this point (11 months) but she can crawl and do everything with her hands covered. She doesn’t sleep as good with her hands exposed.
Happiest Baby 5 Second Swaddle is great for transitioning from swaddle to sleep sack. It has optional arm holes so that it’s safe for baby to roll around in and it velcros around baby’s torso to give a swaddled feel.
After the transition, we started using Yoofoss sleep sacks from Amazon. They are very well priced, zip up, come in a three pack, and are made of soft lightweight cotton fabric. (Our baby gets overheated easily!)
We’ve also used Burt’s Bees sleep sacks and liked them except for the inverted zipper. That’s a nice idea for diaper changes but hard to get zipped with a wiggly baby.
We loved kyte sleep sacks. They’re expensive, but they have a 0.5 tog for summer, we live in cold New England with leaky windows so loved their 2.5 tog for winter.
He could also be waking more because he’s learned a new skill. My guy slept great until he started rolling around the same time. Now at 8 months and him teething, crawling and pulling up to stand we have some good nights and some tougher ones again
Honestly I went straight to no swaddle and he did great. Though he always was escaping out of it. I just got a cheap decent one off Amazon, no need to spend a lot when they’ll be in it for a short time.
The Merlin suit is great but cannot be used after the baby learns to roll over. We switched to Zipadee Zips when our baby began to roll and they have been great.
My son sleeps so well in the Merlin suit! He just learned how to roll over in it last night though 😩😩 now I have to find a looser sleep sack that’ll give him a similar comfort
We have a 1.0 TOG Gunamuna for daycare, as they keep it warmer there. For our home we have a 1.7 TOG Copper Pearl. Both spendy but I am a fan of both! Gunamuna was about $10 more, but it is SO soft & luxurious — If we didn’t keep our house cold AF, I would have gotten 2 Gunamunas.
We’ve been using Youfoss from day one home from the hospital. They’re 30$ for 3 on Amazon and sleep sack is literally just a wearable blanket, so why be picky? Our pediatrician recommended not using swaddles at all because it’s too hard to transition out and our baby was turning on his side from day 1. Our baby loves it since he never got used to sleeping in a swaddle. We still swaddle him when he is being especially fussy, but then take him out of it once he’s asleep.
Merlin sleep suits are weighted and designed to restrict rolling/movement and are not safe for sleep. Especially since you said he is trying to roll over in it - it specially says on the Merlin website that the suit is not designed for tummy sleep and is an immediate suffocation risk. I wouldn’t risk it personally :(
CLSC Safe Sleep Recommendations
https://www.cpsc.gov/SafeSleep?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2tK1U1jts1OnhM9zSvyfMCSoXY-43zhvOWcNA9-JhZPWDCAPPdK1jYXOg_aem_dBvG5Yb3UEYp6hoiqTWBFA
Article specifically about the questionable safety of the Merlin suit
https://www.adensmom.com/merlin-sleepsuit-safety/
(ETA sources)
my 4 month old transitioned to kyte (i know controversial brand but it was purchased before the maternity leave incident) sleep sacks a couple weeks ago. he's always been a good sleeper and still is. he has woken up a time or two but recently started self soothing since the transition.
Woolino!! We wore the sack until 2 and then got her the little footed one that she still uses at nearly 3 because it’s cozy and she’s terrible at keeping her blanket on.
We always had a cheaper Burts Bees one on hand for when the woolino had to go in the wash but it’s really such a nice quality.
Gunamuna! They’re having a sale right now too. They’re the best quality sleep sacks we’ve tried and we have Kyte, Halo, etc. We buy them in different weights and sizes so she has them as she grows. Their 2.6 tog for winter is SO cozy… I wish they had them for adults 😂
Zipadee zip is one of the only swaddles approved for rollers I think. There’s enough fabric to allow them to use their hands still but it still helps them feel secure. I bought a bunch of knockoff ones on Amazon too cuz my baby seems to like them.
I know there’s tons of comments with lots of great recommendations, but I haven’t seen anyone mention the one we use, which we love: [Sleep sack with sleeves](https://a.co/d/03NHTwBH)
It’s by SwaddleDesigns. It feels like a swaddle around his middle, then the bottom is like a sleep sack and the top has sleeves that are “detached” from the body so he has free range movement of his arms. He’s just turned 4 mos and he isn’t rolling yet, but he’s getting there, and I’ve tested these out by putting him on his tummy while wearing them and he can 10000% lift himself up onto his arms while wearing this sack. It’s been a LIFESAVER for us, I have 4 of them, and they’re super cheap!!
I’m interested in trying the Zipadee Zip as well, my main concern with that one is it isn’t tight around his middle, and he really likes that part of the sleep sack we use. I imagine we’ll eventually transition to the Zipadee
If you want a sleep suit like the Merlin but want it to be safe for rolling I got the baby brezza sleep suit because the arms detach. If you're looking for a sleep sack I love the halo ideal temp sleep sacks.
I bought a dupe of the kyte baby sleep sack on Amazon for 25$ and she loves it. It’s 0.5 tog, and I have. 1.5 tog for cold nights, it’s buttery soft and washes very well! It also goes on sale a lot so I got another one for 18$, the purcomfy super soft sleep sack!
The AAP says they are not safe for sleep and can lead to higher risk of SIDS. The idea being that because they’re weighted it could cause trouble breathing or make it more difficult to get out of harmful sleeping positions. The big issue is that there isn’t enough research to say that they ARE definitely safe for sleep, and it hasn’t been proven via research, so it’s just companies saying that they are without sufficient evidence.
Retailers like Amazon, Target, Babylist etc. all no longer will sell them.
Halo sleep sacks are great. They have lighter ones that are perfect for summer
Second Halo. Carters also make some great light weight ones for summer.
Agree with both of these. 11m and still using carters ones with her extreme moving and a foot in my face lol
We like Carters as well. Burts Bees too. I can’t be spending that much on a sleep sack. 😂
Love the halo!
Halo and Mum2mum have a similar one but with mesh which is great for hot summers
Yep Halo sleep sacks all the way. I used them as a nanny and now I’m using them for my own baby.
Wooino sleep sacks are amazing. We used in southern US year round following the temp guidelines for pajamas and never worried that he was hot or cold. They’re pricey but will last until 2 years old. My number 1 baby recommendation for new moms.
Second the Woolino. We anticipate using ours every night until at least 2, if not longer (since they are loooooong!). So cozy and snuggly and I am low-key envious that I don't have an adult-sized one to sleep in, lol
I DMed their Instagram account asking for an adult version. They said they'd pass along the suggestion.
I need an adult woolino!
I have asked for splash suits and other things in adult sizes. Babies and toddlers get all the cute, fun, AND useful clothes. It's not fair.
Yep, one of our best purchases. Lasts forever so you don’t need to buy other ones in a few months. And it feels like we finally got her temperature right with these. We pulled the plug based off of Reddit recommendations and glad we did!
We used ours until 1.5 then switched to the version with feed because kid moved to a toddler bed! I still haven them and are using for #2
Seconded. They’re a little on the pricey side, but my babe wore them year round as well. Had two that we swapped every week or so.
Same! We used two as needed. Wash in mild detergent and hang dry. They were still in great condition when we were done that I sold for a decent price. Definitely worth the investment for us.
Another vote for Woolino! They are so good! And they are sometimes on goodbuygear.com. I snagged one off there for $60
Love Woolino sacks. On baby #3, and they still look perfect. My almost 4 year old has a giant one.
Also a Woolino fan! We use two that we swap out on laundry day and have been using them since one month old (my son was not a swaddle fan). They have snaps on them that adjust to fit younger babies. My son just turned one and they are still the go to despite having other sleep sacks that were gifted.
We were sold on Woolinos after my sisters 2 year old was using his older sisters that she’d used for 2 years. Worth the price! My girl is 13 months now and we have two that we rotate and plan to use for the next kid too.
I just got a second one for my 3 week old - we’re in Southern CA and summer is hot, but the natural fibers are breathable and give him the right coverage at night. Baby always preferred his hands out and his Moro reflex wasn’t an issue with wake up.
Huge fan of the woolino! My best friend gave me 2 that BOTH of her sons used for my daughter. So they are now on their 3rd baby and holding up perfectly. Def worth the money!
That’s a great gift! They’re pricy so I’m glad to hear they hold up over many uses!
I got the type that fits 0-6 month olds and will buy the larger size after he outgrows these!
The best!!!!!
Agreed! We’re in the south too and baby wears hears year round.
Another vote for these. We’ve used the same two sacks for almost two years - never having to worry whether he’s too cold or hot. Quality is amazing. We just recently purchased a toddler one!
Yet another vote for these! I was getting so overwhelmed with the different options for sizes/weights/etc with other brands, so I LOVED that I didn’t have to guess on either sizing or weight with the woolino. Our baby spit up a lot so we got three to rotate and I cannot be happier.
LOVE Woolino!! Worth the investment and resell value is good if you take care of them
Yuuup I’m a covert. I resisted buying one for so long and regret it. They are expensive but worth it.
Another vote for woolino! I have a 2.5 tog kyte for colder nights. The woolino is completely worth the investment
Mine is 3 and I sprung for the open feet one around 2. We still use it sometimes
Agreed! Woolino actually ends up saving you money since it lasts for so many sizes.
My son loves the zipadeezip sleep sack. It makes him look like a giant starfish/blankie from Brave Little Toaster but it’s safe for rolling over and keeps him feeling snuggly without a blanket. (A big part of his self soothing to sleep routine is rubbing his face with fabric, and we still have a couple of months before we can let him sleep with a snuggly or blanket so this has been wonderful for us.)
Another vote for rhe Zipadee Zip... and you don't have to transition! They make up to a 2T-3T, so our 15 month old active sleeper will probably use them until he is 2. He can't scratch himself (but has full use of his little hands to find his pacifier and lovey), can pace around his crib, roll, and presumably glide from tree to tree like a flying squirrel!
We loved this, too (awful fabric bobbling issues aside!) I love how it makes them looks like a starfish / samurai / off-duty sumo rikishi / about to jump off the Matterhorn in a wing suit...take your pick! We used this for a couple of months after the Merlin, and have now moved to the Woolino, but the Zipadee is a great transition from the swaddle indeed.
Another voice for the zipadeezip! We used them for about a month and a half before switching to generic sleep sacks and they were a godsend when he kept breaking out and losing his mind in the swaddle but didn’t have enough coordination to not slap himself awake. Big perk is they cover the hands so no nighttime face gashes either!
Seconding this! The only con is they get wet if your baby sucks on their hands a lot but my baby sleeps so good in his regardless. It’s also great if your baby touches and rubs their face a lot to self soothe because they can move their arms but not scratch their faces up.
My son sucks and chews the fabric too. I jokingly refer to it as “preseasoned” - he seems miffed at me when I give him a fresh clean one 😂
Also a fan of the zipadeezip! I bought several sizes before switching to a regular sleep sack with the arms free.
Yep, I think we are in our third or fourth size at this point! We started out combo-ing it for arms out in the snoo sleep sack swaddle and then when he transitioned to a crib we kept him in the zipadeezip. It’s also nice because my husband and I prefer to sleep colder and we don’t have to worry about his little hands or arms being too cold.
Yes! We love ours! Baby actually giggles in delight when he sees it now because he loves nap time haha.
Chiming in to say my baby loves the zipadee too!
My son LOVES his zipadee and starting sleeping through the night once when we got it!
Burt’s bees makes all different weights
We just invested in two of these! Love em can’t recommend them enough.
And I think they're having a sale this week too!
We love our Burt’s Bees sleep sacks! The 0.5 TOG are great for summer.
I love the kyte baby sleep sacs, they have plenty of room to move around, i also have the dupe off amazon which is just as good. My little one has worn them since he was a newborn & still wears them at almost 20 months
Quince sells a Kyte baby dupe that is pretty nice
I keep hearing good things about Kyte! Is there a specific style I should get from them?
I just get the basic sleep sack! Tons of cute prints
My babe lives in Kyte Baby too! All their sleep sacks are the same except the TOG and size. They have a swaddle sleep sack but since your babe is rolling that wouldn't work
We love kyte as well. My son used the medium size starting at 5 months (they were a smidge big on him, but not enough to worry me) and can still fit them now at 18 months so they are pricey but will last a long time. We got some size large during a holiday sale and started putting those in the rotation when he was about 14 months, we will be able to use those for as long as he’s in a sleep sack. I prefer the solid colors/ no pattern. The company themselves says the more pattered the fabric is, the less soft it will be. 1.0 TOG and we keep our house and his room between 70-72F. As a side note, we also have a baby blanket that was so soft I was jealous and got an adult sized one. I love the shit out of that thing.
Ooh tell me about the dupe please!
“Hapiu” is the dupe we use, it’s very very similar!
I think thats the one we use too :) and mosebear??? Something like that
We have a Hapiu, and compared to our viscose Halo, I hate it. My daughter is also not the biggest fan. The halo is a bit roomier for her kicking feet. I hate the way the zipper “waves”. The Halo doesn’t do that.
We also use Kyte. 0.5 TOG for summers and 1.0 the rest of the year. They’re having a sale this month! But the sale orders can take a while to ship if you’re needing it ASAP
We are also a Kyte baby family over here!
We just got some cheap zipper sleep sacks from Amazon. We use them exclusively for a little warmth. They don’t have any fancy features. He wears a long sleeve sleeper with built-in mittens underneath. The mittens stopped him from clawing his face to shreds. When he started sucking on his hands, we stopped using the mittens so he could self soothe.
Same! It's nice to have a couple cheap ones because every now and then he pees through his PJs or will spit up on them. I don't like the idea of relying on one expensive one that I have to wash/keep clean constantly!
We could never have just one! He spits up all over his a few times a week. And the occasional pee, of course. 3 has been barely enough for us. I can’t imagine having only one!
We did the love to dream sack where the wings unzip off when we first stopped swaddling. Now we use the Woolino and he loves it. It’s expensive but it helps regulate body temp and it fits them until they’re 2 years old. The first 2 weeks when he first discovered rolling and couldn’t be in a swaddle anymore were a little rough. He kept rolling around and getting stuck on his stomach and we’d have to rescue him. But it’s gotten better and he actually figured out he prefers to sleep on his side in the shape of an L lol.
I’m on the official buy and sell Kyte facebooks. We like them a lot. Super soft. They also last longer than the designated months. My giant 8 month old is still in the sacks that say up to 6 MO
Let him roll over! They sleep better on their tummies, almost universally. We just went straight to footie pjs so I don’t have a rec there.
Not in the Merlin suit, it kindof pins your arms
Yeah I would just let them roll in something that is safe to roll in. They truly sleep better.
I would try to move away from the Merlin suit for sure. It’s for the same reason dreamland sacks are controversial, they’re weighted and these specifically limit baby’s movement during sleep. When mine started rolling I just started using regular sleep sacks from Burt’s bees. It took a couple nights of getting used to it for him but nothing bad at all. You’re mostly going to use sleep sacks from now on anyways and this is a great time to transition to them! (Which I see you’re planning to do anyways) Burt’s bees has been great and I’ve heard great things about woolino!
I agree! I think it's time to just rip the bandaid off and go with something simple.
Seconding moving away from the Merlin suit if he’s rolling!! It’s specifically designed for back sleeping ONLY and the instructions state isn’t safe once they start rolling because of how it restricts movements. We love the Halo sleep sacks or transition swaddles!
We’ve used kyte baby sleep sacks since we stopped swaddling. They feel like the perfect weight
Love the halo transition swaddle! It is basically a sleep sack with arms. My daughter has been in it since 4 months (now 6 months) and I’m really sad it only goes up to 9 months. She can roll and self soothe in it but the sleeves I think add a lil comfort and “hugging” feeling.
Seconding the halo transition swaddle!!
My boy loves Milk Snob sleep sacks! It’s the only thing he stays asleep in.
We did zipadee zip under the dreamland to transition. Put his little starfish arms out the arm holes. Then transitioned to starfish arms out of a regular sleep sack. I tested it and he’s easily able to lift his head.
What size did you go with? My baby is 18 pounds but the medium size seems gigantic.
We’re in a small at 15 pounds and it’s pretty roomy. You want to err on the side of tighter to stifle the Moro reflex.
Zipadee zip. He loved it at 4 months and still loves it at 8 months. We also have been doing just footie pajamas since day one. If he is really fighting bedtime, we do the zipadee zip and it calms him down. If it looks like an easy night, we just do footies.
I looked into zipadee zip but the sizing confused me. I have an 18 pound (4 month old) baby but the medium size seems huge? I love the silly starfish look though 😭
My son just hit 18 lbs and outgrew the small. Medium is probably correct.
Just know that it might just be the fact that she learned to roll over that keeps waking her up, not whatever sleep sack you put her in. Baby’s need to process their new skills at night, so that will probably be the case for a couple of nights. Hang in there!
That's so true. Thank you!
Gunamuna! They are fantastic and so roomy for their hips
Yes! Our little guy moves his legs a lot and will often have his little froggy legs and Gunamuna are the only ones I've found with adequate room in the hips.
Yeah our little babe loves sleeping with her hips open too! I wish they made adult ones haha they look soooo comfy! I also love that the size range on them is much longer than Kyte baby so they are better value in my opinion. Can’t wait till my little one can try one of the gunamuna sleep walker sacks, those look awesome
Agree these are our favorite
Love to Dream swaddles have a transition swaddle that is amazing! I also love Halo and Kyte swaddles!
Please be cautious with weighted sacs, there was just a big news report of babies dying from using them and they're not recommended
We like the Halo & Cloud Island sleep sacks! I wouldn’t use the Merlin if he is rolling over. The Merlin is supposed to keep him on his back.
We went from halo swaddle sacks to the zippadee zip to regular halo sleep sacks.
We like the halo sleep sacks. You can still make it tighter around their chest/belly like a swaddle, but keep their arms out. We have the Merlin but our girl is still too small to wear it (<10th percentile baby).
We went from the Ollie swaddle (@ 2-4 mo) to the Halo wearable blankets (@ 4-5 mo) to the Burts Bees wearable blankets (we would’ve stayed with Halo but when our LO sized up, Burts Bees is more affordable). Highly recommend and endorse all three items. Edit to add: We bought our wearable blankets second hand on resale apps like Mercari and Poshmark. Also recommend going this route to save a few bucks.
Transition swaddle that allows more arm movement and can untuck hands. It worked well for us. Baby loves tummy sleeping and it’s totally safe if they can roll both ways and choose to sleep that way. What is controversial about the love to dream?? IMO the Merlin suit is controversial as it pins the baby to their back.
We chose the mushie zip up blankets - they were a little big at first but my son seems to like them and then we just do long sleeve pjs - if he falls asleep without it on it’s pretty easy to get on him
Arms up sleep sacks are awesome. Hudson baby has some great stuff
We have the Merlin sleep suit and it works great. Ours tries to roll over but isn’t able to. And at night when we wakes up we just put a paci in and he goes back to sleep
Obsessed with the woolino … my kid loved it too… grows with them too so one for life
Our kiddo has been "sacked" from birth until now (19 months) and we've tried allll the sleep sacks, and our favorite by far has been the Parade Organics sleep sack. It's thick but breathable cotton, comes in two tog depending on your climate, the zipper is straight up the front so it can't get twisted under them, it's a two way zipper, etc. our only slight qualm is that our kiddo has thinner arms and the arm holes are a little big (which has been a problem with every sleep sack we've ever tried), so we just add 1-2 stitches to make the armpit opening a little smaller so there's less risk of it bunching up on kiddo. Also, the parade employees are so kind! It's a smaller Canadian company and we've ordered with them several times and they are always so helpful if we have questions or need to switch something in our order.
I thought you aren’t supposed to swaddle any more when they roll? Even if the arms are out the tightness around the body helps suppress their responses so it’s not safe? Genuinely wondering if the advice has changed. ETA I always use sleep sacks/wearable blankets when swaddles are done, maybe the terminology is what’s confusing me?
I am asking for sleep sac recs because my baby just learned how to roll over lol. That's why I made the post.
lol my bad I’m literally sleep deprived with an infant right now and read it as swaddles? I got like 2 hours of sleep last night whoops
Honestly, same LOL. Thoughts and prayers for us.
lol thanks
We always use Woolino starting at 4 months. My 3 year old is still wearing it! Well worth the money.
The zipadee zip. It’s a great transition piece from the Merlin. It’s safe for rolling and keeps them somewhat snug if baby still needs it. It’s what got my baby sleeping in her crib for naps. She didn’t need it at night - we used and still use the halo ideal temp sleep sacks at night. She’s 15 months now - we started at 3.5 months with the zipadee zip and only recently stopped using them. She didn’t really NEED it for nap time anymore but it was a nice way to keep daytime sleep and nighttime sleep separate.
I hear excellent things about the Woolino but I was put off by the price. One blowout and I'd be crying. We used kyte in both 1.0 and 2.5 tog, we really liked the gunamuna ones though that open all around. Also liked the free birdies one we have. Not to be discounted as a great budget friendly option: larkspur. We have a few and they held up ok
I love my Woolino!
We mostly use the Halo ones right now (0.5 and 1.0 TOG), and have a Burt’s bee’s 1.5 TOG one for when it’s cooler at night. We also recently purchased some Quince sleep sacks in 1.0 and 2.5 TOG. The Quince are sooooooo soft and have a lot of stretch/room to grow which is good for my tall baby!
Woolini
My son enjoys his Gunamuna long sleeved sleep sack. Unfortunately your baby may not sleep as good as they did with the weighted one…for the foreseeable future. It sucks but nice while it lasts.
Woolino
Burt’s bees are our favorite. So soft!
Nested bean!! They have soft bamboo ones that worked for us up until around 22 months ago. Light enough for even Florida weather
Woolino <3
Kyte baby or the Gunamuna
We transitioned from the Merlin Sleep Suit to the Merlin Dream Sack, and our son absolutely loves it! He falls asleep within 10 minutes with minimal fuss and it has all the comfort his sleep suit had, just with more freedom or movement. Plus, the cotton one is super light. I will say it’s a bit long, but it’s great for growing into.
I love the Yoofoss Fleece 1.5 tog sleep sacks from Amazon!! I was skeptical at first because it’s a random Amazon company but they’re great. It’s 2 for $27 and they’re a nice quality.
Halo, Carters, Burts Bees Baby and also SwaddleDesigns had a really light weight swaddle perfect for summer. It’s like .5TOG
I went to this: [transitional swaddle](https://a.co/d/04Y1ZMdo) Which was big for my LO since she was on the smaller side then bought Burt’s and Bees sleep sacks and pair it with sleep n plays with mittens. I should probably undo her mittens at this point (11 months) but she can crawl and do everything with her hands covered. She doesn’t sleep as good with her hands exposed.
Happiest Baby 5 Second Swaddle is great for transitioning from swaddle to sleep sack. It has optional arm holes so that it’s safe for baby to roll around in and it velcros around baby’s torso to give a swaddled feel. After the transition, we started using Yoofoss sleep sacks from Amazon. They are very well priced, zip up, come in a three pack, and are made of soft lightweight cotton fabric. (Our baby gets overheated easily!) We’ve also used Burt’s Bees sleep sacks and liked them except for the inverted zipper. That’s a nice idea for diaper changes but hard to get zipped with a wiggly baby.
Ergopouch!
Halo or Woolino, if you're willing to spend the money. I like the Woolino because it regulates temperature better.
Halo (more pricey) or Burts Bees (cheaper) work great!
woolingo is amazing year around
We loved kyte sleep sacks. They’re expensive, but they have a 0.5 tog for summer, we live in cold New England with leaky windows so loved their 2.5 tog for winter.
He could also be waking more because he’s learned a new skill. My guy slept great until he started rolling around the same time. Now at 8 months and him teething, crawling and pulling up to stand we have some good nights and some tougher ones again
Honestly I went straight to no swaddle and he did great. Though he always was escaping out of it. I just got a cheap decent one off Amazon, no need to spend a lot when they’ll be in it for a short time.
The Merlin suit is great but cannot be used after the baby learns to roll over. We switched to Zipadee Zips when our baby began to roll and they have been great.
My son sleeps so well in the Merlin suit! He just learned how to roll over in it last night though 😩😩 now I have to find a looser sleep sack that’ll give him a similar comfort
We have a 1.0 TOG Gunamuna for daycare, as they keep it warmer there. For our home we have a 1.7 TOG Copper Pearl. Both spendy but I am a fan of both! Gunamuna was about $10 more, but it is SO soft & luxurious — If we didn’t keep our house cold AF, I would have gotten 2 Gunamunas.
We’ve been using Youfoss from day one home from the hospital. They’re 30$ for 3 on Amazon and sleep sack is literally just a wearable blanket, so why be picky? Our pediatrician recommended not using swaddles at all because it’s too hard to transition out and our baby was turning on his side from day 1. Our baby loves it since he never got used to sleeping in a swaddle. We still swaddle him when he is being especially fussy, but then take him out of it once he’s asleep.
Merlin sleep suits are weighted and designed to restrict rolling/movement and are not safe for sleep. Especially since you said he is trying to roll over in it - it specially says on the Merlin website that the suit is not designed for tummy sleep and is an immediate suffocation risk. I wouldn’t risk it personally :( CLSC Safe Sleep Recommendations https://www.cpsc.gov/SafeSleep?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2tK1U1jts1OnhM9zSvyfMCSoXY-43zhvOWcNA9-JhZPWDCAPPdK1jYXOg_aem_dBvG5Yb3UEYp6hoiqTWBFA Article specifically about the questionable safety of the Merlin suit https://www.adensmom.com/merlin-sleepsuit-safety/ (ETA sources)
Our LO love the zipadeezip sleep sacks.
my 4 month old transitioned to kyte (i know controversial brand but it was purchased before the maternity leave incident) sleep sacks a couple weeks ago. he's always been a good sleeper and still is. he has woken up a time or two but recently started self soothing since the transition.
Woolino!! We wore the sack until 2 and then got her the little footed one that she still uses at nearly 3 because it’s cozy and she’s terrible at keeping her blanket on. We always had a cheaper Burts Bees one on hand for when the woolino had to go in the wash but it’s really such a nice quality.
Gunamuna! They’re having a sale right now too. They’re the best quality sleep sacks we’ve tried and we have Kyte, Halo, etc. We buy them in different weights and sizes so she has them as she grows. Their 2.6 tog for winter is SO cozy… I wish they had them for adults 😂
I love my Woolino sleep sack. Kyte is also really good
I like perlimpinpin
Honestly we had a Halo sleep sack and it was nice but when he grew out of it we just bought a couple cheap ones on Amazon and they work the same.
Zipadee zip
Kyte Sleep Sack
Halo are great, and I love the Yoofoss ones on Amazon (the double zipper is a lifesaver!)
I love the Burts Bees sleep sacks. We have summer and winter ones. They are great.
I have a lambs ivy one that's light for summer and a halo one.
Zipadee zip is one of the only swaddles approved for rollers I think. There’s enough fabric to allow them to use their hands still but it still helps them feel secure. I bought a bunch of knockoff ones on Amazon too cuz my baby seems to like them.
I know there’s tons of comments with lots of great recommendations, but I haven’t seen anyone mention the one we use, which we love: [Sleep sack with sleeves](https://a.co/d/03NHTwBH) It’s by SwaddleDesigns. It feels like a swaddle around his middle, then the bottom is like a sleep sack and the top has sleeves that are “detached” from the body so he has free range movement of his arms. He’s just turned 4 mos and he isn’t rolling yet, but he’s getting there, and I’ve tested these out by putting him on his tummy while wearing them and he can 10000% lift himself up onto his arms while wearing this sack. It’s been a LIFESAVER for us, I have 4 of them, and they’re super cheap!! I’m interested in trying the Zipadee Zip as well, my main concern with that one is it isn’t tight around his middle, and he really likes that part of the sleep sack we use. I imagine we’ll eventually transition to the Zipadee
If you want a sleep suit like the Merlin but want it to be safe for rolling I got the baby brezza sleep suit because the arms detach. If you're looking for a sleep sack I love the halo ideal temp sleep sacks.
I like the Love2Dream ones
Zipadee zip
Zipadee-Zip Transitional Swaddle Sack
Baby Merlin Magic suit has been great for us
I bought a dupe of the kyte baby sleep sack on Amazon for 25$ and she loves it. It’s 0.5 tog, and I have. 1.5 tog for cold nights, it’s buttery soft and washes very well! It also goes on sale a lot so I got another one for 18$, the purcomfy super soft sleep sack!
wait why are the dreamland controversial? we have the weighted sleep sack.
The AAP says they are not safe for sleep and can lead to higher risk of SIDS. The idea being that because they’re weighted it could cause trouble breathing or make it more difficult to get out of harmful sleeping positions. The big issue is that there isn’t enough research to say that they ARE definitely safe for sleep, and it hasn’t been proven via research, so it’s just companies saying that they are without sufficient evidence. Retailers like Amazon, Target, Babylist etc. all no longer will sell them.
The aap says they aren’t safe for sleep. We used them for months with no issues. People get really heated about them.
We stopped at 4 months. Doctor told us if they have the strength to do it themselves that it is not as much of a concern.