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Remember all of the crazy knitting I did when I was pregnant with H? Allow me to refresh your memory. Ten hats. Almost 30 pairs of socks. Cardigans, sweaters, blankets… and don’t even get me started on the sewing I did.

little vest

I’ve learned a lot about knitting for a baby since then- what works, what doesn’t work, what is practical and easy to care for. And while I certainly don’t need to knit anything for this baby I haven’t been able to resist making a few special things. So I guess this is my official post on tips for knitting for a baby.

little longies

Tip# 1: Ok, so this is really a matter of preference, but there is nothing wrong with knitting with natural fibers for babies. Wools, cotton, even silk are all preferred (by me) over man made fibers. They’re nicer to knit with, they’re more comfortable, and if you have a modern washing machine they are easy to care for.

I am probably one of the laziest people around when it comes to laundry. If there is even the remotest chance that I can stick something in the washing machine and have it come out in one piece, I’ll do it. I wash our “dry clean only” down comforter in there, and I regularly wash wool and handknit items in the machine (our washer has a “wool” setting). I’ve only had one felting incident, and it had nothing to do with the washing machine. It had everything to do with me being about 6 weeks pregnant and in a sleepy fog. I gathered up all of H’s woolies and put them in the washer, promptly forgot they were in there and put in a load of towels that i washed on HOT. *weep*. But under normal circumstances yes, natural fibers are easy to care for.

Tip#2: Once they discover their hands, babies do not leave hats on their heads. If they are especially brilliant (ahem) they will be able to untie any ties used to keep the hat in place. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t knit baby hats; you just shouldn’t knit ten of them.

roll top bootees

Tip#3: Unless they tie on, baby socks and bootees do not stay on baby feet. Also, SOME babies are born with legs so incredibly chubby that the itty bitty socks their mommy knit for them will never fit. Babies do need warm, cozy foot coverings though. That’s why I’m a big fan of tie-on baby bootees. My favorite pattern is the Roll-Top Bootee pattern from 50 Baby Bootees to Knit. Of all the things I knit for H these bootees were used the most. I’m knitting a few more pairs for baby #2. It’s going to be a lot easier too, since I’ve re-worked this pattern to be knit completely in the round.

garter yoke cardigan

Tip #4: Newborns cannot regulate their body temperatures. It’s easy for them to get too hot or too cold. This is another reason why I love wool for babies- it’s breathable. And this is why cardigans are much more practical than sweaters. They’re easier to put on and take off. You can take a cardigan off of a sleeping baby pretty easily but I dare you to try to pull a sweater over their head. Another great thing about cardigans is they’ll fit the baby longer than sweaters. You can leave a cardigan unbuttoned and get an extra few weeks or months of wearing time. I’m not knitting any sweaters for this baby, but I’ve already knit two cardigans. And I’m finishing up a third. (and then i swear that’s it!)

Tip #5: Knit toys are cute, but for babies? I don’t know if most babies gnaw on toys the way H does but once he got teeth knit toys became more dangerous than fun. He’d get his teeth around a couple of stitches and then yank the toy back and completely shred it! Ug. I’m not planning on knitting any toys for this baby. I’d much rather knit an elephant for H now that he’s old enough to understand that we don’t destroy the nice toys mommy makes for us.

Tip #6: If you’re going to knit something really fancy, consider making it toddler-sized. Babies grow fast their first year but then things slow down. This cardigan that H wore last fall still fits him now. We’ve been able to get a lot of use out of it and I’m glad, considering the time it took me to make it. A lot of the small-sized things I knit got worn once or twice, and some not at all.

Here are a few more things i found really useful/not useful: I loved (and still do) the ripple-stitch afghan. It goes everywhere with us. It’s the perfect weight for a car seat blanket, and the Knit Picks Shine yarn has held up beautifully to many, many washes. I also love handknit washcloths for babies/toddlers. They’re soft but thick and durable. I was not a fan of handknit bibs or burpcloths- mostly because they shrink a lot after you wash them.

Hmmm… I think that about covers it!