The concept
Imagine a cross between a blanket and a pramsuit, and you’re starting to get your head around the Bug in a Rug. Billed as ‘Australia’s favourite way to wrap a baby’, it’s a hooded blanket with two little feet on the bottom, and wrap-around Velcro sides.
I have to say, I was initially a little bamboozled. When would I use it? What was it for?
In use
Undeterred, I wrapped up the little one in my Bug in a Rug, and we ventured out in the pushchair. Getting your baby in is simplicity itself, especially since the ‘legs’ on the blanket have elasticated ankles so that little wrigglers can’t kick their way out: a nice touch.
Once she was all wrapped up, I realised that the design of the Bug, seemingly so simple, is actually more ingenious than it looks. Because of the legs, and the wrap, you can pick your baby up, strap her in and out of the pushchair or carseat and the blanket stays put. This was reasonably handy as I left the house with a kicking three month old on a day with a nip in the air… but it would have been an absolute gift from god if I’d had a tiny newborn in the winter.
The Bug rates pretty highly on the cuteness factor. Not only is it satisfying to wrap up your bundle of joy in a bundle of fleecy fabric, you can also choose ‘arms in’, or ‘arms out’. My determined finger sucker was very clear that her arms were staying out, thank you very much, but the design means if your baby is smaller, more sleepy, or less opinionated than mine, you can wrap their arms by their sides. This means your baby ends up as a little legged-cocoon of fleecy blanket, upping both cuteness and snuggliness in one smooth move.
The full range
The little one and I tested the ‘Extreme’ Bug in a Rug, which is navy water-resistant fabric on the outside, and coloured fleece on the inside. Although ours was lined with the dreaded baby pink, the hearty outdoorsiness of the navy counterbalances this somewhat, and the product is available lined in mint, white or red if you’ve had it with pastels.
The full range includes the ‘standard’ Bug, without the waterproof outer cover, which comes in a pleasing array of colours. If you get the bug, so to speak, there is even a summer wrap in lighter cotton, or a summer wrap with sun protection. The summer sun wrap comes in plain colours, but also in stripes. They are all are sized as per baby clothes: small (0 – 3 months), medium (3 – 6 months) and large (6 – 12 months).
Out and about
The lightweight ‘polar fleece’ fabric makes this machine washable, and (crucially) quick to dry. It also folds down very small, so is super-transportable. I put it into the basket at the bottom of the pushchair, where it takes up almost no room, and is ready to be whipped out when the British weather turns at a moment’s notice.
So where do I get one?
Available online from Baby Rug, the standard Bug is £21.99, and the Extreme one goes for £27.99, with p&p at £3.95.
Overall
So it’s good value, cosy, and definitely useful. I’ll finish by saying that when we wore it out to baby massage, a complete stranger ran across the room to admire it, and demanded to know where I got it from: probably the best recommendation of all!
4 out of 5
Leave a Reply