What Batting would you use for a newborn baby quilt
 

Hello Everyone,

Which batting would you select for a baby quilt and whjy? Polyester or 100% cotton.

This is for a newborn baby to come into the world in September.

Quiltbabay

I use Warm and Natural for almost every quilt. I like the puckered look, and the cotton batting provides that. I also like it for baby quilts because it isn't too heavy. If you don't want the puckered look, you can preshrink it.
Sue

I use Warm & Natural too, but it depends on what fabrics you are using for the top and bottom. When I do flanel and Minkee I don't bother with batting. Since DD and DDIL wash baby things in hot water, I pre-shrink everything to avoid having the quilt shrink into a tiny mess.

My choice would be Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon 100% cotton batting, but this is an extremely traditional choice. It is a thin cotton batting with no scrim. I used this in the very first baby quilt I ever made and had a chance to observe the quilt again about 18 years later. The binding was worn at the edges and the fabrics were softly faded, but the quilt itself was soft as a cloud. Cotton gets softer with every washing. It was interesting to see how lovingly the grown-up owner handled this quilt, which was brought out for special occasions when she was babysitting her nieces. This batting requires close quilting (no more than 2" apart). Although I hand quilted that one, machine quilting would be fine too. I would choose a lightweight thread for the quilting so as not to add any stiffness -- probably Aurifil 50wt 2-ply thread or Glide 60wt polyester.

I believe Quilter's Dream 100% cotton in request weight would yield a similar result but require less quilting.

My preference would be to stay with a thin batting because it keeps the quilt very flexible (for wrapping around an infant). Hobbs Polydown could be another good choice, especially since it dries fast, but might not be quite as flexible because of the loft. I personally stopped using Warm and Natural because, compared to the battings mentioned, it is has a fairly stiff drape -- especially when new. It does soften up with repeated washings, but needlepunching through scrim is probably always going to contribute some stiffness to a batting. Quilter's Dream is needlepunched for stability, but not through scrim, so I think would be more drapeable from the get-go.

I used a flat cotton/poly batt topped with a thin poly batt on my last one and it was perfect.

i would not use anything other than wool or cotton and all fabrics should be washed many sizings contain formaldahyde and will leach a gas----which is toxic

I use a very lightweight fleece - usually purchased at Walmart - because of its weight and the soft feel it gives to a baby quilt. The weight is important to me because I want my quilts to be dragged around and loved to tatters by the little owner, and the lighter the weight of the quilt, the more likely that will happen.

Most of the quilts I've made lately have been for older kids and I have used fleece as combination batting/backing. There are some awesome kid prints out there now in the fleece. Everything from M & Ms to Veggie Tales to Tinkerbell or Winnie the Pooh. The Pooh bear one I did was for a newborn. The front was a simple block pattern.

I would use 100% cotton batting for a baby quilt.

it depends on the quilt- if it's one you expect to be used ALOT and laundered often i would use a good quality poly- like dream poly, if it's more of a *special* quilt to be shown off more than actually used then a cotton batt would be fine, it also depends on how you want it to look after its laundered,...cotton shrinks more than poly & gives it that 'crinkled look' where as a poly batt will keep it pretty much looking the same after as it does before. I also love wool batts, they wash up well and remain very soft/cuddly/lofty...but they are kind of expensive. also location/climate may play into the equation- if you expect the quilt to be used often & baby lives in a 'chilly' climate- poly is warmer than cotton.

one thing to think about is poly is hypoallergenic.....not all babies can tolerate wool.

I just use what I do on any other quilt I make. Either the poly 6.6 0z or the Hobbs 80/20. It will be washed more often than normal quilts and these battings hold up well.

I use warm and natural also. I like the 100% cotton or the 80/20. Both work well.

Thank you to all of you. I will use 100% cotton batting. Possibly warm and natural. One more questions. The warm and natural come off the roll double. Should I use just one side or use the double side.

Thanks again for your help.

You would not want to use Warm and Natural doubled; it will make a small quilt too stiff.

I use Warm and natural. I really prefer a cotton batting.

For a floor quilt or one to be used later as a lap quilt I like warm and natural. For a small quilt to cover new born I like mountain mist. Sometimes I use Hobbs 80/20.I think warm and natural is heavy and thick. The mountain mist polly is overal well recieved and has some tactile apeal. The warm and natural can sure take the beating though. I always kid and say after 50 yrs the fabric will be gone but the batting warm and natural will be left.

On most projects I use Warm and White.

Today I got a close up look at Luna quilt batts. They have a crib size that's hypoallergenic. They're so soft and beautiful drape and very low loft so easy to wrap that baby in it.

I think my next project, I'll try one of the Luna batts, maybe wool.

I use Hobbs 80/20 for everything

I use Thermore by Hobbs for almost everything. I love the way it handles and it is the warmest bat. Around here, quilts need to be warm. In a warmer climate, a cotton-poly blend would be fine. Some people prefer a high loft quilt. I like wool bats, but they are not warmer and are more expensive. what you need to decide is what you want from your batting.

I have a Quilter's Dream batt in my stash that is specifically for baby quilts.

Hobbs Heirloom 80/20. I seldom use anything different but I'm mostly a hand quilter.

Well, I think the current feeling is that newborns shouldn't have a blanket or quilt in their crib - just a pajama / sleeper that will warm enough. Even my 6 month old great- nephew still doesn't have a quilt in his crib. So just use something soft and washable. The parents will probably use the quilt to lay him on the floor when he in not in his crib.

For a light weight blanket I just back it with Minkee and use no batting at all.

I use Mountain Mist low loft or light loft

I use Warm & Natural for almost every quilt I make, and they do stay soft, at least in my experience. I had used a polyester batting in a quilt for my son and every time he washed it some of the batting seemed to disappear, although in fairness it was inexpensive polyester batting that I got for $1/yard on sale. The quilt held up pretty well though, but I think I machine quilted about 2 inches apart doing cross-hatching on the Irish Chain quilt.

For the baby quilts I have made, I always used Warm and Natural. I prewash my fabric before sewing, but do not prewash the batting and my quilts come out SMOOTH, not puckered or crinkled after many launderings. I purchased some Hobbs 80/20 but saving that for the larger adult quilts. Have fun with your quilt.

I agree with quiltmom 04, a quilt should never be used in a crib with an infant as they can't breathe through a quilt should it get over their face. A pediatrician told one of my nieces that if you feel you should use a blanket, use only fleece as an infant can breathe through fleece but not a quilt with fabric and batting. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to infants and children. Also, remember that poly bats will melt instead and stick rather than burn in case of fire, god forbid.

I'm probably going to be disliked for saying this, but when my babies were little, I laid them on the few quilts I had, but other than that, didn't use them to swaddle the child. Quilts are just too bulky to swaddle a baby, or tuck them in a car seat. I used fleece, flannel, and crocheted blankets to swaddle them and tuck them in car seats. Some of the quilts I received ended up being wall hangings. Since I can't help with batting weight, I suggest using fleece for the backing as it is softer against a baby's skin.

I used to use Warm and White for all my baby quilts. Now I often use Hobb's 80/20 - it makes the quilt softer and more puffy. It's all preference.

I prefer Mountain Mist quilt lite for all my quilts. It is so soft and not stiff like cotton. It's Mountain Mist for me.

The last baby quilt I made I used Minke on the back no batting and they love it durable and cuddly.

I'm working on a baby quilt for my niece who is due in August. I just made an order from Fabric.com that included a crib-sized batting for it, it was Dream Angel from Quilters Dream. It is a poly that said fire retardent. I prefer poly for a child's quilt as they seem to hold up better through lots of washing - I also stitch the binding by machine for the same reason.

Polester doesn't burn, it melts. It's like saying there's no cholesterol in olive oil. Of course not-cholesterol is an animal product, it isn't in any plant product.

I just love that statement "because I want my quilts to be dragged around and loved to tatters".