What Are the Best Knitted Baby Gifts?

Choosing a baby gift is not always the easiest task. You may want to give a gift that is useful. However, you might not know what the family needs or already owns. You may want to give a gift that has beauty and sentimental value. At the same time, you might worry that a gift like this won't help the new parents or the baby in a way that they need. What is there to do? 

Hand Knitted Baby Gifts

A hand knitted baby gift combines practicality with beauty. Knitted baby gifts that are made with care and are structurally sound will stand the test of time. Babies can use and love these gifts when they are small, and then they can be saved as decorations and even passed down to future generations as they grow. Following are some of the best knitted baby gift ideas. These can be given at baby showers, birthday parties or just because.

Hand Knitted Blankets

Blankets are popular baby shower gifts because they are always needed. Baby blankets are useful when trying to swaddle the baby, when the baby needs a clean place to lie down or to keep baby warm and comforted.

Unfortunately, babies are messy and will invariably soil a baby blanket. That is why it is important for families to have a large number of blankets that are safe, soft and easy to wash. Hand knitted baby blankets are always good gifts even if the family seems to already have plenty of blankets.

When shopping for hand knitted blankets, there are a few factors to keep in mind. The first is to make sure the blanket won't irritate the baby's skin. Blankets made from organic materials are the least likely to cause uncomfortable rashes. Next, make sure the blanket is soft to the touch. Some hand knitted blankets are rough and harsh, which will only contribute to a baby's discomfort and fussiness. If shopping online, look for customer reviews that verify a pleasant texture.

Cleaning methods are important when it comes to hand knitted baby blankets. Some are machine washable and others need to be hand washed. When buying baby blankets that are not machine washable, make sure to let the parent know so that those special blankets are saved for cuddles.

Hand Knitted Baby Clothes

Baby clothes cannot be worn forever. In fact, depending on the age of the baby, an adorable outfit may only last a few weeks before it is outgrown. Parents seldom take the time and money to buy the cutest baby clothes for their infants, which is why baby clothes make great gifts. Parents get all of the joy of knitted baby clothes and none of the frustration of clothes shopping with a child in tow.

Hand knitted rompers from Estella are unique because they fit babies up to six months of age. Six months of wear in one outfit is a rarity in baby sized clothing. Best of all, a knitted outfit is something that can be held onto and cherished forever.

Baby clothes should be machine washable. Babies spit up, roll in dirt, drop food on their clothing and have diaper accidents. A dry clean or hand wash only knitted outfit might be adorable, but it is not practical. Look for knitted clothing that allows machine wash, even if only on the gentle cycle. Remind parents that all hand knitted items should lay flat to dry in order to preserve their size and shape.

Before considering making your own baby clothes to give as gifts, remember the importance of machine washable clothing items. Your handmade knitted rompers might be beautiful, but they might also be less than useful if your technique hasn't been perfected. Make sure you know how to preshrink your knitted items before giving them as gifts.

Special Note: There are times that hand wash only knitted outfits are the right choice for the baby. These clothing items are ideal for special occasions or photo shoots. Knitted outer wear is also fine because coats and jackets are less likely to become soiled than onesies and jumpers.

Knitted Baby Accessories

Accessories are some of the most important items for parents of young babies. Baby booties are necessary for keeping feet warm. Baby shoes, baby hats and baby mittens are all knitted items that make perfect additions to gifts. Parents can never have too many of these smaller items as they are easily lost or misplaced.

Some of the best accessory to give as a gift is a knitted hat. Babies need hats to keep their delicate heads warm any time of the year. The breathability of knitted fabric keeps babies from being over-heated while also keeping little heads safe from the cold.

Hand knitted hats, like blankets, should be tested for softness. Babies will become fussy if forced to wear hats that are itchy and uncomfortable. Look at reviews, and then make an initial purchase so you can test the texture for yourself before buying several of any specific style.

Hand knitted mittens are often overlooked when buying baby presents. These items are necessities for parents of newborns. The littlest babies don't yet have control over their arm movements and may find themselves scratched by their own fingernails. Babies need mittens to cover those sharp edges. Unfortunately, mittens easily go missing while baby is sleeping or moving from one place to another. This is why parents need many pairs of these mittens at all times.

Like mittens, babies need many pairs of shoes, socks or booties. Hand knitted booties are loved because they are cute and easy to wear. They aren't as hard and uncomfortable as shoes and they aren't as easily kicked off as socks. Booties are needed any time of the year to protect a baby's young feet. This is particularly true before baby becomes mobile.

Knitted Baby Toys

There are so many baby toys that are beautifully hand knitted. Plush toys and rattles are popular choices because babies use these small items to learn social skills and practice manual dexterity. Fine and gross motor skills are encouraged by hand knitted dogs, bears, owls and other toys.

A soft, knitted rattle is one of the top choices for hand knitted gifts for babies. Knitted rattles provide the entertainment of a plastic metal without the risk of injury. It is also a more pleasant sound to all of those within earshot.

A soother is a knitted toy that gives baby comfort when it is most needed. Babies should not sleep with these soothers, but they are useful during diaper changes, car rides or any time baby needs a toy to love.

Knitted toys are good options for gifts because they can be washed to remove germs and grime. Most require gentle cycle, but they are often machine washable toys. Babies learn about the world by putting things in their mouths, which is why it is important to buy toys that can be cleaned any time they have been loved.

Learning to Knit

You might be encouraged to learn how to knit when you find out about all of the hand knitted baby gifts that are cherished by parents and their babies. Knitting patterns are easy to find on the internet. Many of these focus on knitting booties or baby blanket knitting.

Knitting is an excellent hobby as it offers time for relaxation while also making useful items. Look for a free knitting pattern that is focused on beginners. Easy baby gifts, like washrags, are a good place to start. Make sure you understand basic stitches, like the garter stitch, and that you have right weight yarn for your project. Look for simpler projects, like baby booties knitting, before you take on something complex like a baby sweater.

It is important to realize that knitting is not as easy as it seems. Most knitters practice the craft for many years before taking on complex projects. Likewise, nothing is more frustrating than spending weeks on a knitted blanket only to find the stitch count is off and the project must be restarted. This is why many gift givers prefer to purchase hand knitted items.

Hand Knitting, Crochet and Other Needlework

If you have spent any time on Pinterest, you have probably seen some trendy ways to knit. Items that are knitted are often referred to as "hand knitted." This simply means it was done by hand and not using a machine. Conversely, there is a version of hand knitting that is done without the aid of tools at all. This is a popular trend because it uses big, chunky yarn to create quick and impressive projects. It is a great way to use heavy weighted yarn, but is seldom the right choice for baby knits that require a much finer thread.

Crochet is a different type of stitching that uses one needle, called a crochet hook, rather than two knitting needles. Crochet tends to be a looser weave, which makes for a lovely blanket. Crochet is also good for making lace and detailed plus toys. Like knitting, there are many free tutorials on the web for learning to crochet.

Other forms of needlework might include embroidery, cross stitch or tatting. Embroidery uses a fine floss or thread to create a design on top of a flat piece of fabric. Cross stitch, like embroidery, is used for decoration rather than making full projects. Tatting is a form of durable lace that might be used to make decorative borders, sturdy baskets or beautiful doilies. While these forms of needlework are worth learning, they cannot take the place of knitting for making baby gifts.

No Time to Knit

Most people don't have the patience or time to learn how to knit. When you are looking for knitted baby gift ideas, that doesn't mean that you have to make them yourself! There are plenty of options for handmade baby gifts that require no long, tedious hours of knitting and purling.

Most parents appreciate gifts that have been purchased from a respected store like Estella. They know these products are reliable, organic and made with love by hand. Parents appreciate the time that goes into choosing the perfect gift, especially when it comes from a shop with an excellent reputation.

Check out the wide variety of hand knitted baby gifts from Estella to find organic toys, clothes, blankets and much more. These lovely creations are made to last without costing more than a gift-giver can reasonably spend. Parents will love these handmade items because they are crafted through a trusted company and chosen with love.