Yahoo Lifestyle When Swaddling is Over, It's Time for a Sleep Sack for Your Baby
- 1/16
When Swaddling is Over, It's Time for a Sleep Sack for Your Baby
We updated this article in March 2023 and added six new picks. Per the latest guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics we removed a weighted sleep sack; see more at the end of this article in "Do sleep sacks help prevent SIDS?"
You want your baby to be comfortable while they snooze, but first and foremost, your baby's sleeping environment needs to be safe. The American Academy of Pediatrics says to keep cribs bare of any loose bedding, plush animals or pillows. What the safety experts do allow are a fitted crib sheet on the crib mattress and a wearable blanket on your baby — a.k.a. a sleep sack.
Many parents start with their newborn in a swaddle and then graduate them to a sleep sack at around 3 months so baby's hands are free. This way, they can push themselves up if they accidentally roll over. A wearable blanket usually zips over pajamas to give your baby the warm and cozy feeling of a regular blanket without the worry of accidental suffocation. Many parents keep their toddler in a sleep sack, too, so their 1- or 2-year-old can't kick off their blanket at night. Most of the choices on our list come in sizes for infants through 24-month-olds, though a few are just for young babies.
At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we've tested and reviewed tons of baby and parenting products from the best cribs and bassinets to baby monitors and baby food subscriptions. We've made our selections of the best sleep sacks based on testing we’ve performed, feedback we’ve received from our consumer tester panel, our industry knowledge of trusted brands and in-house reviews of specifications and features.
Our top picks:
After our list, read more about how we test wearable blankets as well as our shopping tips for picking the best sleep sack for your baby.
nordstrom - 2/16
1) Sleepsack Wearable Blanket
Halo
amazon.com
$22.49
Halo is the brand that coined the term "sleepsack" and it's a favorite among parents and our experts. The wearable blanket is roomy, not confining. Its zipper sits at the bottom instead of the top so you don't have to worry about it scratching your baby's face, and it makes overnight diaper changes nice and simple.
We like the style shown — a cotton knit fabric that our Textiles Lab confirms feels super soft and gives warmth without trapping in too much heat. Halo also has a microfleece version for colder weather and a breathable muslin variation for warmer temperatures.
Amazon - 3/16
2) Simple Joys Microfleece Wearable Blanket
Carter's
amazon.com
$19.00
Most wearable blankets are sleeveless, but this microfleece style has long sleeves for extra warmth on chilly nights. The fabric feels soft and cozy, but our textile experts say that it's not too heavy for those worried about overheating. "My kids particularly liked that the arms felt extra snug and cozy, because we kept their rooms cool," says our Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman. "I was always so sad when they outgrew these!"
These sleep sacks have a tab to cover the zipper at the top and protect your baby's chin. The zipper can be used from the top or zipped up from the bottom. If you know you'll be buying multiple sleep sacks, this set of two is a total steal at less than $10 per sleep sack. It also has earned over 8,000 five-star reviews on Amazon.
Carter's - 4/16
3) Organic Cotton Beekeeper Wearable Blanket
Burt's Bees Baby
amazon.com
$23.95
Burt's Bees Baby makes a sleep sack with GOTS-certified organic cotton so you know the entire manufacturing process (not just the growing of the cotton) follows strict standards. Our Lab experts say it's also soft thanks to a special production process that removes short fibers and only leaves the long, smooth ones.
It zips from the bottom up for easy diaper changes and has a tab cover at the bottom to prevent your toddler from trying to unzip it themself. We're fans of the hand-drawn prints that make these sleep sacks look high-end for their affordable price. If you're a fan of the look you can go all-out. "I coordinated one of these sacks with other items in the nursery including the Burts Bees Baby crib sheets," Rothman says.
Burt's Bees Baby - 5/16
4) Transitional Swaddle Sack
SwaddleDesigns
amazon.com
$20.51
If you want to start early with a wearable blanket and not worry about making the transition from a swaddle to a sleep sack, this one is designed for infants. It has a zipper just like a regular sleep sack, but it has a more snug fit and the arms are still slightly restricted to help prevent a newborn's startle reflex. You can choose whether to leave baby's hands covered or uncovered with the clever foldover mitten cuffs.
The closure down the front is a two-way zipper that can zip from the top or bottom for dressings and diaper changes.
Amazon - 6/16
5) Sleepy Bag
Little Sleepies
littlesleepies.com
$64.00
Have fun where you can when parenting a baby! Sleepy Bags from Little Sleepies have themes from Harry Potter, Star Wars and Disney. Pictured is Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas, but there are also many Disney princess Sleepy Bags and characters from the Toy Story movies, too. You can also buy them in solids and pretty patterns. They're fun for snapping pictures while also being very practical wearable blankets.
A double zipper runs along the bottom of each sack for easy diaper changes, and the shoulder straps snap up for dressing and undressing. In addition to coming in multiple sizes, you can choose the weight of each Sleepy Bag; they're available in lightweight, season-less (middleweight) or winter-weight fabric.
Little Sleepies - 7/16
6) Organic Cotton Matelasse Wearable Blanket
HonestBaby
amazon.com
$24.00
Parents get a little obsessed about the zippers on a sleep sack. Trying to move a bad zipper that catches can wake the baby or make diaper changes more of a hassle. A smooth, two-way zipper that goes both up the sack and along the bottom seems to solve a lot of problems and has many parents gravitating to this HonestBaby wearable blanket.
You can unzip just the bottom of the sack to change your baby's diaper at night without them getting chilly. Because the zipper also goes up the side it's easy to put on at bedtime. Fans also praise the durable, soft fabric and our experts appreciate that it is made with GOTS-certified organic cotton.
HonestBaby - 8/16
7) 4 Season Baby Sleep Bag
Woolino
amazon.com
$99.99
Because it's made from organic cotton and merino wool, a soft and temperature-regulating fiber that can be used all year long, this sleep bag is a little pricey. But it's adjustable in size, so you won't need to buy a bigger one as your baby grows. You simply change which snaps you secure under your baby's arms to change the fit of the sleep sack.
There's a two-way zipper on the side and the shoulder straps also just snap together. This one also includes a seatbelt slot so your baby can wear it while strapped into a bouncer seat, swing, stroller or car seat.
Amazon - 9/16
8) Dream Sack
Little Giraffe
nordstrom.com
$63.00
This super plush chenille fabric feels like a cozy throw blanket. In fact, it's so soft you'll wish they made it in your size! (The California-based brand does make deliciously silky kid blankets for the preschool years.) The zipper sits at the bottom and it has a snap-button tab at the top to protect your baby's chin from the zipper.
This one is sized for newborns and infants and comes in a gift box, so it would make a perfect baby shower gift. We like that it is both machine-wash and tumble-dry ready so it's easy to care for.
Nordstrom - 10/16
9) Muslin Sleeping Bag
aden + anais
amazon.com
$39.95
Aden + Anais is best known for its cotton muslin baby blankets that serve as great swaddles, stroller blankets and nursing covers. The brand uses the same popular fabric in its wearable blankets. Our textiles experts note that cotton muslin is breathable so it helps prevent overheating, especially nice in the summertime or if your baby's nursery runs warm. Our Lab experts and consumer testers also confirm that the fabric keeps getting softer over time as you wash it.
Like some others, this style unzips up the front starting from the bottom for easy diaper changes. Cute new design patterns come in all the time.
Aden + Anais - 11/16
10) Long-Sleeve Fleece Sleeping Bag
Hudson Baby
amazon.com
$20.99
Parents of winter babies and families who live in colder climates often search for wearable blankets with sleeves. This budget-friendly set of two only comes in one size, for babies from birth to 9 months, and online reviewers caution that big babies might grow out of one by about 6 months. But for infants, it's "super cozy and comfortable" according to one reviewer who put her daughter in a Hudson Baby sleeping bag when swaddling was over.
The zipper zips up from the bottom of these sacks. Many of the brand's prints are seasonal and wintery.
Hudson Baby - 12/16
11) Sleeping Bag
KYTE BABY
amazon.com
$59.99
A rayon-and-spandex blend makes these sleeping bags silky soft and also lightweight, so many parents like them for babies who seem to run hot at night or for nurseries that are always on the warmer side.
"Smoother fabrics, in general, are less likely to be itchy, which is good for sensitive skin," adds our textiles expert. But be wary of claims from this brand and others that tout their fabric as coming from bamboo; in the end, the fabric is still just rayon. See our PSA: There's no bamboo in your bamboo bedding.
KYTE Baby - 13/16
12) Moon and Back Wearable Blanket
Hanna Andersson
amazon.com
$28.87
We have lauded Hanna Andersson for having the most popular baby clothes, and this classic wearable blanket from the beloved brand is soft and puffy like a traditional sleeping bag. Like the brand's pajamas, the wearable blanket is durable and we find it holds up to machine-washing over and over.
The zipper zips up from the bottom for easy diapering. The manufacturer suggests a baby wear minimal pajamas under this and sleep in a nursery set between 60 and 70 degrees to prevent overheating.
Hanna Andersson - 14/16
13) Zipadee-Zip Baby Sleep Sack
SleepingBaby
amazon.com
$39.95
The appeal of the Zipadee-Zip is that your baby's little hands stay covered — good if your baby accidentally scratches their own face with their tiny nails. Many parents also feel this makes a nice transition from a swaddle. You may have seen the brand snag a deal on Shark Tank to launch the design!
Our analysts had mixed feelings about the arms being covered because it's critical that a baby be able to push themself up if they roll over in the crib. However, online reviewers report that their babies can push up, hold onto the crib railings and even stand in this full-coverage wearable blanket. For extra safety, you should wait until your baby has strong head and neck control before using this so that if they do roll over, they can turn their head for easy breathing.
Zipadee Zip - 15/16
14) Sleepsack Toddler Sleeping Bag
HALO
amazon.com
$29.99
If you're still not ready to use a regular blanket when your baby becomes a toddler or you just want to make sure they'll stay warm without the covers falling off, a wearable blanket with legs is the perfect solution. It zips on just like a regular sleep sack and can go over light pajamas, but it gives your kid the freedom to walk around.
Halo makes this sleep suit as a nice transition out of its Sleepsack wearable blanket. The exact cut has changed a bit through the years; we like that this current version isn't too bulky. It zips up from the bottom under the assumption that you're still handling your toddler's diaper. Once your child is in pull-up diapers or potty training you'll want to transition out of a sleeper like this one.
HALO - 16/16
15) Zen Sack Classic
Nested Bean
amazon.com
$45.99
This unique sleeping bag has a lightly-weighted pad on the chest that mimics the feel of your hand to give baby a little extra comfort during the night. The fill is similar to what you find inside stuffed animals and sits inside a cotton fabric. It also has a two-way zipper along the side and adjustable shoulder straps that makes it take longer to outgrow.
• Fabric: 100% cotton with poly beads
• Sizing: Available in 0-6 months, 6-15 months, and 15-24 months (up to 36 pounds)Amazon
