What baby blankets/quilts do you use?

[NadisaSEWcialist]

Mums, I need some advice. What do you use in your baby nursery? Do you use a quilt or do you prefer baby blankets? What colors do you prefer and what sort of designs? Does is have to be really soft and warm or is organic material important to you? Any advice would be appreciated.

I ask because I make Baby Quilts and was hoping to find out a bit more about mums' preferences and what works best in a nursery. I don't have any children (yet :) so I depend on your expertise, ladies. (This is not a promotion or advert, more like a 'picking your brains' kinda post.)

Anyone want to comment please? I'd really appreciate your input and some advice from mums of newborns.

Most parents I know tend to use sleeping bags, rather than blankets.
Quilts look pretty but they are not recommended as safe, with regards to safe sleeping guidelines for SIDS.

My 5 month old uses a sleeping bag and maybe a thin blanket tucked over that in very cold weather, but usually its just a sleeping bag.
From around 12 months my older children used a thicker blanket/ quilt.
From newborn I used a swaddling blanket and used layering depending on the temperature.

Oh really? I had no idea. What do those sleeping bags look like? Maybe I can investigate making something like that too. Would you say that quilts are more appropriate for older children than? Maybe toddlers? This is really useful, as I don't actually have babies yet and I am really just a sewist so finding out what works and what doesn't is very helpful.

I used Grobags when DD was a baby www.gro-store.com/grobag/6-18-months.html
Only started using a quilt when she went into a cot bed.

I've used sleeping bags since days one, no worry of the blanket going over their heads then whilst they are sleeping. Jo jo and gro company do some really lovely ones

Quilts aren't recommended for babies. I used thin blankets and sleeping bags when dd was a baby. Quilts were used from around 18 months+.

I really liked pastel colours for blankets, I like calm colours for bedrooms.

Like this...

I'd only consider natural fibres. Have been looking for a cashmere sleeping bag for baby but have so far been unsuccessful. OP can you knit me one?

I wouldn't buy a homemade sleeping bag from a Facebook selling page/similar. I need to know that the product has a tog rating, has undergone safety testing and that the neck hole and arm holes are appropriate widths for the size and weight of my baby to prevent her suffocating.

I might consider buying a decorative quilt, but the issue for me is that they're very expensive because they're labour intensive - hugely puts me off when you can buy beautiful cashmere/wool/crochet blankets on the high street for a fraction of the cost.

If you make quilts have you thought about making baby play mats? When I was looking for a large one for my son to sit / lie on most of the designs I found were garish and awful. And most of them are way too small once they start rolling. You could make them to match people's nursery decoration / colour schemes.

Yes I agree with above poster. I think they probably have to meet certain safety standards and will have gone through testing.
Pram blankets is another option for you to make.

I use gro bags. Would never put a quilt or blanket in baby's cot. However pram blankets, or floor blankets we use all the time.

As above, sleeping bags only here. When DC are older I plan to use a duvet so wouldn’t buy a quilt (sorry). I do have a couple of blankets for the pram/car seat though, including a lovely one knitted by some of the ladies at work.

I use cellular blankets, we didn't know if we were having a boy or girl so I bought white and grey. If it's colder I put a home knitted wool blanket over the top of the cellular blanket.

Softness was really important to me, and warmth, and the ability to fold and layer. I do have a quilt, but have never used it, I thought I read somewhere that newborns shouldn't be under a quilt, and it's not wide enough to tuck in securely so I don't bother with it. We also have sleeping bags but my DS seems happy under a blanket so that's what we've stuck with

I use a sleeping bag which, as others have said, I would only buy if it had been safety tested. During the day I use a cellular blanket to keep DC warm in the pram or while napping. The blanket has holes to avoid suffocation.

I do have a baby quilt but I use it to wrap around myself and DC while cuddling or feeding, or I spread it on the floor to play on. I wouldn't put DC unsupervised under a quilt until a couple of years old.

Thanks for all the responses, this is incredibly useful. It seems many of you use the sleeping bags and then different types of blankets/quilts when the little ones get a bit bigger. So I should really not sell 'BABY' quilts but rather (possibly slightly bigger) toddler quilts instead. So what size blanket/baby quilt would work best for a toddler?

I also make small cot/pram quilts but am also unsure what size would work best. I use soft fleece on the back of most of my quilts so they are soft and warm but not too thick or stiff (some quilts can get quite stiff and don't snuggle easily).

Most of my quilts would work very well as playmats, some are larger and some smaller sizes.

I absolutely get the issue about price and as anew mum it will be more convenient to pick up a cheaper items form the high street, I probably would too. I still love making quilts though, and yes, they are more expensive so I guess they are more special gift items rather than everyday blankets.

Am I also right in thinking you prefer more pastelly lighter colours and less colourful items? What colours work best, in your opinion?

I paid £65 for a quilt 1m square. I chose monochrome shades of grey, black and white. Soft pastels and rich colours like saffron or berry are also trendy. Imo the bright kiddy colours are less popular nowadays, people want kid things to be as stylish as their homes and not clash.

It might be worth you looking at some of the Instagram accounts that do modern baby items like The Modern Nursery. As Bellamurte says, monochrome and neutrals are what people seems to go for now.

I've just been reading this and thought I would share an idea with you as I personally would love to buy something like this..,
I've seen websites that make personalised teddy bears out of baby's old clothes. You send them in a bundle of clothes and they cut squares to make a bear then you have it with lovely memories.
What about a similar concept but as a patchwork quilt? I personally would love to buy something like that? x

I agree with previous posters, I wouldn’t buy a homemade sleeping bag and I wouldn’t use blankets / quilts etc for a baby. But I also agree that floor blankets and play mats are usually vile, I’d have paid a decent amount of money for a nice one that didn’t make my sitting room look like toys ‘r us...