toverly

I have gifted quite a few baby quilts. I always call them "tummy time" quilts. So new parents know it's okay to throw on the ground to let the baby practice rolling over ect. I tell them to use it up so I can make more. Since experts don't recommend placing blankets in the cribs anymore, it suggests to the new parents a way to use it. I remember one nephew with his new baby being horrified to think of the baby on the floor. It was his first. That quilt is now worn thin and well loved.

cathyvv

When i can get it, I use the thinnest fleece that Walmart sells. It's so lightweight that a toddler can easily tote the quilt around. And it drapes extremely well. If you haven't used it before, though, it can be difficult to use. If you decide to use it, position it WOF as that is usually far less stretchy than length of fabric.

Otherwise, I use an 80/20 cotton/poly batting. Although I haven't tried it, a pre-washed/dried white/natural flannel would probably work well, too.

Austinite

I've made tons of one yarder quick turn baby blankets with flannel and soft & bright batting and some of those are ten years old and a tad faded but otherwise fine I generally quilt about 3-4 inches apart on those but that's mostly due to the small size of the blanket. I tell the parents to let the baby poop, pee, drag around and use the blankets, then wash and dry. I've never understood the flame retardant argument since smoke inhalation, CO, and lethal fumes from burning building materials tend to kill you long before the flames get to you. The soft and bright batting also dries very quickly in the dryer which I really like.

QuiltnLady1

I used warm and natural on a flannel quilt. The flannel I pre-washed but the batting I didn't. DD washed the quilt in hot water and dried it in a hot dryer (big accident on the quilt) and the batting shrank. DGS carried the quilt around until it fell apart, but I started pre-shrinking the warm and natural for the baby quilts after that.

cathyvv

I think it is the invisible threads and the metallic threads that are not recommended for use with small children. However, that could happen with any thread if a baby gets fingers caught in it, but seems to be more likely with those two types of thread. Whatever thread you use, make sure your thread tension is correct, so little fingers can't get caught.

Quilting density: 3" to 4" apart is fine.

Thread - a good polyester thread should wear well, as would cotton or cottonpolyester. If you are worried about the thread wearing out, use the thread you feel is stronger.

Bree123

I use Warm & Plush. It has no scrim & is 50% loftier than W&N. It quilts up beautifully & is still quite soft even when quilted at an average of 3/4" spacing (I prefer closer quilting because my clients are interested in heirloom quilts for their grandchildren). I would recommend at least quilting it every 2" so it will hold up for more than a couple years in the wash.

Wool can go either way. Some babies do better with wool; others are allergic/sensitive to it. The same thing is true with rayon (also marketed as "bamboo" or "bamboo rayon"). I personally don't use poly or poly blends for two reasons: (1) some of the little ones (3 and under) can have a hard time regulating body temperature with synthetic bedding, and (2) certain parents get panicky about anything other than natural/semi-synthetic fibers because if there is ever a fire, they will melt to the baby's skin. Of course, that's highly unlikely to happen ... but who am I to judge? So I now make 100% cotton quilts for the little ones: cotton fabric, cotton thread & 100% cotton batting with no scrim. But I made my first baby quilt with W&N, with that recycled plastic felt, and with synthetic rickrack. My nephew survived just fine. But I quilted it unevenly varying from 2" to 8" apart -- in the ditches -- because I didn't know any better, and after 2 years it needed some minor repair work to the stitching. I made one for my niece about the same time with W&N batting and quilted every 1" with a curvy meander & it's held up well, but I didn't like how stiff it ended up between the quilting & the fusible web applique. Since then, I do needle turn applique & use W&P, and I've yet to have any issues with stiffness. I quilt some areas as close together as 1/4" and some as far apart as 1.25", but with the W&P batt, it stays nice & cuddly soft and maintains a beautiful drape.

zozee

I've made several baby quilts. I always like Warm and Natural. The more you wash it, the softer and better draping it will be.

No -no to invisible thread, and make your stitches very close so that tiny --or toenails!!-- can't get caught in them. I don't typically quilt densely because I like them fluffy. So about 1.5-2 " is my general guideline, not my rule.

i stay away from fleece since it doesn't breathe. I love flannel for a city, warm batting, and there are some adorable flannels out there. I like what Thousands of Bolts offers.

Austinite

I have a pkg of Warm & Plush that someone gave me, I'd like to use it but it gets so hot here...

sewbizgirl

I would not choose to quilt a baby quilt too densely. Babies need cuddle and drape... not stiffness. Just my choice.

You can hardly go wrong with a baby quilt!

sushi

Like you, I find myself making a baby quilt every month of two. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting when my quilt backings were 100% cotton. Now that I'm using Minky as the backing fabric, I don't use any batting at all. (My quit tops are still 100% cotton.) So far, the young moms seem to prefer the Minky.

As you may know, current advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics is that NOTHING be in the crib other than the baby and a crib sheet. As a result, I don't worry about the baby becoming overheated - cuz s/he is never under the quilt. The Minky is also lightweight, so when the day comes that the baby might want to drag the quilt along with him/her, it's easy.

My newest concern is that the Minky is so strong that my pieced cotton side will wear out too soon! (My pieced side is an I-Spy with 80 different squares.)