So what are the key things to consider when searching for the best toddler duvet ?  We think a toddler duvet should be lightweight, washable, natural and anti-allergy.  Below, you’ll find the best advice on toddler duvets from our own experience as parents, as well as our understanding of the duvet market.

Key points about toddler duvets:

• Duvets are not recommended for infants under 12 months of age.   
    
• Use the right size duvet  – cot bed duvets, for toddler beds. 
  Don’t use a standard single duvet on a cot bed or you’ll risk overheating your child with too much bedding.  

Don’t forget that you should use smaller pillows for toddlers and little children; these should be very thin, around 1cm, since normal adult pillows can apparently result in poor posture and an achy neck- or your child sleeping in the middle of the bed to avoid the pillow.  You can read reviews about toddler / cot bed pillows at our sister-site, www.pillowadvisor.co.uk  here. 

Go straight to the best toddler duvets here  –   Toddler Duvet Reviews.

Why lightweight?

Kids dream, wriggle and play in bed – they get hotter than adults and can’t regulate  their body temperature as well we can. Sweating in bed isn’t nice for anyone, and little kids just don’t think about stripping off their star-wars pyjama top in the night to solve the problem.  This means that you’ll need to give your child a cooler duvet than you would normally choose for yourself. Ideally, to keep your little one comfortable and safe, have a 4.5 tog duvet for the summer, and a 7 tog / 7.5 tog duvet in the winter.  

Bear in mind the temperature in their room too.  If you’ve got a newer, warmer house, or you’re in the middle of a terrace, you may be able to get away with a 4.5 tog duvet all year round and pop an extra blanket on top or use those toasty PJs on colder nights.

Why washable?

This one’s unfortunately too obvious!  With well over a hundred years of parenting experience between us at Duvet Advisor, we’ve lost count of the tummy upsets and accidents which mean the washing machine’s going again at 2am.  Be kind on yourself and go for a washable duvet which dries quickly, or can be tumble-dried. John Lewis and The White Company both do ultra-washable duvets that are perfect for kids, and their mummies and daddiess too.   See our ‘Caring for your duvet’ article for further tips.

Why natural?

Whether you go for a synthetic duvet filling or a natural duvet filling such as feather or down, we’d really recommend you choose a duvet which has a cotton cover.  On top of this, put your own cotton bedlinen. This will make sure you don’t have any nasty chemicals right next to your child’s skin, and they’ll keep cooler too.  The higher the thread count in a cotton cover, the more protection you’ll give the duvet against dust mites, so more hygienic and better for allergies. Go for a 230 thread count or more if you can, and organic cotton is even nicer for tiny ones if you can get it or afford it.

Why anti-allergy?

If your child suffers from allergies or asthma, you’ll want the best duvet to make sure it won’t set them off.  Even if they aren’t troubled by sneezes and wheezes, buying an anti-allergy duvet is a safe bet to keep their bedtime experience as comfortable as possible.   We’ve written a more detailed anti-allergy duvet advice page  for you, or go straight to our anti-allergy duvet reviews.  

For retailers with a good range of toddler and cot bed duvets, try: Dunelm, John Lewis, Tesco and The White Company

The best toddler duvets – read reviews here.