Finding the Perfect Kids Sleeping Bag at Folk & Thread

By Steph Filer

Intro to Folk & Thread

If you have ever tried to buy a kids sleeping bag at 11:47pm, with one hand scrolling and the other hand holding a small person who has decided that “bedtime” is actually just “a suggestion”, then welcome. You are among friends.

I’m writing this as part of a collab with Folk & Thread (folkandthread.co.uk), and I’ll be honest, they have been our go-to recommendation for a while now. Not in a trendy, “I discovered them before everyone else” way. More in a very practical, “I have tested this in the real world, repeatedly, at the worst possible times of night” way.

Folk & Thread are an independent UK brand who focus on what they are brilliant at: blankets, sheets, and sleeping bags. No random side quests. No “we also sell blenders now”. Just beautiful, well-made sleep essentials, built around safer sleep and longevity. Their commitment is the kind that makes you feel calmer just reading it: high safety testing, certified cotton materials, sustainably sourced fabrics, and they also support The Better Sleep Project (which is genuinely worth a read) here

And when I say longevity, I mean it. We passed on our first Folk & Thread sleeping bag from Darcey to Freya and it will soon be going to a family friend. That sleeping bag has probably seen more night-time chaos than I have, and it still held up brilliantly. The zip still works. The fabric still feels lovely. The shape still makes sense. If you have ever had a baby item warp into a strange, crunchy, sad version of itself after three washes, you will understand why that matters.

So, if you are looking for a kids sleeping bag that you can actually rely on, not just one that looks good on the product page, here’s what I’ve learnt.

1. Folk & Thread are proper sleep experts

One of the reasons I trust Folk & Thread is that they are not guessing. They are genuinely immersed in baby sleep and safer sleep, and it shows in how they design and explain their products.

There are lots of brands that can make something pretty. Not many brands can make something pretty and also make you feel confident you have chosen something sensible for the night ahead.

They also put their energy into doing good through The Better Sleep Project, which is woven into the foundation of the business, not tacked on as an afterthought. If you like buying from brands that actually mean what they say, that matters. Here’s their about page again because it explains it far better than I can here

And I know I said this already, but it’s worth repeating. They focus. Blankets, sheets, sleeping bags. That’s it. When a brand sticks to what they are great at, you feel it in the product. The finishing. The fit. The details you notice at 2am when you are doing a silent zip up and praying the baby does not wake up like a meerkat.

2. The tog matters (and shopping with experts makes it so much easier)

Tog is one of those things that sounds simple until you are actually standing in a nursery at midnight thinking, “Is the room warm? Is it chilly? Is my child a tiny radiator? Why do they feel warm but their feet are cold? Is that normal? Should I Google it? I should not Google it.”

This is where buying from a sleep specialist makes a difference. Folk & Thread don’t just list a tog number and leave you to panic in peace. They explain it clearly, and they have actual expertise behind it.

They also have a brilliant little bit of brand history that I love because it is both impressive and very reassuring. On their About Us page, they share this line:

“Our co-founder, Ouvrielle, actually introduced tog ratings for baby sleep bags back in 2000 to make it easier for parents to choose the right baby sleep bag based on the room temperature.”

That is the kind of detail that makes you sit up and go, “Oh. You are not new here.”

Quick tog guide (straight from Folk & Thread’s guidance)

These are the tog ranges they use to help you pick the right sleeping bag based on room temperature:

0.5 tog: Room temperature 24 to 27°C / 75.2 to 80.6°F
1.0 tog: Room temperature 18 to 24°C / 64.4 to 75.2°F
2.5 tog: Room temperature 16 to 20°C / 60.8 to 68°F

And for a fuller reference (bookmark it, honestly), their temperatures and togs page is here

This is also where my real-life testing comes in. We have had phases where the girls ran warm, phases where the house felt draughtier than it had any right to, and phases where I was convinced the thermostat was lying to me. Having a clear tog reference, from a brand who actually knows what they are talking about, is one less thing to overthink.

Also, can I just say: there is something about the right tog that changes bedtime. When they are comfortable, they settle better. When they settle better, you breathe again. It’s not magic, but it is close.

3. Price, value, and the boring grown-up reality of good materials

Let’s talk about money, because we all have budgets, and anyone who tells you they do not is either lying or they have never had to replace a car tyre and pay nursery fees in the same week.

If you want a low-cost sleeping bag, you can absolutely find one for around £10 to £15. And if that is your budget, that is your budget. Full stop. I will never shame anyone for doing what works for their family.

But, and this is the important bit, you will not be getting the same materials and standards you get from a specialist, independent brand using organic fibres and putting real work into product design and safety.

At Aneby, we only make children’s clothing with the very best organic fabrics, and we are obsessive about it. Not in a “look at us being perfect” way, but in a “we have spent hours trying to source the right fabric at a price that does not make our eyes water” way.

When you use certified cotton fabrics, it is often not even possible to source the raw materials at the cost some multinational brands sell a finished product for. That’s not me being dramatic. That’s just how the numbers work.

So yes, with Folk & Thread, you are paying more than the bargain end of the market. But you are paying for fibres that have not gone through the heavy chemical processing that is standard in conventional textiles, and that matters even more when it’s something your baby is sleeping in.

And if you have a little one who struggles with skin irritation, eczema patches, or random rashes that appear overnight for absolutely no reason other than to keep you humble, then organic materials can be a genuinely worthwhile choice, if your budget allows it.

It’s that balance, isn’t it. Budget, values, comfort, safety, longevity. I am not here to pretend you can have everything for nothing. But I am here to say that when you spend more on something that gets used every single day (and night), you feel the difference.

Also, if you end up passing it down to a sibling, or handing it on to a friend, the cost per wear becomes… surprisingly reasonable. Especially when you consider how quickly kids grow out of literally everything else.

Whitby Organic Baby Sleep Bag 3 month+ £28 to £30
Folktails Organic Baby Sleep Bag 3 month+ £37 to £40
Salcombe Organic Baby Sleep Bag 3 month+ £28 to £30

4. Supporting small UK brands trying to make a difference

We live in a world where it is wildly easy to order anything from Amazon in about twelve seconds, half asleep, while standing in the kitchen eating a cold bit of toast. Convenience has never been more convenient.

But choosing to buy from small UK brands still matters. Not in a preachy way. In a very real way.

Because behind brands like Folk & Thread, there are actual people making careful decisions. There are hours and hours poured into fabrics, testing, design tweaks, fit trials, feedback loops, and those tiny details you only notice once you have used a product for weeks.

And honestly, I could feel that difference when we used their sleeping bags. The fit is thoughtful. It’s not restrictive. It feels like it “moulds” around your child in a way that makes sense, rather than sitting stiffly or riding up. It’s the kind of thing you do not fully appreciate until you have tried a few and thought, “Oh. This one is just… better.”

From a small business perspective, I also know what it takes to get something right. When you are independent, you cannot hide behind massive production runs or marketing fluff. Your product has to do what it says it will do. People talk. Parents especially talk. And if something is annoying at 3am, it will be remembered forever.

So yes, buying from small brands is a choice. Sometimes it is a higher upfront spend. Sometimes it means waiting an extra day for delivery. But it also means you are backing people who are trying to do things properly. Better materials. Better design. Better impact.

And in Folk & Thread’s case, you are also backing a brand that is actively supporting families through safer sleep initiatives, which is the kind of “bigger than the product” stuff I can get behind.