Infant Blankets and Sleep Sack Comparisons    

When you’re expecting a little bundle of joy, you can also expect to have plenty of choices to make about different baby products. At some point or another, you’ll start thinking about the world of newborn blankets. 

Infant blankets are a staple at baby showers for a reason. They provide warmth and comfort, and they’re as cute as they are necessary. But which infant blankets are the best for your sweet baby? 

Do Babies Really Need Infant Blankets?

Swaddling aside, The American Academy of Pediatrics’ safe sleep guidelines recommend against using an infant blanket for sleep until your child is at least a year old. In fact, it’s safest to keep infant blankets and other soft objects, like pillows and stuffed animals, out of cribs entirely to reduce the risk of SIDS. So, do you really need a blanket for your baby?

You definitely do! But not for sleep. Infant blankets are great for all sorts of things, from keeping baby snuggled up during stroller walks and in the car to acting as a nursing cover or covering the car seat when you’re out and about and more.

Styles of Kyte Baby Blankets

Just like the various colors and patterns, Kyte Baby offers a multitude of blanket styles to ensure you find just what you’re looking for to keep your little one cozy. Our swaddle blankets are thinner and have the perfect amount of stretch to help you get even the wiggliest baby securely wrapped. 

Our classic baby blankets are a little bit thicker and come in different TOGs to suit whatever temperature you’re in. They’re great for snuggling up for a contact nap, throwing in the diaper bag for travel, or anything in between. 

For chilly stroller walks, car rides, or even for just a fun accent blanket for your little one’s nursery, our chunky knit blankets offer supreme warmth with a cozy look and feel. These chunky knit blankets are made of a unique blend featuring rayon made from bamboo to help keep the cold air out while still allowing for air flow. Don’t be fooled by its textured appearance, this infant blanket is just as buttery soft as the rest of them.

Using Newborn Blankets for Swaddling

Swaddling is the one exception to the “no blankets in the crib” rule. If you keep your newborn tightly and securely wrapped in a swaddle blanket, it can be safe. 

Benefits of Swaddling 

Once you swaddle your baby for the first time, you’ll quickly realize how much of a game-changer it is. Wrapping the newborn blanket into a swaddle is somewhat of an art form, but once you get it down, it’s like magic. Not only does swaddling offer a snuggly, womb-like feeling that helps soothe newborns to sleep, but it can also help calm a colicky baby and keep those sharp little nails from scratching sensitive faces.

Newborns are born with many reflexes, one of which is the startle reflex or Moro reflex. It’s an involuntary motor response that causes your baby to suddenly splay out their arms and legs, leading to wakeups and long nights. Using a newborn blanket as a swaddle is a great way to circumvent that reflex, keeping their arms tight against their body so they stay asleep. 

Swaddle Blanket Alternatives

If you’re not sure about all that wrapping and folding, but still want your baby to enjoy the benefits of swaddling, our swaddle bags help keep that cozy, wrapped-up feeling your little one loves, but feature a zipper instead of origami folds. The zipper closure ensures that even the strongest little arms and legs can’t escape. 

We also love our sleep bag swaddler, which is a classic sleep sack that comes with a removable Velcro wrap you can use to give your baby that snug squeeze. It’s a great transitional piece because it allows you to swaddle completely, leave one or both arms out, or remove the wrap completely to transform into a wearable blanket. This smooth transition helps you keep your routine consistent for better sleep.

When To Stop Swaddling Your Newborn

Unfortunately, the magic of swaddling with a newborn blanket only lasts for so long. The AAP recommends dropping the swaddle around eight weeks of age or when baby shows signs of rolling over – whichever comes first. Though it’s an invaluable tool for the newborn phase, it can pose a risk for suffocation once your baby starts rolling or gets strong enough to wiggle out of their newborn blanket. 

Other Uses for Infant Blankets

Just because you’re done using a newborn blanket for swaddling doesn’t mean that you’re done with them. Since it’s unsafe to wear large coats in the car seat, an infant blanket is great to keep in the car for an extra layer over car seat straps.

Infant blankets can also become a comfort item very quickly. Your little one may end up carrying their infant blanket around during play time, covering up during cuddles and reading time with parents, and even using it to keep their toys and stuffies warm at night. It’s precious to see how special and important a simple infant blanket can become as babies transition to toddlerhood. 

Some of our favorite uses for newborn blankets are:

• Sew into keepsake bears or quilts
• Use as a photography backdrop for milestone pictures
• Put on the floor for tummy time
• Use as a car seat cover
• Use as a nursing cover

Sleep Sacks for Safer Sleeping 

Once swaddling with newborn blankets is no longer safe, you may be wondering what to use to keep your little one safe and warm at night. For infants and toddlers alike, sleep sacks are the answer. 

Sleep Sacks, or wearable blankets, keep your baby toasty and comfortable while adhering to safe sleep recommendations. With the safety of a sleep sack, you don’t have to worry about suffocation from loose bedding or your little one getting tangled up at night.

A Kyte Baby sleep sack features the same buttery soft, comfortable fabric as our baby blankets, helping to ease the transition between swaddle and sleep sack. Even the act of putting your baby in their sleep sack can also help signal their minds and bodies that it’s time for bed, leading to a smoother bedtime routine for all.

How to Choose a Sleep Sack

First and foremost, it’s important to pay attention to how your little one sleeps at night to determine the best sleep sack for their situation. Our classic sleep bags are sleeveless and midweight, perfect for average nursery temps and climates. However, if your baby tends to get chilly at night, or the temperature in your home stays low, a slumber bag may be the best choice. Slumber bags are the same as sleep sacks but feature cozy long sleeves to add an extra layer of warmth. 

You can always customize the sleepwear to keep your little one at the perfect temperature by layering. Add or take away layers as needed to maintain the proper temperature, and choose between long sleeve footies to keep them toasty or a simple onesie to help them stay cool.

Sleep Sack TOGs

When choosing a sleep sack, you should also pay attention to the TOG, or Thermal Overall Grade. This refers to how much warmth the fabric retains. The higher the TOG, the more heat the sleep sack will retain. To find the right TOG, use the following guide to match the temperature of the sleeping environment: 

• 0.5 TOG for temperatures of 74-78°F (23-26°C)
• 1.0 TOG for temperatures of 69-73°F (21-23°C)
• 2.5 TOG for temperatures of 61-68°F (16-20°C)

Snuggly Toddler Blankets

If your toddler (at least one year old) is suddenly taking their sleep bag off, transitioning to a toddler bed, or even climbing out of their bed to explore, it’s time to say goodbye to the traditional sleep sack. Once it’s safe to have a blanket in the bed, Kyte Baby has a superb selection of toddler blankets. 

Toddler blankets don’t have to be just for toddler beds; they are versatile throughout your entire home! 

Some of our favorite ways to use toddler blankets are: 

• On the couch as a throw blanket
• Snuggling together as a family
• As a picnic blanket

Sleep Bag Walkers Instead of Toddler Blankets

Toddler blankets are phenomenal for growing with your children, but sometimes kids crave the warmth and comfort of something familiar. If your toddler still wants their sleep sack but they are trying to get up and walk around, or if they’re always kicking off their covers, a sleep bag walker is the perfect solution. 

Sleep bag walkers are just like sleep sacks, except they have feet openings at the bottom to allow your toddler to walk around safely. They can also be great for younger kids if they are hot sleepers. If you find your toddler waking up with a hot, sweaty forehead or red cheeks, exposing their feet in a sleep bag walker may help cool them down enough to be comfortable. 

As an added bonus, sleep bag walkers are truly for the whole family. An adult sleep bag walker can keep you comfortable all night long, all while giving you a sweet matching look with your little one! 

Why Choose Kyte Baby Products?

Kyte Baby is committed to serving families of all shapes and sizes, and the quality of each and every product reflects that. Various families have various needs, and the convenient, practical features of our sleep sacks and infant blankets help meet every family where they are. 

One of our most well-loved features of every sleep sack is our signature J-shaped double zippers. This allows for quick diaper changes, easy undressing when accidents happen, and even helps children with adaptive needs. It also features a zipper garage, where zippers are safely covered to avoid any skin irritation. 

Alongside other features designed to keep bedtime easy and comfortable, our special rayon made from bamboo is specially designed to perform in any temperature and outlast newborn blankets and sleep sacks made from cotton, fleece, and other materials.  

Benefits of Bamboo Baby Sleep Solutions

Rayon made from bamboo is not only softer than many other fabrics, but it also has tangible benefits designed to keep your baby safe and comfortable. For example, bamboo is up to three degrees cooler than cotton and has supreme breathability, allowing for adequate airflow all night long. It also has temperature-regulating properties that help keep little ones cool in the summer and toasty warm in the winter.

Bamboo clothing and newborn blankets can also help address signs and symptoms of eczema. Parents of newborns know how delicate newborn skin can be, especially when eczema rears its ugly head. The hypoallergenic qualities paired with the silky softness can soothe those itchy rashes.

Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Baby Blankets

It’s so important to Kyte Baby and to parents around the globe that we ensure sustainable production practices and remain as eco-friendly as possible. Infant blankets and other textiles made from bamboo are extremely sustainable, as bamboo requires less water than cotton to grow. It also does not need to be continuously planted and returns season after season to be harvested.

Bamboo growth also doesn’t require pesticides, traditional fertilizers, or the use of large machinery. It is said to absorb more carbon dioxide from the air than cotton plants and many types of timber. Bamboo growth contributes to cleaner air, water, and soil.

Kyte Baby has an OEKO-Tex Standard 100 Certification

Since bamboo is extraordinarily safe to grow and doesn’t require the use of harsh chemicals, Kyte Baby products have earned the prestigious OEKO-Tex Standard 100 Certification. This means that our infant blankets are free of harmful substances from the beginning of production to the finished product and pass rigorous safety tests along the way. Every single Kyte Baby product, from our toddler blankets to our sleep sacks, is safe for even the newest members of your family. 

Infant Blankets and Sleep Sacks from Kyte Baby are The Best

At Kyte Baby, we know just how important it is to keep your babies safe and comfortable, because we’re parents, too. Whether you’re searching for a sweet newborn blanket for a baby shower gift or finding the perfect sleep sack for your growing toddler, Kyte Baby has you covered.