Expecting a new addition, or know someone who is and cannot decide what to give? The best gifts are made for the particular baby. They quickly become family things, kept and passed down.
A crocheted baby blanket is close to the ideal handmade gift, and getting a few practical decisions right is what determines whether it is used daily or put away.
Why a blanket works so well
No sizing to get wrong. Unlike a garment, a blanket fits whoever it is for, and it keeps being useful long after clothes are outgrown.
It gets used constantly. Pram, car, floor, cot. Blankets are the baby item most in demand.
It lasts. Blankets get carried around for years, and many outlast childhood entirely.
It scales to the time you have. Anything from a small pram blanket to a full cot size.
The decisions that matter
Machine washable, without exception. This is the single most important choice and the one most often got wrong. A beautiful blanket that needs hand washing will be admired and put in a cupboard. Superwash wool, cotton or a soft acrylic.
Soft. Test the yarn against the inside of your wrist rather than your fingers. Baby skin is far more sensitive than adult hands, and a blanket ends up against a face.
A firm fabric. An open lacy stitch looks lovely and small fingers and toes get caught in it. Keep the stitch reasonably closed, particularly for a newborn.
Weave in every end thoroughly and trim close. Loose strands are the hazard people forget.
Size
A pram or receiving blanket at around 30 by 35 inches is the most useful and the most used. A cot blanket is larger, and heavier – consider whether a small baby can move under it.
Smaller is genuinely better here. The oversized blanket is the one that stays in the cupboard.
Colour
You do not need to know the baby’s sex. Greens, yellows, greys, creams and multicolours all work, and many parents prefer them.
If in doubt, ask about the nursery rather than guessing.
Timing
Start early. Babies arrive on their own schedule and a blanket finished three months late is still welcome, but it is nicer to have it ready.
Finishing
Wash it before giving it, in a fragrance-free detergent. It softens the fabric and removes anything picked up while making it.
Include a note with the fibre and washing instructions. New parents have a great deal to think about, and a care label means the blanket survives its first wash.
