Baby Blankets

There are so many companies that offer baby specific blankets for every possible taste, from cotton baby blankets to the gaudiest synthetic, flowery, lacey, frilly decorative blanket you can imagine.

The problem with everything being so specific for baby is that we forget that a baby is only a small baby for about 6 months or even less. After that a baby sleeps in a crib or bed of some kind and within another 6 to 8 months is walking around. Then jumping and playing and falling asleep on the sofa or chair or napping in the garden, or playing with friends and having sleepovers.

Many of my friends who have had a baby, especially the first, have bought or received presents for everything from baby face cloths and towels and dishes and spoons to all the tiniest bedding for cradles and cribs and carriages and within months found themselves needing to buy bigger things or different items as baby needs changed.

One very smart lady who had seen her 4 sisters fall into the teeny baby consumerism trap decided to do things differently. She bought bedding and blankets before the baby arrived but none of it was teeny baby size. She went to Neiman Marcus, ordered a few items from King of Cotton online, and instead of registering with a baby registry, made a list of what she really needed from a few select companies. She bought organic blankets that served as baby blankets when folded but were regular size and would double for the crib and later for her son’s bed. She bought single bed quilts and small adult size bedding items and folded them to suite teeny baby and unfolded as baby grew. The only thing she bought in size baby were 6 dozen cotton diapers which served as swaddling cloths, receiving blankets and diapers.

Blankets for babies need not be only baby blankets because they will soon be toddler, child and teenage blankets…yes…all far too soon.

I have mentioned a company called King of Cotton. Their products lend themselves very nicely to adults and babies.

Here are some of their products that I recommend to double as baby blankets:

• Primavera Blanket - non-allergenic/made in Portugal/machine washable - £17.50

• Blanket Pure Natural Cotton - a soft luxurious blanket made of thick combed cotton pile/pure cotton herringbone border/recommended by dermatologists being natural and anti-bacterial -£28.00

• Super Soft Bamboo & Cotton Blanket - made from bamboo from sustainable forests /softness and durability/machine washable and tumble dry/90% Bamboo 10% Cotton - £34.00

• Pure Wool Blanket – Italian 100% pure virgin wool -£39.95

• Super Merino Wool Blanket - pure Australian Merino lambs wool -£79.50