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Were you given a beautiful velour crib sized baby blanket at your shower? Did you try wrapping that tiny baby in the blanket, only to find you were cuddling lots of blanket and very little baby? Here are some tips to help you decide a good size blanket for the age of your baby.

Usually, a crib blanket is about 36″ x 52″, and will cover a standard crib mattress. While this blanket is wonderful for covering baby’s crib, it’s not quite as wonderful covering for baby. A crib blanket is just too big for swaddling a newborn. And we all know that a swaddled baby is a happier, more content baby.

Many lightweight, cotton receiving blankets are about 30″ square. They’re inexpensive, and can found in almost any department store. While that size is great to place under baby on the changing table to prevent any mishaps, it’s not great for swaddling a newborn–it’s just too small.

A baby blanket that’s about 34″-36″ long in both directions, and is made of a light-to medium weight hypoallergenic fabric, like cotton or baby-weight fleece, is probably the best choice. It’s large enough to swaddle a newborn, and small enough for an older child to sleep with at night. An additional plus is that, if the fabric is lightweight enough, you can roll up the blanket and stow it in a diaper bag without too much trouble.

If your looking for a gift for that next baby shower, or want to give your sister a keepsake for her new baby, consider a personalized baby blanket, about 34″ – 36″, made out of a light or medium weight, hypoallergenic fabric. If you want to find a baby blanket for an older baby or young child, consider buying a larger, crib size blanket. If you or someone you know is a new mother for the first time, a package (or more) of cotton receiving blankets is always a great choice.