Ask ten crocheters what size a baby blanket should be and you get ten answers. The reason is that "baby blanket" describes at least four different objects with four different jobs.
The most useful single size is a pram blanket, roughly 75 × 90 cm. It fits a pram, a car seat and a lap, works for tummy time, and is not so large it drags. A lovey is about 35 cm square, a cot blanket about 90 × 110 cm. Choose by what it is for, not by what looks generous.
The sizes
| Type | Size | What it is for | Yarn (worsted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lovey / comforter | 30–40 cm square | Small comfort item, easy to wash and carry | 150–250 m |
| Preemie | 45–60 cm square | Hospital and charity donation | 300–450 m |
| Pram / stroller | 75 × 90 cm | The most useful all-rounder | 800–1200 m |
| Receiving | 90 cm square | Wrapping, floor play, tummy time | 1000–1400 m |
| Cot / crib | 90 × 110 cm | Cot use — after 12 months | 1200–1800 m |
| Toddler | 100 × 130 cm | Bed use from toddlerhood | 1800–2400 m |
The yarn figures are estimates in worsted weight with a plain stitch. Textured stitches change this a lot — bobbles, cables and dense post-stitch patterns can use half as much again for the same area.
Why the pram size wins
If you are making one blanket and do not know the family's setup, make the pram size.
It is large enough for tummy time on the floor, fits over a pram or a car seat without trailing into the wheels, works as a lap blanket while feeding, and packs into a changing bag. A 90 cm square is lovely and noticeably less portable, and the cot size will not be used in a cot for a year.
Bigger is not more generous. An oversized baby blanket drags on the ground, gets dirty faster and gets left at home.
A word on cot blankets
Worth knowing before you spend thirty hours on one: nothing loose goes in a cot with a baby under twelve months. No blankets, pillows or toys, handmade or bought. This is consistent paediatric guidance internationally.
That does not make a cot blanket pointless — it makes it a gift for the second year. If you are making one now, say so when you give it. A blanket described as "for the cot when she's older, and the floor until then" gets used. One presented as a cot blanket for a newborn gets quietly put away.
More detail: are crochet blankets safe for babies?
Choosing the stitch
For adults, stitch choice is aesthetic. For babies it is also practical.
Use stitches with small gaps. Single crochet, half double crochet, moss stitch, a tight shell pattern, granny stitch worked closely.
Avoid open lacework. Fingers and toes go through the holes and catch, and a baby cannot free themselves. The photographs of lacy baby blankets are lovely; the object is not ideal.
Two practical notes:
- Half double crochet is the usual sweet spot — denser than double crochet, much faster than single crochet, and soft.
- Corner-to-corner works up quickly and lets you stop whenever the size is right, which suits a first blanket where the yarn quantity is uncertain.
Working out the yarn yourself
The table gives estimates. For your actual yarn and stitch:
- Crochet a 10 × 10 cm swatch in your chosen stitch.
- Weigh it on a kitchen scale.
- Blanket area in cm² ÷ 100 × swatch weight = grams needed.
Example: a swatch weighing 9 g, blanket 75 × 90 cm = 6,750 cm². 6,750 ÷ 100 = 67.5 → 67.5 × 9 = 608 g, plus 10–20% spare.
Buy it all in one go and check the dye lot numbers match. Two balls of the same colour from different dye batches show as a visible band across a finished blanket.
Borders
A border is optional and does two useful things: it evens out edges that came out slightly irregular, and it stops the fabric curling.
Two or three rounds of single crochet is enough, and works with everything. For a baby item, keep it simple — a deep picot or loopy edging adds exactly the kind of small loops best avoided.
Work three stitches into each corner to turn it without pulling, and place stitches evenly along the row-ends so the border does not ruffle or pull tight.
Yarn to choose
Machine washable, every time. Baby-soft acrylic or superwash cotton. Whatever you make will be washed constantly, and a hand-wash-only blanket is a blanket that stays in the cupboard.
Avoid anything fuzzy — mohair, angora, eyelash yarns — because shedding fibres near a baby's face are best avoided entirely.
See also: best yarn for baby crochet.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a crochet baby blanket be?
It depends on the use. A pram blanket around 75 by 90 cm is the most useful size overall, a lovey around 35 cm square, and a cot blanket around 90 by 110 cm. Bigger is not better — an oversized blanket trails on the ground.
How much yarn does a baby blanket take?
Roughly 800 to 1200 metres for a pram size in worsted weight, and 1200 to 1800 for a cot blanket. Add more for a textured stitch, which can use half as much again as a plain one.
Which stitch is best for a baby blanket?
One with small gaps. Single crochet, half double, moss stitch or a tight shell. Open lacy patterns let small fingers and toes push through and catch.
Should a baby blanket be square or rectangular?
Rectangular is more useful for prams and pushchairs, where it needs to tuck along the length. Square works well for floor and tummy time.
Do I need to add a border?
Not strictly, but a border tidies uneven edges and makes a blanket look finished. Two or three rounds of single crochet is enough, and it also stops the edges curling.
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