AUSTRALIAN NON-TOXIC AWARD
WINNERS 2019
SILVER ROSETTE WINNER – Baby Sleeping Bag Category
Woolbabe – Duvet Weight Sleeping Bag
Materials:
Excellent. Extra fine merino wool and organic cotton. (Outer- blend of 30% Australian merino and 70% organic cotton, Filling – 100% Australian wool, Lining- 100% organic cotton)
Social Responsibility Summary:
- Use certified GOTS certified organic cotton and Merino
- Products are designed with longevity and quality in mind. Use a better grade of materials, zips and fastenings so they can withstand the rigours of typical everyday use.
- Woolbabe are made in a small family factory in China, where they are the main client and provide work for about 20 village members.
- Overseas factories are independently audited. Stay in regular contact and visit them.
- Packaged in a reusable untreated cotton bag, with compact printed card information packs and swingtags.
- Outer packaging is soft plastic free.
- Swapped out single use plastic mailers for paper and cardboard packs that are easy to recycle and reuse.
- Major supporters of Oxfam for 7 years. Have raised and donated over $60,000.
- Donate large amounts of new bedding and are a foundation supporter of the charity “Give a Kid a Blanket”.
- Work closely with babywearing groups & sling libraries around New Zealand and have donated hundreds of carrier samples to groups in NZ and Australia, have sponsored peer supporter education and have also ensured their own babywearing team are highly trained.
- Run their own community project, ReCarry, recycling baby carriers that families have finished with and repair any customer returned carriers, saving these from landfill and gifting or loaning them to families who can’t afford this essential parenting tool.
- Support Playcentre, the parent cooperative early childhood centres in NZ. Regularly donate items for fundraising.
- Support Parents Centre NZ which offers classes at their centres throughout NZ to new and expectant parents. Have donated over 180 Beco baby carriers as well as large annual financial contributions as their partner. They are the main provider in New Zealand of child birth education.
- Staunch advocate for safe infant sleep. Submit recommendations to government agencies to improve the standards of infant sleep products. Will not stock an infant product that they do not consider safe. The Sleep Store is the only baby products retailer in NZ that advocates for stronger regulation and was a leader in implementing changes to the changes to the nightwear safety standard in recent years.
- Fund a team of expertly trained sleep coaches to provide infant sleep advice free of charge throughout Sleep Store support groups and free-to-access sleep advice online library. Work to reduce the stress of parenting and the support helps parents dealing with postnatal depression.
- Supporters of their local ‘Community Pantry’ project, making regular food donations.
- Supporters of Mental Health and donate to the mental health foundation of NZ.
- Support local micro-businesses – help smaller owner operators with product donations and more favourable wholesale account terms
- Recycle all the waste that can be recycled generated through their
- Staff urged to think about the rubbish that they bring into the business, such as what they bring for lunch, and how they can minimise this.
- Generate zero food waste from staff of over 20. Coffee grounds & food scraps are composted or food scraps are fed to their chickens.
- One of the directors is a member of the Sustainable Business Network and former board member.
- First retailer in New Zealand to become an accredited Living Wage Employer, currently $4 higher than the minimum wage. This is starting salary for school leavers, and staff are generally paid significantly more than the living wage, even for warehouse work.
- Family owned New Zealand business (Woolbabe is owned by The Sleep Store)
REVIEWS:
Emily Fletcher
“The Woolbabe Duvet weight sleeping bag is a beautifully made, high quality sleeping bag. It is so well made in fact, that I used one through the colder months almost nightly for 2 winters for each of my children (so 4 winters in total!) and it still easily has life in it for another child.
The Woolbabe is sized generously and has press stud buttons to reduce the size of the arm hole, allowing this to be suitable from 3 months right up to 2 years! It does look huge on a baby and takes up the whole of a small bassinet, however they grow so quickly, you’ll be very grateful for all the roominess they offer very shortly as you watch them grow out of everything else.
Due to the beautiful natural fibres which make up this gorgeous sleeping bag, it has amazing warmth and temperature regulating properties making it suitable, with varying the clothes worn underneath, for room temperatures between 14-22 degrees. It really means that this one bag can get you through most months of the year which is amazing.
The Woolbabe sleeping bag feels thicker, snugglier and a bit heavier than some due to its larger size and also materials. I have found the extra weight calming for my children in a sensory way (it’s not as easy to flail their legs in the air etc) and they sleep better. These bags do come in a front zip and a side zip option which is great too. I find the front zip a lot easier as the shoulders don’t pop open with my wriggly toddlers and I find it easier to transfer them too.
This is an amazing, high quality, non-toxic sleeping bag which will last for years. Highly recommended.”
Corrine Sultana
“The Woolbabe sleeping bag (with merino wool and organic cotton) is a beautiful bag. It’s made for 000-2 so a single bag to last a long time. That means it’s very long. Quality middle of the bag zip, sewn shoulders, underarm poppers, seatbelt loops and very good quality double seemed sewing. It’s finished off in all aspects in a very beautiful, quality way. I love the muted colours and how soft it feels. A really gorgeous piece of baby wear that would be passed through a family as it’s so beautifully made.
Material: Wool quilting, lined with 100% organic cotton and covered in merino/cotton Woolbabe fabric.
Washing process: Gentle machine washed
Australian Owned / Operated: No – NZ
Australian Made: NO – China
RRP: $179”
Emma Freeman
“I’ve always felt babies are missing out by not having a fluffy duvet or pillow to snuggle into during the winter months, but now I’m a little jealous that I don’t have an adult-sized super soft, snuggly sleeping bag like this! And while it’s currently too warm to test it out on bub himself, I can’t wait for winter to hit again so I can wrap him up in it. I love that it’s “duvet weight” and that it’s made purely with organic cotton and merino wool. I also love the ease of a front zip. I can imagine sleeping really well knowing that bub is toasty warm in his sleeping bag in his bedroom during cold, blustery nights. I’m also a fan of the neutral colour and pattern.”
Roxanne Cambridge
“Amazing quality, love the style of this sleeping bag. Beautifully made.”