Soft Merino Sheepskin Rug

This Merino baby sheepskin is a gorgeous, golden creamy colour and is around 90cm long and 50cm wide. It's chrome-free, formaldehyde-free and pesticide-free - a soft, safe, snug and breathable baby environment.

• Use it as a supportive playmat on the floor
• Take it with you when you travel to make your baby feel at home

Special offer
Postage is free in the UK on orders over £50, and a £5.00 Gift Voucher is now included with all sheepskins!

Washing
You can relax over spills - this Merino lambskin machine washable on a 30°C wool cycle! Use a wool-friendly liquid detergent so that the lanolin stays put and it keeps its gorgeous softness (find it now in our "essentials" category).

It's baby-safe of course.
These pure Merino sheepskins have undergone a safe, chrome-free tanning process (as with all our carefully-selected, baby-safe sheepskins) which complies with IVN guidelines and has been certified as chemical-free. Pure Merino sheepskin also has softer, finer fibres, suitable for the most sensitive skins.

We believe this is one of the very best sheepskins for your baby and it's rare to find a Merino lambskin such as this. Buy now!

Feedback
"My baby slept on this from about 4 weeks with a muslin over the top and now sleeps on it on its own. He loves scrunching the soft fleece with his hands and toes and it's a real sleep aid. I machine washed it according to instructions which was fine. It does take a good few days to dry out, but a lovely item. Wish I'd had it sooner."
Cecilia R., London, March 2011

Gift for new babies
This natural lambskin makes a perfect gift for a new baby as it is so beautiful and useful. Gift wrapping is available using hand-made, fairly traded, very beautiful wrapping paper and hand-embroidered fairly traded organic cotton cards. Select as you check out.

Sheepskins help your baby
Sheepskins absorb moisture and gently release it back into the atmosphere. This helps your baby's skin stay healthy, keeping your child less sticky in summer and warm and cosy in winter. Magic! Sheepskin's breathable, natural fibres also help your baby's body keep a nice, stable temperature. You can learn more about the wonderful properties of wool from our information pages.

Use as bedding
We would like to point out that it is recommended that babies do not sleep on a soft/squidgy surface for the first year. On the other hand, it used to be recommended that premature babies slept on sheepskins and they are used worldwide for sleeping on. Please come to your own conclusions!

Studies have shown that pre-term and low birth weight babies grow faster and are more contented when lying on lambswool, and older babies also cry less and sleep more. Even for adults, studies repeatedly show that we get a better night's rest if we use a woollen underblanket and if polyester-filled duvets are replaced by woollen blankets (!) due to its ability to regulate the micro-climate around our beds.

You may like to put a sheet or muslin over the sheepskin if using it as bedding. You probably already know that babies should be placed on their backs to sleep unless there is a medical reason not to do so.

About sheepskins in general
Sheepskins can be used throughout the year as wool is a natural insulator, keeping temperatures stable. It's also breathable, wicking moisture away from the skin and keeping bodies comfortable. Because of this, sheepskins are warm in winter and cool in summer, and always provide a comforting and supportive surface for your baby to sit or play.

Since biblical times, mothers have wrapped their babies in wool to keep them warm and dry. It's naturally comforting. Lambswool is perfect for this task as it resists wet and dirt and is thick and luxurious while remaining light and flexible. You can find out more about its properties .

Our family and sheepskins...
You can probably tell that we are quite "pro" sheepskins! We have found them very very useful indeed, reducing stickiness in prams, strollers and car seats in hot weather, and keeping them warm and cosy in cold weather.

Both our daughters sleep on sheepskins and Connie has from birth. Connie began sleeping through the night from an early ages and consistently from about 3 and a half months. Eleanor woke only once until she was around 10 months, then she slept through. I honestly believe that sleeping on sheepskins coupled with the use of Disana and Engel Merino wool sleeping bags creates the best sleeping environment for babies - safe, supportive, breathable, comfortable, sleep-inducing.