Best Camping Sleeping Bags for Toddlers

Author: Celine Brewer

Last Updated:

I am passionate about sharing my love of the outdoors with my kids. I have been taking my kids on outdoor adventures since they were just a few months old. One of my favorite ways to share the beauty and fun of the great outdoors is to go on a family camping trip. Going camping with a toddler is so much fun as they are so curious about the world at this age.

But, we need to make sure that camping is a very positive experience for our kids, as we want them to continue to love camping for years to come. A big part of camping with toddlers is to ensure you can keep them warm at night, helping ensure a good night’s sleep for everyone.

Long gone are the days where you simply put your kid in any old sleeping bag. With my recommended toddler sleeping bags you won’t need to be constantly checking on your toddler to make sure she hasn’t thrown off all her blankets. Plus, you also won’t have to worry about your toddler wiggling down into a regular sleeping bag.

I love that these camping sleeping bags for toddlers are made specifically with toddlers in mind. They include many features that will keep your toddler warm on colder nights. They are definitely essential toddler camping gear.

My list of best toddler sleeping bags for camping includes affordable sleeping bags, and some premium models which will keep your toddler super warm. For families who plan on cold weather camping with a toddler, it will be more than worth the price for a toddler sleeping bag that offers more warmth on chilly nights plus packs down small.

A toddler is fast asleep in a sleeping bag while on a family camping trip.

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Best Camping Sleeping Bags for Toddlers

Here is my list of the best camping sleeping bags for toddlers. In addition to a sleeping bag, you’ll want to use layers for your toddler to sleep in and an appropriate sleeping mat for your toddler (keep reading below for my tips on how to layer your toddler to keep them warm).

Toddler on grass wearing Baby deedee travel sleep nest - camping with toddlers sleeping bag

Keep in mind that I’ve only included toddler sleeping bags on this list, and not child or youth sleeping bags. Many of the child sleeping bags will be too large for a toddler. Your toddler will either be swimming in it or end up wiggling down into the bottom of the bag. Some people will use a hack by tying up a small sleeping bag to make it more toddler size, but this isn’t an ideal solution either.

For babies, I recommend one of these baby sleeping bags for camping.

If you want to read more on the Big Mo 20 Toddler Sleeping Bag or the Baby DeeDee Sleep Nest Travel, I have a review on both from parents who took each of these toddler sleeping bags for a test run.

Read my Big Mo 20 Toddler Sleeping Bag review here.

Read my Baby DeeDee Sleep Nest Travel Toddler Sleeping Bag review here.

a toddler in a Morrison Outdoors Big Mo 20 Sleeping Bag for Toddlers on a family camping trip.

How to Choose the Best Toddler Sleeping Bag for Camping

Here are the things you should consider when looking for the best toddler sleeping bag for camping.

Temperature Ratings for Toddler Sleeping Bags

TOG, or thermal overall grade, is a common rating system for clothes (and especially for baby clothes) based on the warmth it provides. Parents can use this rating system along with the temperature in the nursery (or tent, in this case) to help determine how best to dress toddlers and babies for sleep.

One thing to keep in mind is that the TOG rating of each piece will stack, so if you pair a set of pajamas of TOG 1.0 with a TOG 1.0 sleep sack, that’s a TOG 2.0. For camping, a TOG 3.5 toddler sleeping bag is best to ensure your toddler has a good night sleep. You may need to layer pajamas or a wool base layer for chilly nights.

I love these wool base layers by Ella’s Wool! Use our code “Bacantr2324” for a discount!

Unless the nights stay quite warm, then you will need to adjust what your toddler is sleeping in.

For cold weather camping, I strongly recommend you get one of the down sleeping bags. They have much lower temperature ratings than a TOG 3.5.

The right temperature is key to getting a good night sleep. If your toddler is too hot or too cold, you’ll likely struggle with sleep. Thankfully many of the best toddler sleeping bags are adjustable with features like removable sleeves. This is especially important when the evenings can be hot but it cools off significantly in the night.

A toddler wearing a Morrison Outdoors Sleeping Bag while family with her family.

Size

When choosing your toddler camping sleeping bag, it’s important to make sure it’s the right size. You will have heat loss if the sleeping bag is too big and your toddler is swimming in it.

Safety

Choose only sleeping bags that are approved for night sleep. While your toddlers snowsuit might seem like the ideal item for cold night camping, it won’t have the same safety features as a sleeping bag made specifically for toddlers.

You also want to make sure there are no drawstrings, cord locks or anything else your little one could get tangled in. Size is also important, since you don’t want the sleeping bag coming up over your little one’s face.

a toddler is fast asleep on a family camping trip while inside a sleeping bag for toddlers from Baby DeeDee.

Price

As you would expect, down sleeping bags for toddlers camping are priced much higher than a cotton sleep sack. In exchange for the premium price, the down sleeping bags are much warmer and pack down smaller.

The more affordable toddler sleeping bags will still work when camping in warmer areas or in the middle of the summer when nights are warmer.

Extra Details

The best toddler sleeping bags will have extra details that will make getting your toddler to sleep much easier. These might include:

  1. Fold-over hand cuffs so you don’t have to worry about cold hands or losing mitts in the night.

  2. Well thought out baffles on down sleeping bags to keep the down from shifting too much and resulting in cold spots.

  3. Two-way zippers for easy diaper changes or to provide some extra ventilation.

  4. Removable sleeves so your toddler doesn’t overheat.

  5. A soft collar that helps prevent heat loss in the neck area.

  6. Snaps that help adjust the size of the sleeping bag.

Weight

The weight of the toddler sleeping bag is especially important for families backpacking with a toddler. For parents who need to carry everything, keeping the sleeping bag as light and small as possible is a must. The down sleeping bags are ideal for this.

Machine Washable

I always prefer products that make my life easier, including toddler sleeping bags that are machine washable. There is one in this list that requires hand washing, but I suspect that a delicate cycle in the washing machine and laying flat to dry would probably be ok.

Dressing Your Toddler for Cold Weather Camping

Now that you have a toddler sleeping bag, you need to consider what your toddler will wear to sleep. This will be dependent on the overnight temperature and also what the temperature will be in the evening when your toddler is going to sleep.

This can be a challenge camping with toddlers in places where the daily highs are quite warm but the overnight lows make for chilly nights.

a toddler lies in a hammock while on a cold weather camping trip.

Layers will be key to dressing your toddler for cold weather camping, both during the day and at night. For nighttime, plan on some layers and adjust based on the day or throughout the night.

For extra chilly nights, you can layer wool base layers with fleece pajamas. You may also need to add socks, a warm hat and mitts.

For warmer nights you might be able to get away with pajamas under the sleep sack.

A toddler is cozy and warm inside a Morrison Outdoors Big Mo 20 Sleeping Bag for Toddlers.

Make sure to take advantage of your toddler sleeping bag’s best features. Can you open the two way zipper at the bottom to allow for more air ventilation? Can you remove the arms? Can you pack a comforter blanket that you can use in conjunction with the sleep sack?

You might still find that you need to adjust throughout the night, but it will be worth it to keep your toddler comfortable and sleeping through the night.

Other Toddler Camping Resources:

The Best Camping Sleeping Bags for Toddlers

This post was written & edited by:

Celine Brewer - Baby Can Travel
info@babycantravel.com | Website | + posts

Celine Brewer is the owner of Baby Can Travel. Not only does she have years of experience traveling with babies & toddlers, but she's helped millions of new parents travel with their babies and toddlers for over a decade. In addition to writing on her baby travel blog, she has shared her expertise on traveling with a baby or toddler by contributing to articles about traveling with a baby with the Washington Post, USA Today, the Lonely Planet magazine and Pregnancy & Newborn magazine.

Celine also writes about family travel on the site FamilyCanTravel.com, which she co-owns with her husband. Being from the Canadian Rockies, she shares her passion about her home and travel to Banff National Park and area on their site TravelBanffCanada.com.

Read more about Celine Brewer.

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