Find a baby blanket like Jon and Kate’s

In this video, Kate plays a fun game with the kids using a large fuzzy blanket.

Jon and Kate Baby Blanket Video

Check out our selection of stroller blankets, fleece blankets and handmade blankets at blanketmybaby.com.  Many of these blankets are large, fuzzy unique blankets that can grow with your baby and help you make fun memories of your own!  Sometimes the simplest gifts make the best gifts.

Stroller Blankets

Handmade Blankets

Fleece Baby Blankets

An Everday Parent’s Guide for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket - It’s all about the TEXTURE

Amie, 32, Cincinnati, Ohio
Proud mom of Allie and Ella

The top three qualifiers for a great baby blanket are definitely texture, color and size says Amie, mom of two.  However, she says a great texture is the number one baby blanket attribute by a wide margin.  Below, Amie shares why texture is key when it comes to finding a baby blanket that both you and your baby will love.

Well for me, it’s all about the texture…

Textures for play
Of all the baby blankets I owned, the one I liked best was a “tag” blanket that my sister-in-law made.  The blanket is a 24” square, colorful blanket with all types of ribbons on the exterior for babies to feel and chew.  Babies love to play with fun textures!

Textures for temperature
Recently I saw that they’re making baby blankets out of the same material as the extra-soft North Face coats.  The micro-fleece blankets feel fantastic and fleece is a great material for keeping your baby warm and cozy.

Textures for swaddling
For swaddling a newborn, the perfect blanket texture is just like an extra thick, cotton t-shirt.  The material is soft against your baby’s skin, not too hot and not too cool.  The elasticity in this type of material allows for the stretch needed for a good, tight swaddle.

Textures we could all live without
A dear friend made us a flannel blanket when one of my girls was born.  I love it because she made it for us, but we really never used it because it was just too stiff and bulky.  You wouldn’t use a blanket that was stiff, bulky, hot, itchy or otherwise uncomfortable.  Why wrap your baby in a texture you wouldn’t wrap up in?

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.

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 – Mom of 5 shares about her favorite unique baby blankets and says “perfect is relative”

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

I think there are a few different kinds of perfect blanket - one that keeps the baby warm, one that can cover them on a spring day, one they can keep as they grow older or one that’s portable (not huge).

It’s been my experience that parents rarely buy blankets.  For me, they have usually been gifts.  I received some of the blankets at baby showers, with many made by friends and relatives.  Being a mom of five, I have received many unique baby blankets over the years and have developed some preferences.

I do have a few favorites:

Waffle knit thermal fabric baby blanket from Target
Target always seems to have cute blankets and I love their colors (a few of my favorites were purchased there), but they have a limited selection.  I own a pink “long john” type small blanket purchased from Target—I think the brand is Amy Coe.  I like it because it is small enough to fit in my diaper bag.  It’s also light-weight, so I can cover the baby while nursing without both of us breaking into a sweat.

Receiving blankets
Receiving blankets are nice because they can double as a burp cloth, but they’re only practical for the first several months of life.

Fleece blankets
I own another blanket from Target.  It is a very soft, small fleece blanket.  It is pink with polka dots and is pictured.

My family also owns several fleece tie blankets (pictured).  For my fifth baby, a friend gave us a handmade blanket—the kind made of two pieces of fleece material tied together, creating fringes all the way around.  I love fleece baby blankets because they are so soft and warm, and my kids love to play with the fringe.  I line her cradle with it right now because it’s so cold outside.  I’m sure as she gets bigger, it will be a favorite.

My older kids have they same type of blankets someone had given them for Christmas two years ago and we’ve used them a often in our travels.  They’re big enough to cover them, but small enough everyone can grab their own blanket and get cozy in the van.  It’s great when a blanket can grow with a child.

Valentine’s Day Baby Blanket Gift Ideas Part 2 - Baby blankets for special occasions series

This is part two of our list of Valentine’s Day baby blanket gift ideas.  This list includes items for sale and ideas for making your own unique baby blanket for February 14th!

Unique Baby Gear Ideas - Red Valentine’s Blanket

On the Unique Baby Gear Ideas website, they suggest buying a cheap, red fleece blanket at a store and then adding a white stitch around the edges, attaching lace or sewing on accents.  They also advise personalizing the blanket with your baby’s name and embroidering hearts or other Valentine’s Day images.

What a great idea for a quick, homemade blanket!

Green Start Baby Art

Green Start Baby Art carries the unique, eco-friendly, love-bug-themed baby blanket on the right.  It is 100% organic and made of natural jersey cotton. The fabric color is natural cotton (looks almost white), which has no dye.  The blanket is made in the USA.

The cutest part is the creative text on the blanket.  On one side, the blanket has a picture of the love bug with a heart and says “little luvbug”.  On what Green Start Baby Art calls the bum side, the blanket says “luv stinks”!  Creative.

Messages from the Heart Baby Blanket on eBay

This pink blanket made by Messages from the Heart is very soft, featuring a pink & brown argyle border and stitched corduroy and chenille hearts.  The words “Work of Heart” are embroidered on this classic style blanket.  The many textures and colors will make this blanket fun for your baby to touch and cuddle with.

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket - What baby needs a toy when they have a fun blanket?

Maggie, 27, Union Township, Ohio
Proud mom of Benjamin

Have you ever seen a young child open a present and throw their new toy to the side?  To the gift-giver’s dismay, the child was more interested in the colorful wrapping paper or imagination-provoking box than the new toy.

Below, real-life mom Maggie gives our readers some advice for selecting a baby blanket that may have the same effect.  Your baby will pass up the toys for the chance to play with their favorite blanket.  Maggie says:

When buying a baby blanket, softness is the most important factor, followed by baby-friendly colors, textures and designs.  I like unique blankets that have strings hanging off that my baby can pull on or a fun trim that he can play with.  Ben likes bright colors and various designs all over the blanket…it keeps him entertained!

I own a baby blanket that is small with a giraffe coming out of the middle.  Ben likes to hold it and chew on the giraffe.  It serves as a great play blanket.  When he tires himself from playing, I can just wrap him up and carry him to the crib!

An Everyday Parent’s Advice for Buying the Perfect Baby Blanket - Sleeping Blankets and Play Blankets

Jill, 26, Petersburg, KY

Proud mom of Madison

When it comes to purchasing the perfect baby blanket, Jill says first things first.  You need to decide what you want to use the blanket for (sleeping, playtime, swaddling, etc.) before you begin your search.  Then search for a blanket that has the qualities that match the use.

Jill says the blankets she used most often for her daughter were for sleeping and playing.  Below are her tips for finding great blankets for sleep and play.

Advice for finding a great blanket for sleeping:

1)  Find a blanket made of quality material.

My favorite blanket to wrap Madison in was a medium-sized blanket made of heavy material (but not too thick).

2)  Find a blanket that keeps your baby a comfortable temperature.
My husband and I liked the blanket mentioned above because it was heavy enough to keep Madison warm without being bulky or fuzzy.  The weight of the material is important, I don’t want my child to get too hot or too cold.

3)  Find a blanket that is durable and can grow with your child.

When shopping for a baby blanket for my own daughter or for a friend, I look for a blanket similar to my favorite blanket described above.  I want to get a lot of use out of the blankets I purchase. The large “throw” blankets you put on the floor don’t get used after they start crawling/walking and the small receiving blankets are only good for a few months.

4)  Find a blanket that is safe for sleeping.

I always make sure the fabric is safe for sleeping.  I steer clear of  fuzzy fabrics when it comes to sleeping blankets and of course, it must be flame retardant.

Advice for finding a great blanket for playing:

1)  Find a blanket that provides comfort and cushion.
When our daughter was first born we had a big playtime blanket that was extra thick to put down on our hardwood floors.

2)  Find a blanket with a fun texture and design for your baby’s playtime.

Our play blanket was fuzzy with bright colors for Madison to look at.  She loved it!