Our rating:

HALO sleep sack review

It would be an injustice to not review the top selling sleep sack in the US, but is it really the best? With dozens of different variations of its “wearable blanket”, HALO is the most well-known brand and is used by more than 1000 hospitals around the country.

It even has the distinction of being recognized as “Hip Healthy” by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute. The HALO sack, particularly the cotton or fleece version, is a good inexpensive option to see if your baby responds well to wearing a sleep sack (most will!). It’s a great natural progression after swaddling.

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Material and Warmth

If you’ve tried other brands of baby sleep bags, the first thing you’ll notice about HALO is that while the material is soft and comfortable, it is lighter duty than others. Nine different fabric options are available including the five most common below which are listed in order of popularity.

Cotton – Best for spring and summer months, especially in rooms with no air conditioning.

Micro-fleece – Ideal for cooler months. Softer than cotton but less breathable.

Organic Cotton – Surprisingly, this material is not as soft as the regular cotton. Great for little ones with skin allergies.

Luxe Sherpa – Similar to micro-fleece but slightly warmer.

Cotton Sweater Knit – Looks adorable and made for winter months. Slightly less durable.

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HALO states that all their fabrics are breathable and able to wick moisture but synthetic materials such as micro-fleece may cause excess sweating in some babies which tend to always sleep warm. While thinner than some competing brands, they are also very suitable for a wide range of temperatures through proper layering.

A diaper may be all that is needed to be worn underneath during warm summer nights while a full long sleeve bodysuit can provide the ideal warmth on those chilly winter nights.

The chart below lists the thermal insulation (TOG) values for all of HALO’s materials:

HALO sleep sack fabric

Sizes

HALO baby sleep sacks are available in the following sizes:

Premie: Birth-5lbs.

Small:  12-18lbs.

Medium:  16-24lbs.

Large:  22-28lbs.

X-Large: 26-36lbs. (runs very large!)

While it may be tempting to buy a size larger for your baby to “grow into”, it’s highly recommended to purchase the size your young one will need right now. Besides being less comfortable if the sleep bag is too big, safety concerns are a bigger issue as too large of one may allow the baby’s head to go through the neck hole where their face may get covered up.

Also keep in mind that arm holes run a bit small while the neck hole runs a bit big.

Design and Features

best HALO wearable blanketIf you’re picky about colors and designs, you’ll be sure to find a HALO sleep sack design you like with the variety of colors and patterns available. Actual colors appear to be slightly brighter than those shown on online sites.

Naturally, the best selling cotton and micro-fleece models have the largest selection of designs. There’s nothing else really special about these sacks other than the zipper which unzips from the bottom up to make those middle of the night diaper changes slightly less difficult.

What We Like

  • Low price
  • Easy to wash
  • Soft and comfortable
  • Good length, even for longer babies
  • Excellent customer support

What We Don’t Like

  • Zipper quality is hit or miss (top has a tendency to warp after many washings)
  • Thinner material than most anticipate
  • Because of the sizing, be prepared to buy a new one about every six months

Conclusion

We like almost the entire lineup of HALO wearable blankets (pass on the organic cotton). While they are fairly basic on features, they are soft and cozy and priced perfectly to make for a great baby shower or Christmas gift.

Most parents will be two per child to be able to always have a clean one on hand. You really can’t go wrong with buying a cotton one for the warmer months and micro-fleece for the chilly ones. Even when they outgrow it, many kiddos will actually still carry it around with them and even take it to bed as a security blanket.

Overall, HALO makes good sleep sacks but they won’t compare to a Merino if you have a little extra to budget.

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