As many parents of children sensitive to allergies will testify, keeping bedding free from dust and allergens can be a constant struggle, in no small part because duvets are bulky and difficult to clean.

If that's a problem you're all too familiar with, Nordic Comfort's Pure Sleep range of duvets might be just what you're looking for. They're made from 100% mulberry silk, which is luxurious and lightweight, but more importantly naturally hypo-allergenic too.

The result is a duvet that's first and foremost improbably thin. In testing out the single Superior Silk duvet , my first impression – and probably what crosses most people's minds initially – was that it simply didn't look thick enough to keep anyone warm at night.

But appearances can be deceiving. The flexible nature of silk means the Nordic Comfort duvet is lightweight and breathable, and yet still cocoons you in its soft embrace better than any bulkier conventional duvet ever could. In practice it proved both comfortable and warm in all conditions, which is pretty much what most of us are looking for in a duvet.

Our test sample was rated at 350g/sqm – there's no tog ratings here for easy comparison, but on Nordic Comfort's sliding scale it's one of the thicker options, rated for night-time temperatures around 10-15 degrees C.

For parents of children with allergies, meanwhile, there's the added bonus that the organic nature of silk makes it less attractive to dust mites and allergens than feathers or synthetic fibres. Not only that, but the Nordic Comfort duvet is machine-washable, and small enough to fit in just about all domestic washing machines.

A net bag is provided for just that purpose, though that's the kind of extra you'd expect. In fact, as these are only just launching in the UK and to buy it you have to head to their EU store where you'll pay €160 for these.  And the high cost is just about the only downside here – that and a slightly 'rustly' texture that makes moving around a bit noisier than under a conventional duvet.

If allergies are a major concern, that price will be worth paying. If not, Nordic Comfort's duvets are wonderfully luxurious, but possibly too pricey to justify indulging in.

Argos have a Buy One Get One Half Price offer running until 1 May on all children's bedding sets; if one of the bedding sets is cheaper than the other, then the cheapest one is the one you get for half price.

• Click HERE to take a look at all the Children's Bedding sets at Argos

If you've been following PlayPennies for a while it probably won't have escaped your attention that I have a bit of a 'thing' for bedding sets, whether they're for me, the teenagers or my youngest son just seeing new bedding on beds does it for me (I'm easily pleased!).

All the usual character bedding suspects are here: Hello Kitty, Fireman Sam, Cars, Disney Princess, Minnie and Mickey Mouse, LEGO, Monster High, Moshi Monsters, LEGO Star Wars (I'm having to use the Force big time not to add this to my basket for my LEGO Star Wars mad youngest!) there's even a JLS bedding set for older girl fans of the boy band (they're not as a good as Bros were back in the day...) or Justin Bieber if you have a 'belieber' in your family.

There are also various football team duvet sets - Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are among them, there's also a Transformers bedding set too. MORE duvet and pillowcases for kids than you can shake a proverbial stick at!

The only problem you may encounter is which two bedding sets to choose.

If you have a patrotic England footie fan in your family then you might want to pick up one of these official England bed sets for £7.99, rather than its full £29.99 price.

• Click HERE to take a look at the England bed set

I love new bed sets.  I'd love to know what triggered my love for them but even as a child I would routinely put new 'duvet cover and pillowcases' on my birthday and Christmas lists; even just changing the bedding every week and putting on a clean, freshly ironed set makes my heart warm.

This England duvet set comes with a single duvet cover and one pillowcase, which are made from 50% cotton and 50% polyester.  Both feature the flag of St George - no reference to football so I suppose, at a push, you could buy this for a young England rugby fan (GUTTED that we lost to Wales on Saturday!) even though there isn't a red rose to be seen on it - and are reversible, being white one side and red on the other.

The England duvet set is machine washable too (aren't they all..?) and can be thrown in the tumble drier as well - although it's cheaper and more environmentally friendly to hang them on the washing line (seeing sheets and duvet covers billowing on the washing line makes me happy too, there's not much fun to be had watching the tumble dryer churning them round and round).

There aren't any delivery fees to pay either, so £7.99 is it for your official England bed set.

Thanks to barky at HUKD

If you pop over to Sainsbury's you can pick up a Tu Tractor cushion for £5 (instead of £10) and a Tu Tractor applique fleece throw for £4 (instead of £8).

• Click HERE for the Tu Tractor cushion
• Click HERE for the Tu Tractor fleece throw

My mum is a HUGE fan of Sainsbury's and always telling me to switch my allegiance to them, from Tesco - I actually went to Sainsbury's the other day AND took and sent pictures to her to prove it, that should keep her 'quiet' for a little while...maybe.

For all my Tesco loyalty, I must confess that this Tu Tractor cushion and Tu Tractor fleece blanket are rather cute and will be loved by any youngster with a 'thing' for farm machinery.

If my youngest was still in his tractor phase then they would have been ideal for him; we used to live in a little farming village and a farmer let him sit in his tractor one day, you wouldn't believe the tears and wailing that followed having to come down from the cab so the farmer could get on with some work!

You can arrange to have your Tu Tractor cushion and/or Tu Tractor fleece throw delivered to your home for the 'bargain' price of £3.95 OR, you can arrange to collect them in-store for free.

Thanks to daisymeisha10 at HUKD

Tesco have reduced the price of this Ben 10 single duvet and fleece blanket set by 50 pence shy of £10, bringing it down to £9.50 from £19.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Ben 10 Single Duvet and Fleece Blanket set

I was going to comment on stating the obvious by saying that this Ben 10 duvet and fleece blanket set was single bed size, but with an ever-increasing army of adult fans I wouldn't be surprised to see double and king-size versions.

I'm going to buy this for my eldest son, he's 17  and is leaving home in March to take up his post in the British Army (proud mummy moment, indulge me).  He's got a year at Army Foundation College first and when we went on a tour of the barracks back in September we were all rather amused to see that all the boys (who'd completed the first six weeks of training) had kiddie duvet covers - the more childish the better!

I kid you not!  There was one young soldier who had a Dora the Explorer duvet set on his bed - I'm not sure Jack would thank me for one of those, but Ben 10 I think he'll be able to 'do'.

So, the Ben 10 duvet and fleece blanket set comes with a duvet cover, pillowcase and a fleece blanket  all of which are machine washable and can be thrown in the tumble drier too.

The set is suitable for any little one who's in a single 'grown-up' bed or young soldiers about to embark on their Army career *grin*

Thanks to wishihadadonkey at HUKD

Tesco have a few toddler 'Bed in a Bag' sets up for grabs with 25% off - they're £14.95 at the moment, instead of £19.95.

• Click HERE for a Peppa Pig Bed in a Bag
• Click HERE for a Thomas and Friends Bed in a Bag
• Click HERE for a Toy Story Bed in a Bag

I have a bit of a thing for bedding sets and regularly find myself COMPELLED to buy them!

They don’t even have to be bargains like these toddler Bed in a Bag sets OR for kids either, there’s just something about climbing in between new sheets that have never been slept on, or under!

Character duvet sets can also be a useful tool for getting tired ‘but I’m NOT tired’ toddlers and pre-schoolers in to bed; whatever it takes I say!

These sets really are a bargain; each Bed in a Bag contains:

• A 3.5 tog duvet
• A character duvet cover
• A pillow and
• A character pillowcase

If you don't mind paying over the odds for Tesco home delivery then go ahead and have your toddler Bed in a Bag sent to your home - it'll cost you £5 - but if you'd rather spend that £5 on something else then arrange to collect in-store for free.

Thanks to lucerysmum at HUKD

Tesco are selling this Animal duvet set for £5.50 instead of £11.00 at the moment.

• Click HERE to go over to Tesco

I adored The Muppets as a child; it was one of the few TV programmes that everyone deliberately sat down to watch and if it was still on TV today...I'd still deliberately sit down to watch it.

I couldn't stand Miss Piggy, she irritated me; I always had this 'thing' in the back of my mind that Kermit was a bit of a wimp; Fozzy Bear was cool; Statler and Waldorf - the two grumpy old dudes in the balcony - were hilarious but the absolute coolest Muppet of all was Animal.

He played those drums like no one on earth and was so unpredictable and, well, just...animal like and I'm sure it was wrong to get quite so excited about this Animal duvet set at my age, but I did.

The Animal duvet set is made up of a single duvet cover and pillowcase, both featuring the words 'I love Animal' and, of course, a picture of Animal himself.

The base colours are pink and purple so, probably, more suited for girls and is made from 52% polyester and 48% cotton.

It can all be machine washed and tumble dried, but it's really not going to take long to dry hanging on the line or over a radiator in winter.

Collect in-store for free otherwise you'll be adding £5 for home delivery.

Thanks to dave1961 at HUKD

If you fly over to Sainsbury's you'll be able to pick up one of these Tu Take Off bed in a bag duvet sets for just £7.50 instead of £25.00

• Click HERE to go over to Sainsbury's

I can't help it, I love new duvet covers and anything along those lines; they don't have to be for me either, I just like to see new covers and sheets on beds.

This Tu Take Off bed in a bag set contains a single duvet cover, a pillowcase, a fleece blanket and a cushion cover which all feature a rather cool aeroplane design.

It's all made from a mixture of polyester and cotton so everything is very soft and 'touchy-feely', and the blanket has a a blanket stitch edge to it (I always like the look of that).

The whole set is packed into one bag that has built-in handles; I really like how this looks as it makes it lovely to wrap up and give as a little 'just because' pressie.

Everything can be washed at 40ºC, but as the saying goes 'if it's not dirty, wash at 30!'

For those who like to know the ins and outs, here are the dimensions for everything:

• Duvet cover measures 135x200cm
• Pillowcase measures 75x50cm
• Cushion cover measures 45x45cm
• Fleece blanket measures 125x150cm

You can have your Tu Take Off bed in a bag set, delivered to your home, if you wish - it'll cost you £3.95 - or you can arrange to collect it in-store for free.

Thanks to smiler001 at HUKD

Tesco are selling this Star Wars Clone Wars duvet set for £8.58 instead of £13.00.

• Click HERE to go over to Tesco

If you have a rabid little Star Wars fan like I do, then this Star Wars Clone Wars duvet set will make a lovely little 'just because' present or an extra something for a birthday, OR not for any present giving purposes - maybe they need a new duvet set!

Whatever the reason would be for buying one, they'll love it.

Character bedding is also a useful tool in the 'I don't want to go to bed yet, I'm not TIRED!' battles; any 'weapon' that encourages your young Jedi to leap into bed is a good thing.

The duvet cover measures 200cm x 150cm and is made from polyester; it'll be nice and quick to dry then and although it can be tumbledried you probably won't need to, unless it's throwing it down with rain of course.

You could, if you wanted to make this a NOT bargain, arrange for Tesco to deliver this Star Wars Clone Wars duvet set to your front door for an extra £5 OR, you could click and buy and go and pick it up yourself for free.

Thanks to lucerysmum at HUKD

Tesco are selling this Ben 10 Alien Force fleece blanket for £4.00 instead of £9.00.

• Click HERE to go over to Tesco

I know it's been warm(ish) of late and we can only hope there is more summer warmness to come - it would be nice if we could have a decent run of it though, rather than three days 'nice' followed by a week of 'naff' - BUT this is a great time of year to grab some warm fleecy blanket bargains in preparation for autumn and winter.

We have a daft number of fleece blankets in my house – they are just TOO useful!  There are a couple kept in the car to wrap up small people (or big people) when it’s cold before the heaters warm the car up.

There are fleece blankets on the beds and a few spare in the airing cupboard for grabbing as and when; the cats and dog love sleeping on them too.

This Ben 10 Alien Force fleece blanket is great - my youngest has one and he loves to cuddle up under it on the sofa; last winter it was with him pretty much wherever he went.

It measures 125cm x 150cm, is washable at 40C and can be tumble dried too - although you can wash it at 30c and fling it over a radiator to dry and be a little kinder to the environment.

I don't know WHY you'd want to have this delivered to your home for the less-than-bargain price of £5.00, but you can if you want to, or you can arrange to collect it from your local Tesco store for free.

Thanks to lucerysmum at HUKD

Play are selling this cute Winnie the Pooh junior bedding bundle for just £9.99, instead of £19.99.

• Click HERE to bounce over to Play

It's always a good idea to take advantage whenever anything Disney is discounted; I don't mind paying for whatever something's worth, but I do resent feeling ripped off which is how it can feel with lots of things Disney.

However, £9.99 for a Disney Winnie the Pooh junior bedding bundle is just a bargain as far as I'm concerned.

his 4 piece set includes a junior duvet and pillow as well as matching duvet cover and pillowcase; marvellous.

I can't find a tog rating for the duvet anywhere but I can't imagine it's going to be a heavy winter one, so it's going to be perfect for the warmer summer months and in the autumn/winter you can simply layer blankets over the top.

The duvet, duvet cover and pillow case are machine washable up to 40C and can all be tumble dried if necessary.

Delivery with Play is free so £9.99 is the total price you'll you have to pay for this Winnie the Pooh junior bedding bundle.

Thanks to sazzlebob at HUKD

There’s up to 50% off some children’s bedding and buy one get one free off others at Mothercare. While some lines are already out of stock, it’s still worth a nosey about.

• Redecorate for less at Mothercare

My little girl spent part of last night in her own bed for the first time ever. Considering the bed was only delivered yesterday, that’s pretty good going.  It was a bit of a pain, actually, finding suitable bedding for her, since we didn’t want anything in pink, and normally, girls equals pink. We finally settled on a pretty white duvet cover with blue butterflies.

There’s a bit more selection at Mothercare, although the pink and princess theme is still around, but hey ho. It must just be us.

So, you want some examples, I suppose.  There’s a Ballerina Embroidered Single Duvet Set for £14.99 instead of £29.99.  And the same in a boys themed Race Track Embroidered Duvet Set .

Some of the really cheap items, such as the Stripe Single Duvet Set for £6.49 are out of stock online already, but you could possibly still find them in store if you have one nearby.

Thanks to lucerysmum at HUKD

Tesco are selling this Disney Cars duvet set for half price, £6 instead of £12

• Click HERE to drive over to Tesco

I had to laugh, the official wordage on the Tesco website describes this Disney Cars duvet set as being made from 'an intimately blended polyester and cotton fabric for a soft and comforting night's sleep'.

Intimately blended?! Well however it's blended, it's rather nice to find something Disney that isn't hideously overpriced.

I have a bit of a thing for bedding sets and have to try really hard to not to keep buying them.

They don’t even have to be bargains like this Disney Cars one and they don’t have to be for the kids either, there’s just something about climbing in between new sheets that have never been slept on, or under!

Character duvet sets can also be a useful tool for getting tired ‘but I’m NOT tired’ toddlers and pre-schoolers in to bed; whatever it takes I say!

Home delivery with Tesco is expensive at £5, I'd avoid it at all costs and click and collect for free instead.

Thanks to lucerysmum at HUKD

In my opinion, baby sleeping bags are to be lauded as the invention of angels and Mothercare currently have a Buy One Get One Half Price offer on selected baby sleeping bags.

• Click HERE to bag some baby sleeping bag bargains

Start planning ahead!  Have you noticed how it’s getting lighter earlier and darker later?

Have you seen the daffodills and the snowdrops all beginning to put in an appearance? Spring and summer really aren’t far away, HURRAH!

Have you also noticed how shops sell summer clothes in the winter and winter things in the summer?!

I remember the same applying to baby sleeping bags when I was in the market for them – most frustrating, so if you, or someone you know, is expecting a summer baby then now’s the time to get your summer sleeping bags.

Only one of my children kept still when he slept, the other two were absolute fidgets.  Baby sleeping bags didn’t exist 15 years ago so the older fidget often woke up chilly, but with the youngest fidget I discovered the delights of these genius things!

No more tucking in blankets thousands of times a night, changing nappies in the middle of the night a breeze – just un-popper the baby sleeping bag at the business end leaving the top half of baby still snuggly and warm.

Baby sleeping bags are definitely on my MUST HAVE baby item list.

There are a few children's single duvet cover sets available at reduced prices at Argos.

• Change the scenery with single duvet cover sets from Argos

Changing the bedding is probably one of the easier and cheaper ways of changing the appearance of the room and giving your little one a new environment.

The Waybuloo Duvet Cover Set comprises a duvet cover and a pillowcase. It is 100% microfibre polyester, and machine washable at 40C, which is good if you have a bed-wetter, I guess, and more importantly, can be tumble dried.

There's also the In The Night Garden Tombliboos Duvet Cover Set, which also consists of a duvet cover and pillowcase. This one is 50% cotton and 50% polyester , which is definitely better for kiddies with eczema as it will sweat less. It is machine washable at 50C and fine for tumble drying.

The In The Night Garden Duvet Cover Set has much better reviews than the Waybuloo one, which may swing you towards the latter, or holding out for a different Waybuloo set.

There are loads of others to choose from too, starting from £3.99, so check out Argos.

Thanks to lucerysmom at HUKD

Children's Spot and Alphabet single bed duvet covers are £3.00 at Woolworths.co.uk, and on top of that, buy one and get an identical one free.

• BOGOF at Woolworths.co.uk

The Spot or the Alphabet duvet cover was £12.00 but has been reduced to £3.00. There's not a whole bunch to say about it, really, other than that it's a great deal!

The duvets are 50% cotton and 50% polyester and are bright, vibrant and colourful. They close with buttons rather than poppers, making them a little more secure.

It's annoying that the BOGOF is for the same item, rather than being able to have both which would be great for a bit of occasional change. On the other hand, if you have children that must always have the same of everything in order to prevent fighting, this is ideal.

Next day delivery is £3.95, and a convenient collection point can be chosen if you don't want to sit around all day waiting for a van to arrive. You'll be sent a text message to let you know your item is ready for collection.

Thanks to plymouthgal at HUKD

The Toy Story buzz continues with this storybook pillow set, 1/3^rd of it's original £15.00, it's now only £5.00 at Wilkinson

• Stay in bed a little later with Wilkinson

Forgive me if you all knew about these already, but it's the first time I've ever seen a pillow-storybook. How cool is that?! Obviously I'm rather new to the world of children's accessories...

Annnnnnyway, this 8-page Toy Story 3 pillow is a complete storybook. It comes with a large Buzz Lightyear bookmark, and is 30cm long, making it big enough for a child's pillow. It is 100% polyester.

While you're on the website, have a browse around some of the other Toy Story 3 merchandise they stock as there are some pretty good offers to be had right now, such as 60% off the Toy Story Night Light & Torch Rechargeable, and 20% off the Disney Toy Story Scooter.

Delivery adds a bit to your order, at £4.95, but reserving for instore pickup is free.

This pillow-storybook should make quite a few Toy Story 3 fans very happy indeed!

You can't beat having a few single duvet sets on hand when you have kids, apart from having spare duvet sets that only cost you £2.99!

• Click HERE to zoom on over to Argos

It seems that the vast majority of the nation are going down with rather nasty cases of vom' and 'dire rear' bugs!

My youngest went down with it on Monday and very kindly passed it on to his two aunties and his nan - how very generous of him - and from talking with others it's spreading like wild fire all OVER the place.

This is when I start to feel rather smug about having lots of spare duvet sets in the airing cupboard, all of them just waiting to step into the breach and take over from a duvet cover that's headed for the laundry.

This Robots single duvet cover is on offer at Argos and has been reduce from £7.99 down to £2.99.

It's machine washable up to 40C (but really, we should all be washing at 30C or lower if we can get away with it) and it can be bunged in the tumble dryer too, if you need it back on the bed quickly.

It's 50% cotton and 50% polyester, reversible and a lovely little set for any robot fan!

Thanks to prettyprincess over at HUKD.

As the evenings grow darker and the beautiful shades of autumn fade in to the dark cold of winter, the thought of snuggling up close in front of a log fire – okay, the television – becomes more and more appealing.  A snuggle blanket per child from Argos at only £7.99 should go a long way to reducing your heating bills this winter.

• Sidle on over to Argos for this great offer

My little girl has always been a very active sleeper, kicking and tossing all night long. As a result I was always worried that she would be cold until I invested in a baby sleeping bag. Not only has it become a part of our sleep routine, signaling bed time, but she also never wakes from the cold anymore.

Aimed at older children, this fleece snuggle blanket has sleeves to keep the arms warm and is long enough to keep those toes covered too. It is made of 100% polyester and is machine washable at 40C and can be tumble dried – hmmm… I love putting on warm clothes after a bath.

I also really like the idea that a child can be transferred from the lounge or the car to bed wearing this blanket and never being exposed to the elements.

Although these are currently out of stock online, you can check your local Argos to see stock and availability and reserve for local pickup.

Thanks to clgay at HUKD

It's nice to find something 'Disney' that's not massively overpriced and at just £8 a set, I don't think we can say these duvet cover sets are that!

• Click HERE to snuggle up to this deal from Tesco Direct

I've always had a bit of a thing for bedding sets, ever since I was a kid, and I have to try really hard to not to keep buying them.

They don't even have to be bargains like these Disney ones, and they don't have to be for the kids either - there's just something about climbing in between new sheets that have never been slept on, or under!

OK..maybe it's just me then, but I bet your kids will love seeing their favourite Disney characters waiting for them at bedtime.

Character covers can also be a useful tool for getting tired 'but I'm NOT tired' toddlers and pre-schoolers in to bed; whatever it takes I say!

There are four Disney duvet cover sets included in this offer, which runs up until the 29 September: Cars, Toy Story, Minnie Mouse and Disney Princess.

They were all £12 originally but are now £8 - please arrange to collect them from your local store if you can, otherwise you'll lose out on the savings by paying almost £6 in delivery charges.

Thanks to aprilg over at HUKD!