We were blessed to receive about 40 hand-knit baby blankets when my son was born. There are far too many for us to actually as baby blankets so does anyone has some good ideas for what do to with them? I know I could donate them but I'm a little torn about that. They are all so beautiful and I know a lot of care and love was put into making each one. When my son is older I want to show him and say, Mrs. Lawrence made you this one and Ms. Sharon made you this one, etc. I could just box them up and stick them in the attic but I'd love to hear if you have some good ideas for how to make them useful!
How about making larger quilts by sewing together 4-6 of them?
You also could move them seasonally - pick one for each month of the year so that he always has one on his bed. Tag them with names so he knows who made it "Mrs. Sharon, November." Have a special one for Christmas, and a special one for his birthday, and a special (extra-soft) one for when he is sick.
If you do donate, which would be so kind, take a digital photo of each one to show your child when he is older. You could blow them up to make a beautiful artsy collage. Save a few special ones for cuddling and days home sick.
Here are a couple of donation links.
http://www.newbornsinneed.org/smaryland/index.html
- donate to needy new parents and parents of stillborn babies
http://orphan.org/index.php?id=27
- donate to teens who have aged out of foster care and are on their own
I can mail them to WA and let my mother- in-law mail them to Mexico to an orphanage she provies for!
Or I could give you her address and let you two talk!
My son just mentioned that he and his Dad are going on a missions trip to Belize this August, they can carry them to the people there.
Let me know.
Pam
box all of them up but say 3 to 5 and use those hnge them on a quillt rack o shelf in his room to diisplay them or to use then after a month switch thm out with those in the attic. that wa y they all get used but arent taking up room. and get the space saving bag so they dont take up so much room up there.
Hi Tara,
How about donating them to the Crisis Pregnancy Center.
Include on the blanket the name of the person who had knitted them. "Hand knitted with love by ..........."
It is hard to do that but you are sharing love to those who have no love. They wouldn't be in that situation if there was love enough to share.
Hope this helps. Good luck. Donna
you can make your own quilt with them
You may not like my idea because of the sentimental ties, but here goes.... I belong to a group (Friends of VA Beach Animal Control) that always needs items. I gave them my extra blankets. The next time I was at the shelter, there were puppies sleeping on them. Made me feel good.
Also, for the really nice blankets, you could donate them to Children's Hospital. Its a nice problem to have.
If you felt up to it. you could cut them up and make a big blanket for him .
Why not make one big blanket out of all of them by knitting them together? That way you can still have a big beautiful blanket and none of the effort by anyone was lost, then your son can use it for years after that and you can always have it for a lap throw or something like that.
Is there any way you can make a quilt out of them? You could take a patch of each one and make it into a quilt. If you have extra time/money, use the rest of the blankets to make other quilts to give to friends who have babies, make a larger quilt for you and your husband, or donate them to a shelter.
Hi Tara,
If you're up to donating them, my charity could really, really use them. It's called CARE Package, and you can see more about it at www.freewebs.com/carepackage - we are desperately in need. Thanks and good day!
Hi!
I would take a photo of all the blankets and store it with about 2-3 that you seemed to use the most. Then I would donate the rest to some worthy cause. I know there are tons out there. Truly, once he is older he probably won't care about who made what, but maybe seeing the blankets in some creative pictures that you can take now would be a lot of fun!
Hi Tara,
I'd consider keeping a few favs. and then donating the rest to an organization that helps needy children. I adopted one of my kids from Russia and on one of my visits to the orphanage, a recent shipment of hand crochet blankets and sweaters came in. It was cold there, and it was wonderful to think that now all those kids could benefit from all the love that went into making those blankets. I saw my daughter's group in the sweaters, the kids looked so great compared to the layered rags they usually wore to keep warm.
After the initial parting with the blankets, you will feel so good knowing those blankets helped someone rather than sitting in your attic for years and years! If you are interested in finding an organization that sends stuff overseas to orphanages, I might be able to help you out. I know my adoption agency sends stuff over with parents and it goes directly to the agency. -- Jill (mom to 3)
Donate them to your local NICU. My twins spent time in the NICU and people would knit blankets and donate them to be given out to the babies there.
Another option is to donate them to a woman's shelter. They would be greatly appreciated at either place.
I can understand the sentimental value of them, I have one from when I was little that has now gone from me to my brother and to each of my 3 girls! If I were you though I would donate the ones you don't want anymore, there are a lot of people out there that could use them that don't get to see the kindness that others have to make a special blanket for them. In the long run your son probably won't care much anyways.
My advice is to take photos of the blankets and then donate them to the NICU of your local hospital. My daughters were in the NICU for 3 months after they were born and the blankets that were given to them at the hospital mean the most to me and them. Not all folks there have blankets to take their babies home in and it makes it seem a little more homey for their isolettes or cribs while they are at the hospital.
You might consider donating them to a Children's Charity as well. Or an abuse shelter. If you are stuck, contact your church and see if they work with a charity or organization that may need them.
Congratulations on your family and good luck with everything!
Like others I thought of making a big one (or a few big ones since you have so many) And put it on his big boy bed as well as use it for years to come.
Save a few that would look good together and make a larger blanket out of them. Then donate the rest after you've taken pictures of them. Put the photos in a scrapbook with picture or just the name of the person that made them. Then take a picture of them at the place you donate them to. Many children out there would LOVE to have their own blanket.
Hi Tara - I am not the crafty person but I do know other moms who have made their children's baby blankets into colorful quilts.
As for the space issue - you could take pictures and label each one. After you have taken the pictures, you could choose which ones to keep and have made into a quilt or three and then donate the others to a hospital. We also have a pregnancy resource center that is always looking for donations - maybe there is one near you. This way, those blankets would be snuggling another little one
Hope this helps!
Tara, As hard as it is to give something away that was made especially for you and your son from someone you know and love - what use will they be in a box in the attic?
Why not take a picture of your son with each blanket, label the picture and add a picture of the person who gave it and put them both in a photo album together so that he will know he received it and can put a face to the name and the blanket.
Hospitals are always looking for things to give to newborn babies. (I have made quite a few baby caps with my bible study group and donated them to local hospitals.)
There are always unwed mother groups or organizations that are looking for things for their new mom's/babies. There are so many womens groups who would love the opportunity to give new baby blankets to their moms who wouldn't have them otherwise.
You could always write a special note to go with each one, include a picture of your son, telling your story and about your son/family/giver and how you wanted to be able to share with others.
The joy they will share with receiving you can share with giving!
Paula