Cozy Commutes: How to Craft Hooded Car Seat Blankies
I’ve been wanting a new way to keep my babies warm on outings. Infant snow suits are a pain, and pricey when you have twins and need two of them. Blankets get kicked off every 6.3 seconds. These hooded car seat blankies solve all those problems and look cute to boot!
Perfect for chilly travels, this DIY guide ensures your little one stays snug and stylish. No need for complex patterns or fancy stitching – we’re keeping it simple and functional. To make your hooded car seat blankie, you will need:
- 1 meter of flannel for the front
- another meter of flannel for the back
- 1 meter of cotton batting
- thread, scissors, etc.
This project took me a little more than one nap time, but I was making two of them.
If you only have one infant to bundle, I’m sure you can accomplish this while the baby sleeps.
Recommended Reading:
- How to Make a DIY Rag Quilt
- How to Make Christmas Stockings from Old Sweaters
- How to Make a DIY Diaper Wreath
How to Make Your Hooded Car Seat Blankies
Step One: Place two pieces of flannel with fronts facing together and fold them into quarters.
With a pen, draw on a shape that looks something like this:
There is no real need for a pattern or measurements. I didn’t even use the same shape for each blankie I made. Just freehand it. Then cut it out, leaving your folds intact.
The idea is that after you unfold it you will have a shape that looks like this:
Lay your two layers of flannel (front sides still facing each other) out on a piece of batting and pin it in place.
Cut around the blankie. Now you will have two layers of flannel, front sides facing in, and a layer of batting on the bottom, all pinned together.
Sew around the outside with the batting on the bottom.
Leave one of the nubby corner thingies (This is a very technical tutorial, as you can see) open so that you can turn the blankie right side out.
Once you’ve turned the blankie right side out so that the batting is on the inside, you can turn the open corner into a simple hood. Fold the corner in half with the fabric that you want to be on the underside of the blankie facing out, like shown below, and sew approximately where I’ve drawn a line.
Once sewn, you can cut just above your stitches and finish your edge with a tight zig-zag stitch.
You’ve now created a hood.
Now you’ll just want to sew all around the edges of the blankie to give it a nice finished edge.
To make the opening for the car seat straps, lay the blankie in the car seat the way you want it to sit. Use a pencil to mark the tops and bottom holes for the arm straps and each side of the slot for the bottom buckle thingy. (Again, very technical.)
Connect the dots, like so:
And sew around the lines.
Cut on the lines, being careful not to cut the stitches themselves. Use a rotary cutter if you have one.
Ta-da!
To use your new car seat blankie, buckle the baby in snug.
And swaddle!
Say goodbye to chilly rides and hello to comfort on the go. Keep your little one snug with this easy, thrifty solution for cozy travels.
Let’s talk safety. Some sources claim that hooded car seat blankies like this and many infant snowsuits are not safe for use in car seats. In my understanding, the concern is that any extra bulk prevents the baby from being buckled snugly enough to protect them in a collision. I am not a safety expert and cannot vouch for the safety of this or any other baby item. What I can say is that, as a mother in a cold Canadian climate, I consider the cold to be a significant danger as well, and it is MY OPINION that my babies are safely buckled with these blankets in these car seats. As with any handmade baby item, be cautious and use it at your own risk.