No more baby blankets at Lutheran General

Starting today, all babies in the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital newborn nursery won’t have blankets anymore; they’ll have Halo SleepSacks, a wearable blanket that officials say is specially designed for safer sleep.

Hospital officials said in a news release that SleepSacks help swaddle infants tightly, regulate body temperature, and reduce the risk that sudden movement will result in injury.

“We decided to eliminate blankets as a way of modeling good sleep behaviors for parents to follow,” said Cindy Hartwig, the hospital’s executive director of women’s health services, in a statement. “With nearly 4,500 deliveries each year, we know that mothers are looking to us for advice on how to keep their babies safe. Utilizing SleepSacks is one way we can educate parents on safe sleep.”