DIY mamas-to-be and wannabes: This is one easy project that will give you bang for your $5.
When shopping for receiving blankets, it seems that there are 3 kinds of totally WRONG kinds of blankets: cute but stretchy, too small, or not square. Uggh! For a true Harvey-Karp-style swaddle, you need a biggish piece of flannel or muslin fabric cut in a square.
Excerpted from both our book, Rookie Mom’s Handbook and our real lives is this super fast way of making the best big-enough receiving blanket:
Activity # 11: Make the best (or worst) swaddling blanket
If making something with your hands is fun for you and having a well-rested baby is something else you like, then this activity is right up your alley.
Buy a 40″ by 40″ piece of flannel with a cute pattern and then finish (or hem) the edges. A perfect square makes the best swaddler, but any shape will do for a stroller blanket or play mat — so if it comes out deformed, everybody still wins.
Pay no attention to the couple piles of adorable flannel in my sewing pile… I swear that those are for friends and their future babies, and not cuz I couldn’t handle this project.
Related links:
Happiest Baby on the Block (dvd) – to teach you to wrap your perfect swaddle
Rookie Mom’s Handbook – to teach you how to enjoy becoming a mom
Activity #387: Make or buy a fuzzy, sassy, personalized baby blanket – to teach you how to make a totally cute stroller blanket
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Ok, so I totally want to try to make a few of these as as I have a ton showers coming up (2 for new moms, 2 for repeaters) but sadly my many years of Home Ec. education was taken many years ago and I’ve apparently pushed most of that info out of my brain and replaced it with newer, important info (like who’s John Mayer dating this week) hence I can not for the life of me figure out how to finish flannel edges. I have a sewing machine, but it’s stitching is iffy at times (I think it may have something to do with my bobbin loading skills – either that or gremlins). What about wonder-under or whatever that iron on strip stuff is called? Can I use that on flannel?
Wait… flannel’s the fabric they make those throw blankets with the tied edges out of, right? Or am I thinking of fleece? Can I make a swaddling blanket out of fleece for a baby or is that a no-no.
Ok, let’s see one at a time here!
1. Flannel is that lumberjack stuff. Grunge shirts. Non-stretchy. What I did was fold over the edges, iron it (gasp!) and do my best. Flannel frays a bit if left unfinished.
2. Fleece is the stuff of recycled plastic bottles, ski trips, great for putting under potty training kids when they’re zoning out playing. You can cut a square and make a “play blanket” without doing any sewing at all! Awesome, yes, but I would not recommend for a swaddle (would be too sweaty).
3. If you totally can’t handle the finishing the edges, I wouldn’t bother with the sticky stuff but I wonder what other folks would suggest.
I didn’t hear about the Happiest Baby on the Block until *after* my first was three weeks old and wouldn’t sleep anywhere but on me. I bought two 45 x 45 inch squares of flannel (the fabric was 45in. wide) and I used them with unfinished edges for MONTHS because I couldn’t handle getting the sewing machine out and threaded. Two of the edges were selvedge so they didn’t unravel, but the other two were cut and frayed a bit. They eventually started unravelling, but by that time Wyatt was too big for swaddling anyway.
Ok I will be a 1st time mom in September and really liked this idea. I didn’t think just one piece of flannel was enough since the baby is basically in the fall plus my mom is the sew lady of the family. I had her put together 2 pieces of flannel which was on sale at Joann Fabrics for $2.99/yd plus a 10% off coupon (off the total purchase). I must say the blankets are very nice and she has since decided to make several at once and she will give these as a shower present to the future mama’s that come her way. She also bought excess and used those to make matching burp cloths! They are very cute and her sewing machine does fancy stitch designs.
I made a pile of these blankets while pregnant with my lil one. Here’s my recipe:
For one blanket, get 1 yard of flannel. It’s a thin, slightly fuzzy fabric, non-stretchy, and absorbent enough that you can wipe up spit-up with a corner of the blanket as needed (I love these blankets for nursing & burping too!) … JoAnn’s often has “Snuggle Flannel” on sale ($6 down to $3ish) and it comes in tons of cute prints.
The fabric is usually 44″ wide (check to be sure), so if you buy a yard you can cut it down to 36×36, or buy 44 inches for a larger blanket.
Trim the edges so they are square and straight. Then fold over an edge, by say 1/4 or 1/2 inch. You can either iron the fold in place, or fold it as you sew. Use the zigzag stitch on your machine (99% of sewing machines have a zigzag stitch, even the cheap ones) to c over the raw edge of the fabric. This is quicker and easier than a real hem and I think better for blankets anyway. Repeat for the other 3 sides. Ta-da! Finished blanket.
Quick question, I have this lovely jersey knit, kind of fannel fabric, it is quite stretchy, do you think this will work if I trim it down to a smaller sized square? Is stretchy fabric okay to use? I have used the same fabric to make a sling, I bought 5 yards as it was marked down to $1 per yard. Love a bargain!
Hailey, it’s worth a try. I fear that your jersey might be too stretchy. Please do report back.
What about muslin? I realize it is a bit more expensive, but I was seeing all of these positive reviews for the muslin Anais blankets but they are ridiculously expensive. I was thinking of buying Unbleached Super Muslin 44” x 15 Yds. for $49.99 and cutting them into 40×40 squares. Has anyone had any experience with using muslin as a swaddler?
Rumor has it, muslin is fantastic! We’ll provide more information when we get it.
This looks like something even I could handle. Love it! And with a new baby cousin born today I will have to get on it. Thanks!
For my first baby a few years ago, I made a few out of plain old cheap muslin from JoAnn’s. Did exactly what you outlined. Very easy, and the blankets work great for other jobs too (changing blanket, etc. ).
Big tip for any fabric that you want to have some absorbency to: Do not use fabric softener (dryer sheets or liquid). These products make fabrics slightly waterproof. I use a few splashes of white vinegar in the liquid fabric softener bin in the washer. Clothes come out soft and clean with a neutral odor. …I always wondered why I bath towels didn’t absorb water like I thought they should….. Now I know
I looked at the muslin Anais swaddler for a friend, but a $44 pack was going to be over $80 to ship to Canada. Um, not a freaking chance! So I think I’ll just make a bunch of them. I could use silk for what those Anais ones cost!
Hello me again! I have decided not to use the jersey, maybe too stretchy and warm… I am not able to find muslin cloth in the UK to buy, and the muslin squares here are too small to swaddle with (70 x 70 cm), until I found this site through the National Childbirth Trust.. http://www.bigmuz.com They ship to Canada and the US and seem quite cheap compared to Aden & Anias ones….
I have also used cotton… in between the weight of flannel and muslin. (we actually got 2 seersucker blankets from my hubby’s student when we had our first son). They are great too!!!
Just curious why you would shy away from stretchy fabric? The Moby Wrap sells a swaddle blanket that’s done quite well and I think the Miracle swaddle blanket is out of jersey knit too but I’ve never tried either. Any reason stretchy would be bad for swaddling?
It seems like you’d be able to get a good snug wrap without the risk of suffocating but again all I’ve ever used is flannel??
Hi Bree,
I don’t know what the right word is but “stretchy” seemed to make sense, perhaps “flimsy” is better. You want a fabric that will give a tight hold.
Flannel, jersey, and muslin all have different properties but seem to work well.
Thank you so much for these easy instructions! My son still loves to be swaddled at 3 months, and we’re still using those not-so-adorable hospital blankets because the “receiving blankets” are too small! I, too, love the Aden and Anais and Moby swaddle blankets, but I can’t bring myself to spend that much (although I did splurge on the Moby wrap- it is amazing).