Age Considerations With Sleeping Bags
Theoretically, it is now possible to live your entire
life sleeping in a sleeping bag.
Not exclusively for the professional outdoor adventurers, sleeping bags are
being manufactured and designed today for a wide range of activity levels,
from the casual to the challenging, and even for those individuals for whom
activity is not yet or no longer an issue.
Even newborn infants and toddlers can now enjoy the benefits that an
excellent sleeping bag can offer, as can their grandparents and
great-grandparents. Children who
are drawn to camping or other opportunities for outdoor slumber can now also
appreciate the sleeping bags that were simply made with them in mind.
Whatever a person’s age, there is a sleeping bag out there that will
cater to his or her needs.
- Infants
– one doesn’t usually expect a newborn baby to head out for his
first camping trip anytime soon, but baby sleeping bags are designed
to serve a far more general utilitarian purpose.
Sleeping bags are becoming increasingly common as a preferred
alternative to conventional cribs or baby beds, as they work far
more effectively at keeping a baby warm, and are much safer, since
there is no risk of the baby suffocating under the blanket or
getting tangled in the sheets.
The baby won’t be able to kick off the bedding or blankets,
the portability of the bag will help the baby feel secure in a
familiar sleeping environment no matter where you go, and the bag
can be used all year round simply by changing the quantity or type
of clothing that the baby wears to sleep.
Also, since babies respond well to event triggers, being
placed in the sleeping bag will gradually be a signal for him to
sleep, and he will nod off in an increasingly regular pattern.
Lastly, the sleeping bag keeps hyperactive babies from
escaping their sleep surroundings, and possibly getting injured or
trapped.
-
Children – kids are smaller than adults, so the expedition-level
mummy bags that their parents may use while on a hiking trip will
certainly not be a good fit.
Children’s sleeping bags are proportionately sized to perform in the
same manner as full-size bags, but in more diminutive dimensions.
Also, since many kids identify with popular cartoon and video
game characters or kinds of animals, or have specific color
preferences, kids bags are designed with colorful, trendy patterns,
and may have images of animals and characters emblazoned on them for
the child’s greater enjoyment.
- Elderly
– older folks often do not need as much sleep, but those who are
spry and feisty enough to enjoy a weekend outdoors will be looking
for greater insulation, as they are more likely to succumb to the
cold than their younger counterparts.
Also, they may want softer, smoother inner linings that will
feel more comfortable than those found in some bags.
There is no specific line of sleeping bags designed
particularly for the elderly, but buying a bag with a slightly lower
temperature rating than what one would normally get could address
the warmth issue, and the inner lining of a bag can be complemented
by a good blanket or separate lining purchase.
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