Blankets for newborns

With the birth of the baby, it is important to take care of buying a blanket that will always maintain a cozy atmosphere for the newborn. In his choice it is important to take into account a number of nuances: having come into the world, the baby needs warmth, a kind of cocoon, which will be associated with his mother, and therefore, peace. Blankets for newborns are the very first blankets of babies. They have their own characteristics and are subject to certain requirements.

Baby blanket is a special theme. In infancy, the baby's bones are still soft and are subject to any effects. Any product that comes into contact with the child’s body must be made to meet certain requirements in order not to harm it.

To eliminate health risks and ensure maximum benefits, special requirements for children's blankets have been developed.

Such products must:

• obey seasonality (be warm regardless of the season, taking into account a certain season and temperature in the room);
• have an optimal size (a small product is not able to provide warming of the whole body, a large option prevents any movement of the baby);
• have air circulation (the ability to warm the body, while allowing the skin to "breathe" and excluding the formation of prickly heat);

• have a small weight (a heavy blanket can interfere with the baby’s natural breathing, which will deprive the sleep of comfort and relaxation);
• differ in good hygroscopicity (ability to absorb moisture and give it to the air);
• warm the body in the right amount (when cooling, the child constantly wakes up, therefore, it is impossible to do without optimal constant temperature inside to ensure a full and lasting sleep);
• be hypoallergenic (made from high-quality raw materials that do not irritate the delicate and sensitive skin of an infant);
• performed without unnecessary decorationwhich can cause entanglement of the arms or legs of a newborn;
• be safe (excluded a long pile, poor quality fiber, which is easily pulled out under mechanical action).

In addition, the dye matters: toxins and dangerous impurities of paints are unacceptable, even if it is to ensure a soft and beautiful look of the product.

Blankets for babies are a reduced copy of products for adults; however, their heat should be delicate. They are a kind of protection of the baby from external factors, and although such products can not be compared with her mother's warmth, they are able to perform several tasks.

Blankets for newborns:

• are the first classic baby blanket used in the usual way;
• relevant at discharge from the hospital;
• depending on the type of filler, they are able to become a mattress pad, varying the degree of rigidity of the mattress, giving a bed of comfort and convenience;
• do an excellent job with the diaper insulation function, closing the baby on all sides;
• on the basis of the model can be a rug, covering the bed and giving it a neatness;
• if necessary, replace the envelope, reliably “packing” the newborn at any time of the year: save from cold and wind (especially when walking in the fresh air);
• depending on the density and type of filler, they can become the first rug, located on the surface of the mattress or the floor (in two or three months, when the baby begins to crawl and explore the world around)

In most cases, children's blankets are packaged in a textile duvet cover made of natural fabric: so the warming properties are better pronounced, and, moreover, it is hygienic and does not allow the stuffing to get into the infant's airway.

Blankets for newborns are produced in two types: open and closed. Varieties differ in weight, filler layer and its composition. Some models are designed for the cold season (winter warm), others are relevant for the off-season and summer.

According to the method of manufacturing blankets are:

1. woven - made of interwoven threads;
2. non-woven - with bulk fiber base.

The first models are thinner in appearance, mostly summer covers (thick textile canvases). The second can be a fur plan (plaid, transformer, blanket-cocoon, model with velcro) or quilted.

The main product line for newborns is made up of quilts. In them the layer of stuffing is closed from two sides with a textile cover made of cotton fabric. Depending on the model, the design of the blanket may be different:

1. textiles quilted in the form of a simple pattern;
2. the cover is made by hand from separate fragments, followed by stitch (patchwork technique).

Standard options include more raw materials, so their thermal performance is better. The warmest are those that use natural filler in larger quantities.

Choosing a warm winter or light summer blanket in the crib (for a walk), you should proceed from a number of factors:

• compliance with the stated requirements;
• medical indications (important for allergy sufferers);
• certificate of quality and compliance with hygiene standards;
• suitable size and thickness;
• acceptable cost;
• level of warmth;
• ease of care.

If you choose between a downy and woolen product, you should prefer the second option.

The benefits of such blankets are confirmed by doctors, because models made of wool:

• strengthen the immune system of the baby, maintaining its health and resistance to colds;
• they have a relaxing and light massage effect, relieving muscle tension and calming the nervous system;
• have low thermal conductivity, not allowing body heat to penetrate outward, maintain the most comfortable conditions for sleep, do not allow freezing;
• improve metabolic processes, blood flow;
• being composed of natural antiseptic lanolin, soothe the skin;
• have antibacterial effect.

If there is a chance of allergies, it is better to purchase a wadded or synthetic blanket.

To know the degree of heat, you can take note of the information indicated on the product packaging, indicated by the dots:

• one dot indicates that the blanket is only suitable for summer;
• two dots say that the product is in the group of standard light blankets;
• three points is already a model for the autumn-spring period;
• four points emphasize that the chosen option is warm enough;
• five points - the warmest blanket with a maximum of comfort.

Oddly enough, the color of the blanket is of great importance: bright and aggressive colors can scare the baby, while the delicate shades of the pastel group create a relaxing atmosphere.

In addition, it is important to take into account the “warmth” of the shade: an incorrectly chosen tone (especially cold) can reflect on the mood, causing crying or whims. Sunny, cheerful drawings develop a positive attitude to everything that surrounds.

The size of the blanket should not be too small, because in a month the baby will noticeably grow up. It will be visible to the naked eye every month.

To make it easier to understand what size to choose, it is worth starting from the size of the bed, picking up a blanket for its dimensions. The smallest allowable version is 60x120 cm.However, it can not be called convenient: it will not turn out to wrap the baby for a walk. At best, such a blanket will later become a small rug.

If you plan to sometimes use a blanket as a mattress pad, you should measure the mattress and add small allowances (to wrap the blanket under the mat).

Depending on the type of filler, the raw material may be of natural or artificial origin. Conventionally, it is divided into summer and winter type.

The winter line of high-quality fillers for the first blankets of babies includes:

• natural sheep, camel and llama wool, alpacas - natural material with “dry” heat, having not only warming, but also useful properties, however, is not suitable for allergies;
• down (goose, swan) - a filler that combines lightness and thermal characteristics, is able to maintain the desired level of heat without overheating (good, but not practical in maintenance, requiring regular drying and problematic in washing material that feather mites love);
• bamboo - eco-friendly antibacterial fiber with ultraviolet protection, heat insulating and hygroscopic properties, resistant to multiple washes (excellent silky stuffing, however, is very expensive);

• cotton - running natural filler with a good volume and high thermal characteristics (unfortunately, it is heavy for an infant, which changes the density of the structure during operation, thereby knocking it into a heap);
• silk - natural fiber with excellent wear resistance, which does not create the greenhouse effect (high-quality and expensive stuffing);
• fur - special dressing of natural or synthetic fiber, having an elastic base, providing a strong attachment of the fibers themselves (an excellent option is a blanket, a blanket-transformer for a walk);
• hollofayber and hollofan - light synthetic materials on a nonwoven basis made of polyester fibers (100% polyester) with a hollow structure of spring fibers (high-quality stuffing, but with a slight greenhouse effect);
• synthetic winterizer - a cheap analogue of holofiber, which after washing is not restored, almost always loses its properties (compressed, knocked off into separate piles).

The lack of synthetic blankets is poor breathability, so the purchase of such products for newborns is undesirable.

For summer blankets include the following models:

• flannel and flannel - hypoallergenic natural cotton products with a soft texture, heat preservation and good ventilation, excluding the appearance of diaper rash and prickly heat (traditional options for summer, which calmly tolerate washing with soap or regular laundry detergent);
• linen - light, hygroscopic products, relevant for hot summer days, saving the skin from the sun;
• fleece - soft and pleasant to the body model, characterized by low weight and thickness (synthetic knitted fabrics that do not require special care, however, prone to dust accumulation).

If we compare the indicators of softness, the most soft and pleasant to the body of the baby are a woolen, fleece, bamboo, downy and wadded blanket. The baize, jacquard, cotton with a net product - more dense, and therefore do not envelop the baby, as a three-dimensional counterparts.

The accessories of blankets for newborns include wide ribbons, round bows or their mix (belt-bow).Such additions give the blanket elegance, they are especially in demand at discharge from the hospital, going for a walk.

Depending on the gender of the child, the color of the accessories can be blue (for a boy) or pink (for a girl). Although often manufacturers offer versatile options, made in white, yellow, green and other pastel colors.

Blanket for newborns loves delicate care. If it is wrong to care for the product, it will lose its softness, it may become rough to the touch.

To extend the performance properties of the product, it is worth taking note of a number of nuances:

• one blanket is not enough (while one will dry after washing, the child needs to be covered with something);
• drying and ventilation are obligatory (this excludes caking of the material and the appearance of an environment for the formation of linen mites and dust);
• keep a spare woolen blanket exclusively in a breathing case with free air access (polyethylene is excluded - with such storage, the mole will not take long to wait);
• if time allows, it is better to wash the blankets manually (there is less deformation of the fibers and a violation of the softness of their structure);
• washing by machine is allowed only in woven models of cotton, flax, fleece (gentle mode at 30 - 40 degrees and the use of baby soap);

• wool blankets made of sheep, camel wool and cashmere do not accept machine washable (fiber structure changes, reducing the distance between them);
• volumetric products made of synthetics, it is preferable to wash by hand;
• bamboo blanket vacuumed and ventilated;
• duvet requires dry cleaning, but is not erased in the machine;
• it is not recommended to unscrew the blankets (it is necessary to allow the water to drain, then gently squeeze out the remaining water);
• drying is carried out in a natural way (no ironing or drying on the heater, the battery can not be: it harms the structure of the fibers).

You will learn more about the sheep fur blanket for newborn babies in the following video.