10 Things You Can Do With Receiving Blankets

So you got about a billion receiving blankets from your baby shower. Awesome. Now what do you do with them?

What’s cool about receiving blankets is how versatile they are.

You’re probably thinking you’ll just need them while your baby is a newborn, but they can actually be useful through toddlerhood and even beyond.

The possibilities are endless, but here are ten ideas to get you started.

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1. Swaddle your baby

Swaddling is basically what receiving blankets are made for.

It takes some practice. And of course once you get really good at it, your baby will figure out how to wiggle out of it.

That’s the point in your baby’s life when you don’t need to swaddle anymore.

Now you can use the receiving blankets for other things!

2. Changing table cover

When I know Toot pooped, I throw a receiving blanket over the changing table before I throw her on it.

Yeah, I have covers for my changing table pad, but I only have so many. I have a pile of blankets to use.

Plus, if she does get poop on it, I can swipe it out from under her like a magician and a tablecloth before she gets it on anything else.

3. Car or stroller blanket

Receiving blankets are a good lightweight blanket for the car or stroller during the spring and fall or even a cool summer day.

During the winter I like to use heavier blankets.

But receiving blankets can be easily folded up and stored in the little pouches in your car or in the basket of your stroller.

You could also keep one or two receiving blankets in the living room to use as a blanket when your toddler wants to cuddle.

4. Full bib or splatter container

Now that Toot feeds herself, she tends to get the food EVERYWHERE.

So a little baby bib isn’t going to cut it anymore.

I like to tuck a receiving blanket in her shirt like a fancy dining napkin and cover her whole body.

I used to throw one on the floor to catch any food that fell, but now I have an actual splat mat.

You can even use the blankets as a small table cloth or place mat to catch spills on the table.

5. Clean up spills

We have compartments in our couch to hold stuff, and I keep receiving blankets in them.

They’re right where I need them when Toot spills her milk or water on the carpet.

She also has a habit of knocking over our drinks. It’s one of her favorite activities. It’s something she has in common with Mr. Meowgi, our cat.

So the blankets will absorb the spill and then get tossed into the laundry pile.

It’s more cost effective than going through rolls and rolls of paper towels. And I think receiving blankets absorb more than paper towels.

6. Picnic blanket

When you have an indoor picnic, you need a smaller baby-sized picnic blanket. Receiving blankets are great for that.

Bonus points if you have a picnic basket play set.

You can also play pretend with dolls once your toddler outgrows the blankets themselves.

7. Catch spit up or puke

Toot was a spitter.

You know what didn’t work very well? Burp cloths. They’re too small.

We needed giant burp cloths, and essentially, that’s what receiving blankets are. They have more surface area to cover in case of *ahem* spewing.

There were a few times that I just didn’t wear a shirt. I just covered myself in receiving blankets.

8. Make a quilt

There’s a cool new trend of turning your receiving blankets into a quilt!

So if you know how to quilt, it’s a fun project.

Otherwise find an aunt or a grandma that knows how to quilt. Grandmas always know how to quilt. I think they instantly learn the minute their grandchild is born.

Or you can find someone on Etsy that will take your blankets and turn them into a quilt for you.

9. Play peekaboo

Toot learned how to play peekaboo at four months old with a receiving blanket.

It was the first time I knew she had understood something and one of the first real interactions we had.

She covered herself up and pulled the blanket down all by herself. And when I asked her to do it again, she did! She understood what I said!

It was one of those proud mama moments that you treasure forever.

Receiving blankets are small enough for little hands to handle and not heavy like regular blankets. Ideal for peekaboo.

10. Baby doll blankets

She just turned two so she’s very into pretending now.

She has a baby doll that she carries around, changes her diaper, and lays her down for naps.

She uses her old receiving blankets to cover up her doll when she lays her in her old bassinet.

I’m not going to lie, it makes me want another one because of how cute it is.

The blankets fit nicely with her 18 inch to 24 inch dolls. You know, actual newborn size dolls.

You don’t have to use them with just baby dolls.

She likes to cover up my old Babysitter’s Club Dolls from the 90s. They’re 24 inches tall and look like teenagers but they have ducky blankets.

Need some receiving blankets?

If you managed to somehow not get any receiving blankets as gifts, you should get at least a pack or two.

Carter’s has some really cute patterns and designs!

But if you need some more affordable ones, Luvable Friends are pretty cheap.

What do you do with yours?

Do you have any other ideas that I missed?

Let me know in the comments below!

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