An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – You don’t always have to buy the perfect baby blanket – Handmade, crocheted blankets are my all-time favorite

Lisa, 33, Eastgate, Ohio
Proud mom of Nolan, Rylie and Ashlynn

Of all the baby blankets I’ve owned, I would have to say my overall favorites are crocheted blankets.  I’ve never made one myself, but I’ve received many as gifts.

I love that crocheted baby blankets are:

1) handmade by special people (a great heirloom for you or your child)

2) breathable (The natural holes from crocheting make the blanket breathable, as well as the often used cotton yarn.  However, if the crochet pattern is too loose, little fingers and toes can get stuck in the blanket.)

3) great for use as a blanket or for decorating (I love the look of crocheted blankets and often drape them over the crib or hang them on the wall)

4) unique (Since no two handmade blankets are exactly alike, they are always unique.  I have several made with unique colors or patterns.  The yarn used may also have a unique texture or be made from an organic yarn like wool or organic cotton.)

I am a photographer and one of the crocheted baby blankets I own is featured in a picture in my portfolio.  You can view it on my website.  Just follow this link to the Hezlep Photography site.

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – Unique, personalized blankets with the baby’s name embroidered make great gifts

Lisa, 33, Eastgate, Ohio
Proud mom of Nolan, Rylie and Ashlynn

If was going to buy a unique baby blanket for a friend, I would buy a personalized blanket embroidered with the baby’s name.

I received a personalized blanket as a gift from a client of mine for the birth of my third child.  It is made of a very soft, pink, fleece material and has an attached bunny.  My baby loves to play with it and hold on to it.  The picture below was taken of her with the bunny blanket and is featured on my website, http://hezlepphotography.smugmug.com/, under “Portfolio” and then the “My Kids” tab.

When buying a personalized blanket, it is still important to purchase a blanket that the baby will love to cuddle with and that the parent will actually use.  Blankets can be unique and practical at the same time.  See the following post featured on blanketmybaby.com for my general blanket-buying advice:

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket - Swaddling blankets and multi-purpose blankets - Babies need different blankets as they grow

You may have noticed that she is laying in a basket with another homemade, crocheted baby blanket.  I do not usually give crocheted blankets as gifts because I do not know how to make them.  If you would like to read why crocheted blankets are my all-time favorite baby blanket, visit the following post:

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – You don’t always have to buy the perfect baby blanket – Handmade, crocheted blankets are my all-time favorite

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket - Swaddling blankets and multi-purpose blankets - Babies need different blankets as they grow

Lisa, 33, Eastgate, Ohio
Proud mom of Nolan, Rylie and Ashlynn

Below, Lisa, mom of three, explains that babies will require different types of blankets as they grow and as their needs change.  To help other parents and blanket shoppers in their baby blanket searches, she describes her criteria for swaddling blankets and her preferences for blankets for swaddle graduates (older babies).

Swaddlers

For newborns you need a great swaddling blanket!  Look for blankets that are:

1) perfectly square
2) stretchy
3) big (when I’m using them to swaddle, most regular receiving blankets don’t feel big enough)

I own a receiving blanket made of thermal material that I would recommend.  It’s made by Koala Baby and can be purchased at Babies “R” Us.  The blanket is green, made of 100% cotton, very stretchy and perfectly square.  You can easily swaddle a baby with it and it keeps the baby warm during the colder seasons.  A great swaddle would keep my baby comfortable and sleeping.

Koala Baby Thermal Receiving Blanket – Babies “R” Us (pictured)

I would not suggest buying regular, cheap receiving blankets for swaddling infants.  At my house, they just ended up being used as burp cloths.

Swaddle Graduates (older babies)

As babies get older and more active, I recommend blankets that are:

1) breathable
2) soft (babies LOVE soft materials for cuddling and playing, especially silk or satin)
3) durable (during this stage, babies become attached to certain items—namely their blankies—so you want one that will hold up)
4) big (it’s nice to have a blanket big enough to throw on the floor at other people’s houses and let the baby play)

One word of warning:  In my experience, the blankets that have a solid silk or satin side with the opposite side made of a soft material tends to make babies sweat profusely.  The sweating is usually worst if they are touching the silky side of the blanket.  This is one of the reasons I recommend breathable material.

Attachment to Security Blankets

Many of us as younger children can recall the strong attachment we had to a particular blanket, blankie, ubby, ba ba, etc. For me personally, it was a blue blanket that was handmade for me by a relative. The blanket had speckled over it several rocket ships with fire coming out of the engines, dancing across the sky. I loved that blanket! It went with me everywhere, and it gave me a sense of peace and confidence. Many parents and children can relate.

However, it begs the question, “can there be an unhealthy attachment to security blankets?” An article from Pscyhologytoday.com states that, “It’s okay to carry that blankie. Children who are both insecurely attached to their mothers and attached to their blankies seem to adjust better to anxiety-producing situations.”

The article defines children who are insecurely attached to their mothers as those who haven’t bonded well with their mothers.

Richard H. Passman, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, initially set out to determine whether children with secure attachments to their mothers were more or less likely to have a security blanket. He found no link at all between the strength of the mother-child relationship and the passionate love of a toddler for his blankie. But surprisingly, researchers did find that children who were both insecurely attached to their mothers and strongly attached to their blankies seemed to adjust better to an anxiety-producing situation. “For these children, the blanket promoted play, exploration and non-distress in their mothers’ absence,” Passman says.

Passman has been studying children and their security objects for three decades. He also noted that children are more likely to have a beloved security blankie if their mom did as a child.

So, if you’re worried about over attachment, don’t be. Promoting play, exploration and non-distress are all good things for a developing child.

Reed White Update

Well, after 100 days of life and many, many prayers, Reed White gets to come home and be with his family.  For the first time ever, Ryan, Keeley, Braden and Reed all got to be under their own roof.  What a blessing!

A Very Tired and Happy Family

If you missed my previous post, Reed was born needing a heart transplant.  After several weeks waiting on the donor list, a heart was provided.  Obviously, it’s such a bittersweet moment knowing that another family had to suffer.  But the White’s sure are thankful for the new heart and new life for Reed.  

Reed has had so many ups and downs since the transplant, but the wonderful doctors and nurses at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital who took such good care of him, finally gave the OK for him to go home.  Hooray!  
So, while this isn’t a blockbuster post on baby blankets (even though Reed seems pretty comfy in his), I wanted to give everyone an update.  You can read all about Reed’s amazing story at Ryan and Keeley’s blog.  They did a great job of keeping everyone updated through the whole process.   

Brothers!

 Ryan, Keeley, Braden and Reed - we love you very much, and are so glad everyone is home safe and sound!

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – Unique animal blankets

Sherri, 36, Cincinnati, OH
Proud mom of Makayla and McKinley

I love unique animal baby blankets.  They are a blanket and a toy in one.  My girls love to play and cuddle with them.

One animal blanket I received as a gift was the “Puppy Blankie & Little Friend Set”. The blanket has a little puppy head on the corner (pictured).  Too cute!  You can find it on the American Gift Factory website (link below).   We also own a similar giraffe animal blanket.

If you are looking for a unique animal blanket, here’s some info:  The FunBath Angel Dear Blankies are square-shaped and made with super light, cashmere material.  I love how soft the fabric is, and so do my kids. The blankets also come with a “Little Friend Toy”.  The best part is that the whole set is machine washable—we all know how messy babies can be.

If I were going to buy a baby blanket as a unique shower gift, I would definitely purchase an animal blanket.

American Gift Factory

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – Lightweight, cotton receiving blankets with unique designs

Sherri, 36, Cincinnati, OH
Proud mom of Makayla and McKinley

Cotton receiving blankets can be used for several functions:  swaddling an infant, covering a growing baby, burping (if you can’t find the burp cloth), making a child feel secure and more.  Below, Sherri, mom of two, describes why she would recommend these baby blankets.  Sherri says—

I’m not a fan of heavier fleece blankets.  They are much too warm for baby and the material doesn’t have much give.  Lightweight, durable blankets with unique designs are my favorite.  They are practical, stylish and easy to find.  Typically, a cotton receiving blanket is what meets all these criteria.

One brand I recommend is Just One Year (a division of Carter’s, Gift).  You can often find this brand at Target or Walmart.  Try the cotton, standard-size receiving blanket made of a soft, stretchable cotton.  There are various designs on this type of blanket.  They usually have two designs with one on each side.

What’s a swaddling blanket and how do I use it?

Have you bought or received a swaddling blanket, but do not know how to use it—or do you own many baby blankets and wonder if you already have one that will work for swaddling?  This post features links to two different resources that will teach you how to swaddle a baby and the type of blanket to use.

-    Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE offers some tips for swaddling on her pregnancy/birth blog hosted by About.com.  In the introduction to her post “How to Swaddle a Baby”, Robin says, “Swaddling a baby is an age old remedy for calming a newborn. New parents would do just about anything to limit crying. There are a couple of techniques for swaddling and here they are step by step.”

Visit Robin’s Pregnancy/Birth Blog

-    Jessica Hartshorn, American Baby magazine, wrote an article titled “How to Swaddle a Baby”.  The article details what she terms the “art of swaddling”.  It gives a 5-step guide to swaddling along with helpful holds and techniques.

Read Jessica’s swaddling article

A Unique Use for Baby Blankets for your growing baby or child from a mom of five

April, 35, Burlington, KY
Proud mom of Kelsey, Jackson, Sydney, Elisa and Kaira

For my 5th baby, a friend gave us a homemade fleece blanket.  It is the kind that has two pieces of fleece material tied together, creating fringes all the way around.  I love it because it is so soft and warm.  I line her cradle with it right now because it is so cold outside.  The best part is, as she gets bigger, she will still be able to use it.

My older kids have they same type of blankets someone had given them for Christmas two years ago. We’ve used them a ton in our travels.  They’re big enough to cover them, but small enough that everyone can grab their own blanket and get cozy in the van.

A unique way I use blankets is for quiet time for my kids.  They each get our their blanket and put it on the floor and sit on them to have 30 minutes of quiet time.  The blanket is a visual representation of this time to them.  This is a great way to teach my children how to be content in quiet and a great time for mommy to have quiet time too.  There are some pictures of the quiet time below.

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket – Mom of 5 tells us some things to avoid when buying a baby blanket

April, 35, Burlington, KY
Proud mom of Kelsey, Jackson, Sydney, Elisa and Kaira

•    Avoid baby blankets that are not intended for everyday use
Wash-ability is important!  Someone gave us a dry clean only blanket once.  It was beautiful to look at, but I never actually used it as I was afraid I would ruin it.

•    Avoid baby blankets made of coarse material or that your baby will get stuck in
I received a crocheted baby blanket for my son at one of my baby showers.  It was hand crocheted with a course yarn and had fringes on the ends.  When he was a baby, he didn’t mind it that much (although it was not his favorite to cuddle with).  Now that he’s older, he doesn’t like it because the fringes tickle his face.  We also avoid crocheted or knitted baby blankets with holes larger than baby fingers/toes.  In playing, they often get stuck and require a lot of getting out from mommy!

•    Avoid having only one type of baby blanket
You will need different types of blankets, made of different fabrics and in different sizes depending on the situation.  As you build your collection of blankets consider preparing for weather, uses, age, growth, nursing and more.