Product Spotlight: Blankets

cato99 · April 2019

Hi all! Baby shower season will soon be upon us, and baby blankets are a super popular gift, so now's a great time to share some guidance about blankets which we may then pass on to our registry or gift-givers. (Note: for at least the first year of baby's life, blankets should not loosely cover baby or be put loosely in the crib for sleeping (per the American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep recommendations), but there are many uses for sweet baby blankets!)

What are some categories of blankets to think about? I think we've discussed swaddling elsewhere but it would be great to share again what our favorite swaddle blankets are (including NOT using blankets and choosing instead velcro or zip-up swaddles). Our babies will be born at the end of summer: what are some materials with different weights or warmth to consider? Favorite brands?

But there's more to blankets beyond swaddling: what are your favorite blankets for throwing on the floor for baby to roll around on? Which blankets do best to double as a stroller cover or nursing cover? Or a lovey blanket when they're a little older and need something to snuggle and drool on? Or a nice fuzzy thick blanket to wrap mom and baby in while nursing? Are there any extra special splurge-y blankets out there? Do you have any monogrammed blankets and if so where did those come from? Please share!

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olivemomma · April 2019

We have A LOT of blankets, it’s one of those things that they don’t really out grow (unless of course they are wearable) so they just seem to accumulate.

The first couple on months - I would highly recommend some good muslin blankets. Since we are having summer babies these are a great light weight material which is great for the car seat, swaddles, or to double as a nursing cover in a pinch. I would recommend 4 minimum but more doesn’t hurt. And of course some good sleep sacks, probably cotton material unless you are really far north. We liked Halo sleep sacks with Velcro for the early days and also had a miracle blanket.

For later months - sleep sacks should be kept in your closet for the first couple of years. Every kid will size up at different times and the fleece options are great in the winter. Footed sleep sacks are great once they start walking. I would also recommend a good stroller blanket. Aden and Anais makes good ones which are bigger and thicker than their muslin blankets. Home made blankets are great for around the house and for floor play. If you are in colder areas a good foot muff for the car seat and stroller would also be a good investment come fall.

cato99 · April 2019

Swaddling: I'm in the minority here and strongly prefer blanket swaddling over velcro swaddles (which I know have been a huge advantage for moms of babies who wiggle out of blanket swaddles!). Somehow DD could wiggle around the velcro swaddles and wind up a tangled mess, whereas blanket swaddling kept her pretty secure (until she was ready for arms-out). I should note that the swaddling technique they taught me in my babycare class is different from what I've seen online--I don't start with the blanket in a diamond position and fold down the corner under the head. Instead, the blanket starts square, and the baby is put at the top. My technique looks a lot like this "super burrito" technique but without the wing-knotting. They told me this method is better for baby's hips. (So if you're having difficulties with blanket swaddles you can try different techniques!) (but all babies are different and yours may be a swaddle-destroyer!)

Anyway, I only got good at swaddling because I got the hang of it with pretty stiff flannel blankets. For that, this Ultimate Swaddle Blanket (you can also find them on Amazon) was my absolute favorite in the world. I kept buying more because I loved them so (though a drawback for summer babies is that they are pretty warm, but many of us will be swaddling into the fall). Later on when I had the technique down I was able to use the thinner, silkier, more "slippery" blankets from aden + anais, but I definitely couldn't keep those secure at first.

The majority of my swaddle blankets were from aden + anais, and I found that they came in two varieties and I seriously couldn't tell which ones I was getting when I was ordering them: some are rougher and feel almost more like linen (though it's 100% cotton), and some are the silky slippery kind I mentioned above (maybe those are the bamboo viscose ones?). Both types are great though, and are really breathable so they work nicely for stroller covers and nursing covers. I accumulated a lot of them (somewhere between 10 and 20 I think) because I used them constantly and for so many things, so they had a high turnover and I was constantly throwing one into the dirty clothes and grabbing a clean one, and it was nice to not feel constricted.

For non-swaddling blankets, the one I loved the most was a Pottery Barn Kids sherpa blanket with DD's name embroidered on it. The exact pattern isn't available anymore but it's basically this blanket here. It's super warm and thick so I used it a lot for a play-blanket on the floor, and I always brought it with me on the plane during air travel. It was a gift and it never would have occurred to me to get something like it, but I felt SO fancy with it

It was from a client of DH's who's since retired so I doubt we'll be receiving a matching one for this baby, so this is the only blanket purchase I'm going to make this time around--to make sure he has his own with his little name on it.

bluebonnet15 · April 2019

@cato99 THANK YOU for posting a YouTube tutorial. I’m a FTM that needs to practice.

Twinkiedoll · April 2019

I got a lot of blankets as gifts for DD. I don't really use them because we live in a tropical environment. Now, even when it gets a little chilly or we go on vacation somewhere colder, DD hates being covered by a blanket. Oh well.

For swaddle blankets, we used Aden & Anais. We have a ton of velcro sleep sacks, but DD never really liked them and neither did we. We did have the Merlin magic sleepsuit. DD definitely liked that, but we didn't like the idea of something restricting her mobility that much if she accidentally flipped herself over. She sleep trained pretty easily so it ended up not being an issue. Fingers crossed that Bean #2 is a good sleeper too.

sourlemon · April 2019

Receiving blankets are almost useless, but you'll get so many. We didnt register for any of them with kid one and somehow got over 30. The only thing we used them for was to catch spit up.

Swaddling blankets (I like A+A) are great. I have 4 of them and think thats enough. I kept one in the car, one in the diaper bag, and 2 at home. They are versatile. We'd use them on the ground for picnics/playtime outside, to cover the carseat or stroller to keep the sun off the baby, spit up collectors, and put them down on changing tables in a pinch. The only thing we didnt do with these was swaddle.

We mostly used the crib sized fluffy blankets for everything else...to cover the baby in the swing or rock n play (SUPERVISED), keep warm when it got cold, as actual crib blankets once they were older, on the floor as a make-shift play mat. They do accumulate! Between both girls we had about 25 of them. DD1 stopped using them when we moved her to a full sized bed and only chose to keep 2 in her room. DD2 still uses them in bed so has a bunch. We've packed some up that arent favorites to get rid of. I have a strict limit of buying 5 for this kid (since its a boy).

I also make the kids a quilt or two. Those get used a lot on the floor as play mats when they are super little. I made 2 for DD2 and used one for myself when we would rock or nap together in the chair. I also make about a billion lovey sized blankies.

Lovies - both my kids were obsessed with them. DD1 still carries 2 around most of the time and DD2 keeps hers in her bed. DD1 had the plain square taggies ones (2 of them) and DD2 had the taggies one with a lion head. She loved it so much we ended up buying 3 -- one for daycare, one for home, and one for the car. She would not sleep without her "Lionel" until she was almost 2. Now she doesnt care much about it so long as its within sight. I also made a ton of these but the kids preferred the store brands.

Zip/Velcro swaddles - we use these a lot for the first 6 months. I like the ones that you can velcro with the arms out but its still tight around their chest. Both my kids liked to have one arm out at all times so these were great. After 6 months, we start using just pajamas with no sleep sack or anything.

Twinkiedoll · April 2019

This thread reminded me that I have to re-learn how to swaddle. I've completely forgotten how to make a baby burrito.

WinchesterGirl · April 2019

My favorite purchased blankets were the aden & anais muslin swaddles. We live in a hot climate, so use them constantly. They are pretty much all purpose too - nursing cover, carseat cover, etc.

I also crochet & sew a little, so I crocheted several blankets & made him a light quilt.

I'm working on a blanket for this LO, too! I don't know if I'll make another quilt because thus far DS really prefers the crocheted blankets.

BigBadWolf12 · April 2019

1) swaddle blankets. I'm not picky on brand. My mom got a 3 pack at chapters, j think, and they were great. I used one as a nursing cover - tued the corners together, loop over my head and BAM awesome coverage and lo didn't mind it bc it was so light weight

2) flannel blankets. I made my own. Great for lining play mats, I also preferred these for swaddling at one point, and going to other people's places and putting baby on the floor to play.

3) burp cloths - we used whatever was around bc my son was a (thankfully happy) spitter. I had a flannel one I made that I really liked (and it was cute, so my go to for going out), folded muslin, receiving blankets, but mostly we just used medium size prefold diapers around the house and sometimes when we were out.

Edit: not really blankets, but outfit savers are bibs! Big coverage ones for spitters and the little triangle bandana ones later for drool after the spitting phase is done and the teething phase is in full force.

Allycat11 · April 2019

We mainly use swaddle blankets, specifically Aden & Anais. They are great for swaddling, lightly covering baby in the stroller or carseat, and jist quickly throwing them down on the ground. I actually tie two corners and use them as a nursing cover and find that works better than any nursing cover I have purchased.

My MIL likes to buy the kids a plush baby blanket when they are born. Honestly it never really gets used. My kids are not comfort item kids so they do not have an attachment to them and the thick blankets are fairly useless when babies are little.

If I want to throw a bigger blanket down on my living room floor I just grab whatever adult size blanket we have around.

When it gets colder I prefer to use a car seat cover to keep baby warm instead of just blankets. Blankets can get kicked off and tangled and I find the cover we have actually keeps then warmer.

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