aden and anais featured on The Early Show

If you have have shopped Blanket My Baby before, then you know that we love, love, love!!! aden + anais blankets.  Why?  They are a terrific product.  Their primary use is swaddling, but they can be used for so many other purposes as well.

Recently, aden and anais was featured on The Early Show and for good reason.  Finally, these blankets are starting to get some of the national publicity that we knew they deserved.  When Dana Points, the Editor and Chief of American Baby is recommending the product, you know that these are quality blankets.

The short clip shows the blankets going for $44 for a 4 pack, but at our store, you can save 12% and get them for only $38.95, over $5 worth of savings!  Click here to shop our entire selection.  Plus, we offer flat rate shipping.  So, you can stock up and buy some of these for gifts for those upcoming baby showers.

aden + anais mod 4 pack

A unique way to gift a homemade receiving blanket at a baby shower

This idea was submitted by:
Heather, 28, Florence, KY
Proud mom of David, Marisa, Joseph and TBD

My mom makes really big receiving blankets for everyone who has a baby, and wraps their gifts in them.  She makes them at least a meter squared.  They stretch width-wise across the crib with room to tuck in a bit, and I use them all the time.  When securely tucked in, they can go directly next to the baby’s face in the crib.

My sister-in-law loves them for nursing because they provide great coverage, but don’t over-heat the baby.  They’re also good for getting a snug, not-going-anywhere swaddle.

So if you want a quick, easy sewing project, buy a yard or so of cute cotton flannel (preferably one with finished edges along two sides) and all you have to do is hem or serge the other two sides.  If you’re making a blanket for your own child, my only advice would be to not over-estimate how much available time you are going to have to make these blankets after your baby arrives.  I’ve got lots of material in the basement for cute blankets that I doubt I’ll ever get around to sewing.  Make them before baby arrives if you can, new moms are busy ladies!

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – My top three criteria include Fabric, Functionality and Style

Heather, 28, Florence, KY
Proud mom of David, Marisa, Joseph and TBD

The perfect baby blanket depends on the owner.  It has to be perfect for you and your baby.  My top three criteria for finding a baby blanket I love are:
fabric, functionality and style.

Fabric
The feel of the fabric must be comfy for the baby and not irritating to me.  The fabric should be heavy enough to keep my baby warm, but light enough so that the baby does not wake up drenched in sweat.  I avoid heavy fleece, thin cotton that allows my baby to feel a draft and all fabrics that are not breathable.

I despise cheap cotton/flannel receiving blankets.  They end up all skewed and out of square after the first washing. I know there’s no way to check for this before buying them, but my Gerber receiving blankets all did this, along with others from cheap stores. Name brands like Carters make really sturdy, much higher quality receiving blankets and it’s well worth paying a bit extra for blankets that hold up.  I use receiving blankets for EVERYTHING.  I love them.

Functionality
The blanket has to be big enough to swaddle with.  There are few things more annoying than trying to swaddle a baby with a blanket that is just a centimeter too small.

Also, since babies are professionals at getting things dirty, the blanket must be durable and able to withstand many washings.  As stated above, I suggest avoiding cheap, cotton/flannel receiving blankets.

Style
The blanket must be cute and unique.  There is a large selection of baby blankets on the market, so I look for one that meets all of my criteria.  With a little searching, I can always find a baby blanket that has a comfy fabric, functionality and my style.

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – Why you should buy unique baby blankets and an idea for the next top-selling, functional blanket

Heather, 28, Florence, KY
Proud mom of David, Marisa, Joseph and TBD

Unique Blankets
I like to buy baby blankets with really unique patterns and high quality, all-natural fabric.  I want a blanket that screams “unique” at first glance.  Why put in the effort to find a one-of-a-kind product if everyone mistakes it for a Babies-R-Us or Walmart blanket?  I try to find something that catches the eye of anyone passing the stroller.

Fashion is fun, but not most important.  You still have to be practical when it comes to baby products.  I would want a heavy enough weave to keep the wind out, but not bulky or too warm.  I like a blanket that can be used during all seasons.  I avoid materials that pill or fade quickly so that it seems indulgent and special for longer than all the generic, cheaper, common blankets.

My idea for the next best-seller
I think a blanket with a slit at the center of the lower third that you could put the bottom of a car-seat or stroller buckle through would be a nice addition to my collection.  This way the baby could be bundled up from below for extra insulation rather than just wrapping the exposed top of them. But, the slit would have to have some sort of soft flap so it wouldn’t be drafty.  It would also need to be designed so that it wouldn’t be bunchy for the baby to sleep on.

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – Choose a blanket that is big enough for swaddling and lets you know when the baby is wet

Heather, 28, Florence, KY
Proud mom of David, Marisa, Joseph and TBD

My favorite swaddle blanket
I think the blanket was purchased at Walmart, but I’m not sure.  It is made of a very heavy, very soft cotton fabric and has a satin edging all around the blanket.  One side is solid baby-blue, the other is patterned. This blanket is my favorite because it combines a lot of my preferences: the satin trim is snuggly, it’s a fairly heavy cotton fabric, it has a very dense weave and it is the perfect size!

Of all the preferences listed above, my FAVORITE feature of this blanket is that it’s slightly wider and longer than all my others!  There seems to be some unspoken rule out there about the dimensions of a baby blanket.  They’re all the same size–too small!

The small blankets are fine for the initial swaddling but there’s no extra fabric.  This means that as soon as the baby starts to move its arms or legs the wrap comes loose, and within a minute they’ve wiggled themselves cold. The blanket I’m talking about is the only one like it that I have.  It’s truly unique in that it’s just a bit larger, and tucks a bit further around the baby than my other blankets.  It truly keeps my kids swaddled.  This blue blanket has been my favorite for all three babies even though Marisa is a girl.

Pee ID
The solid color on the underside of this blanket means you can identify instantly if the baby has peed or spat up.  Blankets that are all patterned hide so much that the baby might be wet and uncomfortable but you can’t see it.  This blanket goes dark, so it’s obvious.  I always wrap the baby so the dark side is outward and I can tell if my baby is wet right away.

I prefer cotton to fleece.  Fleece fabrics feel dry to the touch no matter what, so it’s harder to tell when the baby has soaked the blanket.

An Everday Parent’s Guide for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – It’s all about the TEXTURE

Amie, 32, Cincinnati, Ohio
Proud mom of Allie and Ella

The top three qualifiers for a great baby blanket are definitely texture, color and size says Amie, mom of two.  However, she says a great texture is the number one baby blanket attribute by a wide margin.  Below, Amie shares why texture is key when it comes to finding a baby blanket that both you and your baby will love.

Well for me, it’s all about the texture…

Textures for play
Of all the baby blankets I owned, the one I liked best was a “tag” blanket that my sister-in-law made.  The blanket is a 24” square, colorful blanket with all types of ribbons on the exterior for babies to feel and chew.  Babies love to play with fun textures!

Textures for temperature
Recently I saw that they’re making baby blankets out of the same material as the extra-soft North Face coats.  The micro-fleece blankets feel fantastic and fleece is a great material for keeping your baby warm and cozy.

Textures for swaddling
For swaddling a newborn, the perfect blanket texture is just like an extra thick, cotton t-shirt.  The material is soft against your baby’s skin, not too hot and not too cool.  The elasticity in this type of material allows for the stretch needed for a good, tight swaddle.

Textures we could all live without
A dear friend made us a flannel blanket when one of my girls was born.  I love it because she made it for us, but we really never used it because it was just too stiff and bulky.  You wouldn’t use a blanket that was stiff, bulky, hot, itchy or otherwise uncomfortable.  Why wrap your baby in a texture you wouldn’t wrap up in?

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – You don’t always have to buy the perfect baby blanket – Handmade, crocheted blankets are my all-time favorite

Lisa, 33, Eastgate, Ohio
Proud mom of Nolan, Rylie and Ashlynn

Of all the baby blankets I’ve owned, I would have to say my overall favorites are crocheted blankets.  I’ve never made one myself, but I’ve received many as gifts.

I love that crocheted baby blankets are:

1) handmade by special people (a great heirloom for you or your child)

2) breathable (The natural holes from crocheting make the blanket breathable, as well as the often used cotton yarn.  However, if the crochet pattern is too loose, little fingers and toes can get stuck in the blanket.)

3) great for use as a blanket or for decorating (I love the look of crocheted blankets and often drape them over the crib or hang them on the wall)

4) unique (Since no two handmade blankets are exactly alike, they are always unique.  I have several made with unique colors or patterns.  The yarn used may also have a unique texture or be made from an organic yarn like wool or organic cotton.)

I am a photographer and one of the crocheted baby blankets I own is featured in a picture in my portfolio.  You can view it on my website.  Just follow this link to the Hezlep Photography site.

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – Unique, personalized blankets with the baby’s name embroidered make great gifts

Lisa, 33, Eastgate, Ohio
Proud mom of Nolan, Rylie and Ashlynn

If was going to buy a unique baby blanket for a friend, I would buy a personalized blanket embroidered with the baby’s name.

I received a personalized blanket as a gift from a client of mine for the birth of my third child.  It is made of a very soft, pink, fleece material and has an attached bunny.  My baby loves to play with it and hold on to it.  The picture below was taken of her with the bunny blanket and is featured on my website, http://hezlepphotography.smugmug.com/, under “Portfolio” and then the “My Kids” tab.

When buying a personalized blanket, it is still important to purchase a blanket that the baby will love to cuddle with and that the parent will actually use.  Blankets can be unique and practical at the same time.  See the following post featured on blanketmybaby.com for my general blanket-buying advice:

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – Swaddling blankets and multi-purpose blankets – Babies need different blankets as they grow

You may have noticed that she is laying in a basket with another homemade, crocheted baby blanket.  I do not usually give crocheted blankets as gifts because I do not know how to make them.  If you would like to read why crocheted blankets are my all-time favorite baby blanket, visit the following post:

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – You don’t always have to buy the perfect baby blanket – Handmade, crocheted blankets are my all-time favorite

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – Swaddling blankets and multi-purpose blankets – Babies need different blankets as they grow

Lisa, 33, Eastgate, Ohio
Proud mom of Nolan, Rylie and Ashlynn

Below, Lisa, mom of three, explains that babies will require different types of blankets as they grow and as their needs change.  To help other parents and blanket shoppers in their baby blanket searches, she describes her criteria for swaddling blankets and her preferences for blankets for swaddle graduates (older babies).

Swaddlers

For newborns you need a great swaddling blanket!  Look for blankets that are:

1) perfectly square
2) stretchy
3) big (when I’m using them to swaddle, most regular receiving blankets don’t feel big enough)

I own a receiving blanket made of thermal material that I would recommend.  It’s made by Koala Baby and can be purchased at Babies “R” Us.  The blanket is green, made of 100% cotton, very stretchy and perfectly square.  You can easily swaddle a baby with it and it keeps the baby warm during the colder seasons.  A great swaddle would keep my baby comfortable and sleeping.

Koala Baby Thermal Receiving Blanket – Babies “R” Us (pictured)

I would not suggest buying regular, cheap receiving blankets for swaddling infants.  At my house, they just ended up being used as burp cloths.

Swaddle Graduates (older babies)

As babies get older and more active, I recommend blankets that are:

1) breathable
2) soft (babies LOVE soft materials for cuddling and playing, especially silk or satin)
3) durable (during this stage, babies become attached to certain items—namely their blankies—so you want one that will hold up)
4) big (it’s nice to have a blanket big enough to throw on the floor at other people’s houses and let the baby play)

One word of warning:  In my experience, the blankets that have a solid silk or satin side with the opposite side made of a soft material tends to make babies sweat profusely.  The sweating is usually worst if they are touching the silky side of the blanket.  This is one of the reasons I recommend breathable material.

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – Unique animal blankets

Sherri, 36, Cincinnati, OH
Proud mom of Makayla and McKinley

I love unique animal baby blankets.  They are a blanket and a toy in one.  My girls love to play and cuddle with them.

One animal blanket I received as a gift was the “Puppy Blankie & Little Friend Set”. The blanket has a little puppy head on the corner (pictured).  Too cute!  You can find it on the American Gift Factory website (link below).   We also own a similar giraffe animal blanket.

If you are looking for a unique animal blanket, here’s some info:  The FunBath Angel Dear Blankies are square-shaped and made with super light, cashmere material.  I love how soft the fabric is, and so do my kids. The blankets also come with a “Little Friend Toy”.  The best part is that the whole set is machine washable—we all know how messy babies can be.

If I were going to buy a baby blanket as a unique shower gift, I would definitely purchase an animal blanket.

American Gift Factory