How to Make a Nursing Blanket

When you're out in public, you may wish to have some privacy while you nurse, without having to go sit in a restroom or off in a corner. This is when a nursing blanket comes in very handy. Using one allows you to sit with other people but still maintain some privacy. The extra weight on the back keeps it from slipping off your shoulder when baby squirms or stretches. Nursing blankets are easy to make, and you can put one together in a matter of just a few minutes.

Instructions

1

Make the weighted strap for the back. To do this, cut a strip about 8 inches wide from one of the receiving blankets. Fold it in half along the long edge, right side facing in, and press the folded edge. Use your sewing machine to stitch one short side and the remaining long side. Leave the second short side open.

2

Turn the strap right-side out. Fill the strap loosely with the Polyfill beads. Don't stuff it, because you want it to have some flexibility. After all, it's going to be up against your back. The purpose of the strap is to simply add some weight. Once you've filled the strap, take the open short end, press the raw edges inwards, and baste it shut by hand.

3

Take the second receiving blanket, and lay it flat on your work surface, right side up. Place the third blanket on top of it, right side down. What you should now have is a square, with the two right sides together. Pin the edges, and begin stitching them together. Leave an opening about 4 inches wide at one corner. The opening is where you will eventually insert the strap. Once you have stitched nearly all the way around, use the opening to turn the square so that it is right side out. Use your iron to press the square flat.

4

Insert about 2 inches of the basted end of the strap into the opening on the square. Pin it in place, pressing down the raw open edges, and use your sewing machine to sew the opening shut. The strap should be sticking out off the corner of the blanket.

5

Place the strap over your shoulder at the back, and the nursing blanket over the baby in the front. Adjust the strap so that you will be comfortable. The weight of the strap will keep the covering in place so that you and your baby can move around while nursing, without the blanket sliding off the baby.