Say Hello to the Zigzag Sleeping Bag!
Designed to meet The Nest Collective’s brief for natural, safe, snuggly sleepwear, our pilot run of Zigzag Sleeping Bags are now finding their way into the world, keeping pēpi in Aotearoa warm.
Baby sleep sacks were on the cards for us for a long time, but a conversation with The Nest Collective National Manager, Natalia Karacaoglu, inspired us to take the plunge and get stuck into it.
We partnered with The Nest Collective in CommonKind’s very first year in business, and you might already know that they are a nation-wide charity, supporting families with a pack of all the baby essentials they need for the first year and beyond. The packs are filled with over 150 items, and are created through consultation with social workers, community partners and experts. Families that receive the packs may be living in challenging living conditions; whether that is in cars, garages or in cold, damp homes.
To date, we’ve donated 80 of our Staple Blankets to The Nest Collective through our get one, gift one model, and every purchase of a Zigzag Sleeping Bag via our website will add to that number.
Natalia says, “This year alone we’ll support over 1,000 pēpi and whānau and, thanks to CommonKind, the donated blankets will help us to ensure each baby starts life with a beautiful, wool blanket to keep pēpi warm and well.”
Zigzag Sleeping Bags are designed to last the distance
Our Zigzag Sleeping Bags are made to fit babies from 6 through to 24 months, helping to go the distance for families. When pēpi outgrows their sleeping bag, it can be passed on to another baby or returned to The Nest Collective to share warmth with another whānau. They have armhole domes to keep smaller babes snug, an over the head design to deter escape artists and a cross over fold opening for enhanced durability.
Sleep safety front of mind
Natural fibres are recommended for babies over synthetics for superior breathability and warmth, which is why Zigzag Sleeping Bags are made with organic cotton and ZQ merino. We also had the fabrics tested by NZWTA and both achieved a low fire risk rating (category 1).
Sleep safety is hugely important for The Nest Collective. Natalia explains, “Every pack we give includes over 150 essential wellbeing and safety items to support pēpi to thrive, including essentials like CommonKind's Zigzag Sleeping Bag and a warm, wool blanket. These packs were created through consultation with social workers, community partners and experts – we continually hear from these partners that sleeping bags are a really important part of our packs.”
She continues, “A warm, merino sleeping bag ensures pēpi is in fabric that breathes which helps them to regulate their body temperature. We are also passionate about supporting pēpi to have the safest sleep possible and a sleeping bag is one way we can help families with this goal.”
Natural warmth, with wool
It’s no secret that CommonKind is passionate about wool, so you won’t be surprised that wool is a key ingredient in the Zigzag Sleeping Bag. Wool is highly breathable – it absorbs and evaporates moisture vapour within its core, in the process, allowing a heating and cooling transfer which helps the wearer to maintain the ideal temperature. And, it’s highly insulative, with a hollow core that traps air.
According to the International Wool Textiles Organisation, studies show wool can help babies fall asleep faster, cry less, sleep longer and gain weight faster than other textiles. Wool is also proven to reduce symptoms and severity of skin problems like eczema, which affects 28% of infants.
Natalia adds, “Besides the benefits to babies and the comfort factor of wool, we love that wool is natural and gentle on the planet.”
Made here with care
It takes a village! The pilot run of sleeping bags are made right here in New Zealand with help from the best clothing production experts in the biz, Little Yellow Bird. The Nest Collective provided feedback throughout the design process to ensure it would fit the needs of the families they support. We have a mix of colourways, with bold and bright block colours for our community partners and a bespoke signature print with oat contrast for customers via our online store. The print was designed and printed by textile designer Eva Ferguson Rebenschied, showing beachy treasures for wee ones to discover. We used the textile studio at Massey University in Wellington to print the fabric.
What colour will you choose?
You can check out the limited edition print run of Zigzag Sleeping Bags in three colourful tones in our website shop soon! You’ll be able to choose from Oat / Marigold Beach, Oat / Teal Beach or Oat / Guava.
Every sleeping bag sold through our website will donate one of our signature Staple Blankets to The Nest Collective for them to add to their packs. If you are part of a community organisation looking for a fresh supply of baby sleeping bags, send us a message at hello@commonkind.nz.
