What's a sleep sack? Do I need one?

If you've got a newborn member of the family, are planning an extended journey, or plan on sleeping in youth hostels the answer is yes, indeed, you'll probably want to start investigating the different types of sleep sacks that can be found on today's market.

Sleep sacks come in a variety of shapes, sizes, styles, and materials, but all serve the general purpose of providing you or your baby with a safe, comfortable, warm yet breathable sleeping experience.

For a baby the sleep sack even has a benefit that many consider priceless. SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, is quickly becoming a major cause of infant death while sleeping. The baby moves his/her arms while sleeping, thus wrapping the blanket or sheep around his/her own head. This, as we all know, can lead to suffocation and can cause the baby loss of life due to lack of oxygen. The baby sleep sack is designed to keep the baby from being wrapped in blankets or sheets, in turn reducing the risk of SIDS.

For travelers, sleep sacks can provide an extra layer of warm and bedding. For backpackers, it's a must have. Most youth hostels now require sleep sacks in an effort to fight the growing problem of bed bugs and other bed related hygiene issues.

Sleep sacks are fairly affordable all things considered. For adults, you'll find the nicer silk or wool sleep sacks in the $29-$79 rangeCotton or similar materials will sell for quite a bit less. Baby sleep sacks come in a wide variety of materials, sizes, and design styles so there really is no general pricing. That being said, when it comes to the safety of your child the price should not be an issue.

Sleep sacks are a little talked about product that should really be talked about more. It's a simple concept that can make life enjoyable in more ways than one.