How to Sew a Swaddling Blanket

Most pediatricians agree that babies who cannot turn over yet should sleep on their backs. The National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the American Association of Pediatrics recommend this position to help prevent SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). The hospital nursery swaddled your newborn, but that same technique is sometimes harder to accomplish at home. However, you can make a simple swaddling blanket that will be easy to use.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 1/4 yard of cotton flannel
  • 1/4 yard of contrasting cotton flannel
  • measuring tape
  • scissors
  • sewing machine
  • thread

Instructions

    • 1

      Prewash your fabric. Cotton fabric can shrink. Prewashing will also make the fabric softer and remove any harmful dyes or chemicals.

    • 2

      Fold the large piece of fabric diagonally to form a large triangle. On the longest side of the triangle, measure off eight inches from the corner. From this point, cut straight across the raw edges of the fabric to the folded edge. You will be cutting off a small triangle of fabric.

    • 3
      Use a narrow hem on all raw edges of fabric.

      Open the fabric flat and press. The shape of the fabric should be a pentagon, similar to an elongated home plate. Make a narrow hem on all sides of the fabric, or serge the edges to prevent unraveling. Put this fabric aside for now.

    • 4

      Press the smaller piece of fabric and then hem or serge the edges. This piece is used to hold the swaddling blanket in place. Stitch the smaller piece of fabric to the back of the larger piece by aligning the center of one to the other, placing the smaller piece about halfway down the back of the blanket.

    • 5

      Wrap your baby in the swaddling blanket by placing his head toward the end of the large piece from which you cut the small triangle. Bring the right side of the blanket over his body and tuck it under his shoulders and bottom. Then bring the bottom corner up and over his feet. Next, bring the left side of the blanket over the front of the baby and tuck it under the baby's shoulders. Use the smaller, attached piece of fabric to tie the swaddling in place.

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