Review: Grobag Stay-on Duvet bedding set

Now that Bubs is approaching 2, I had been thinking it was about time we took the sides off his cot and got him used to sleeping in a ‘big boy’ bed under proper, grown-up bedding.  These days he is a really excellent sleeper and my only reservations about doing this came from the fact that he is quite the gymnast when he’s in the Land of Nod – we would often go in to check on him and find him sleeping sideways or upside down in his cot!  Since we’ve always used a Grobag for his sleeps this has never been a problem but I was worried that when we took the sides off his cot and switched to using a duvet he would a. fall out of bed or b. kick off the covers and wake up cold.  So you can imagine my excitement when I came across the Grobag Stay-on Duvet set – and when the lovely folks at Grobag agreed to let us try one out!

The idea is – as with most things Grobag – simple but very effective.  The set comprises a fitted sheet with an elasticated pocket that goes right under the mattress for a secure, safe fit.  The sheet has a pillowcase attached, which means that the pillow cannot move around and your child’s head cannot go underneath.  Finally the set includes a duvet cover with zips to attach it securely to the bottom sheet, stopping the duvet from moving around or falling off and ultimately stopping your child from falling out of bed – a bit like invisible bed rails!  The duvet and pillow are not included in the set, although both are available from Grobag, and the Grobag Stay-On Duvet features poppers that attach to the duvet cover, preventing it from bunching up.  The set comes in two sizes – cotbed and single bed – and standard bedding will also fit.  We bought a cotbed duvet (150×120cm) and a junior pillow from a high street retailer.

Before I go any further I must confess; we haven’t taken the sides off the cotbed just yet.  Not because I think Bubs isn’t ready for a big bed but because we are temporarily living in a house with no safety gates and I didn’t want him getting out of bed in the night and falling down the stairs!  He is, however, outgrowing his Grobag sleeping bags and rather than invest in the next size up for a month or two I thought we would go ahead and switch to using a duvet and pillow with the cotbed sides still on for now.

The set was really easy to fit and is made from high quality cotton for comfort and easy care.  Bubs loved the ‘Cheeky Monkey’ print and was very excited to go to bed under his new blanket!  The large zips are easy to attach and when the bottom sheet is securely fitted they zip up easily without snagging.  It’s important to note that the zips do not extend the full length of the duvet.  I found this reassuring because while the zips prevent the duvet from riding up over the child’s head, there is nothing to stop the child from wriggling down under the covers.  The fact that the zips do not go all the way down means that Bubs wouldn’t get stuck under the duvet if he wiggled down too far.  Thus far though, we have found that when zipped up the duvet is a snug enough fit to prevent him from travelling down the bed, while being loose enough to allow him to turn over freely.  When we do remove the cot sides I am confident that the zips will be enough to prevent him from falling out of bed.

The bedding set is fully machine washable and spare bottom sheets are available separately so you can have a spare in case of illness/accidents.  It comes in six designs – three for little girls and three for little boys.  The product retails from £44.99.  Grobag products retail through a number of online outlets, including their official online store.  For further stockist information visit the Gro Group website.

Overall we are delighted with the product; as one would expect from Grobag it has been well-designed with practicality and comfort in mind and is an ideal solution for kids making the transition from sleeping bag to conventional bedding.  We will certainly be buying a second one – we’ll be potty training before long too so I’m sure it will be needed!