Company Blog
Where Did Those Pink and Blue Striped Hospital Baby Blankets Come From?
You may not notice at first glance the common newborn baby picture that parents take. However, when you put two social media pictures of newborn babies side to side, you’ll likely notice one blatant similarity – the baby blankets.
Chances are, both baby blankets will be white, with those familiar blue and pink stripes.
This isn’t just something that is common in photos from this new age of technology though – you’ll find the same thing on newborn babies from 50 years ago! Is this some grand conspiracy?
Not quite. These baby blankets have been a popular choice among hospitals for several reasons:
- The combination of the pink and blue stripes makes this linen gender-neutral so there’s no need for swapping.
- These blankets are oftentimes cheaper than their patterned counterparts.
- Because of their popularity, they are easier for nurses and doctors to identify amongst their linens.
A Baby Blanket Origin Story
The origin of this receiving blanket is actually fairly simple. It was all started by a healthcare linen supply company named Medline, located in Mundelein, Illinois, and by A.L. Mills, to be exact.
His original job was to make butcher aprons, and eventually, that led him to create surgical attire. As it became more common for women to give birth in the hospital setting as opposed to at home, the drab cloth that hospitals were using as a baby blanket was in need of an appealing upgrade. That’s where Mills came in.
He settled on the white, pink, and blue combination because it was simple, so it wouldn’t detract from the real focus of the event (the baby), and it also kept the receiving blanket gender-neutral so the blanket could remain versatile.
And his intentions behind the design were picked up…a lot. Every year, Medline sells approximately 1.5 million of this design, which has been called the Kuddle-Up blanket.
Need Baby Blankets for Your Medical Facility?
The best way to acquire these blankets for your hospital isn’t to simply purchase them. You may instead want to consider getting your baby blankets through a medical linen rental company.
This is because of the potentially steep costs that linen loss from baby blankets poses to your hospital. Linen loss is the result of parents stealing these receiving blankets, as well as employees incorrectly laundering the baby blankets. When your business experiences linen loss, you have to pay the price of replacing each and every receiving blanket.
MEDtegrity keeps track of and launders your linens far more reliably than other rental programs.
At MEDtegrity, our partners carry an assortment of patterns for our baby blankets, but also include that classic white cotton, flannel blanket with the blue and pink stripes that your hospital might be looking for. All of the receiving blankets in our line are soft, warm, and comforting.
To learn more about how our service works, contact us today at 888-893-3334.
