Baby In The Bag

Words Mimra Firth
Originally published in North & South May 2006



For bag-eyed parents of wee wrigglers who kick the cot covers off at night and then wake the entire household up because they're cold, help is at hand. The aptly named Go Go Bag, made by Auckland company Merino Kids, is a smartly designed superfine merino and cotton sleeping bag which ties snugly at the shoulders and waist yet allows plenty of room for restless legs in the generous zipper-bottomed bag end. Designer and award winning entrepreneur Amie Nilsson dreamed the idea up around the time ashe had to take her sleeping newborn out into the chill morning air in order to drop her husband off to work. Synthetic fabrics don't regulate heat the way wool does, explains Nilsson. A baby in a synthetic sleeping bag can overheat and chills fast when the temperature drops. She looked around for a fne wool bag, couldn't find one and decided to make her own. After trialling  aprototype in 2003, she went into production in 2004 and now exports to Australia, the US and the UK.

The Go Go Bag is available in standard and duvet weight, three stripey colours (navy, perky pinks and seaside blues) and two sizes: two months to two years, and two years to four years. It's perfect for transferring a sleeping infant from car, to cot and back and it's easy to wash (use a woolwash detergent). It comes with its own self-fabric carry bag. At $139 to $159 a bag, this is probably the doting grandparental treat but it'll last  several babies and will make a handsome hand-me-down. An easily mailed, authentically New Zealand designed and made gift for that precious newborn too.