Baby Pouch Blanket

My girls take the bus to school every morning.  There are a couple of elementary schools that start earlier than the rest, our school is one of them.  That means that the bus picks up at the front of our neighborhood at 6:51am.  Most of the year it is still dark at that time.  Many mornings my hubby is there to help out and bring the girls to the bus stop.  Those other mornings can be tough.  I feel so bad waking the baby up to walk the girls to the bus stop in the cold.  She is always so good, but it would be great to let her sleep in.  Sometimes I put her in her stroller and other times I just carry her.  Either way, I try to grab a blanket to throw around her.  And either way, she manages to kick it off and have her feet exposed to the cold.  I wanted to find a way to keep her warm and comfortable at the same time.  I came up with this idea of a pouch blanket, kind of like a mama kangaroo's pouch.  She would slip into it to keep her feet warm.  She can move around, but she can't kick it off.

You will need 1 1/2 yds of a decorative cotton or flannel and 1 1/2 yds of coordinating fleece.  Place the two fabrics, right sides together.  I cut my fleece material to match the width of my fleece print.  You may want to make the blanket only 36 inches wide if you plan on using it mainly in a stroller or car seat so that it is not to wide to tuck around your little one. 

Pin the two pieces with safety pins around the edges, with a few in the middle to keep them from moving.  Sew around all four sides, leaving an opening.  Turn them right sides out, making sure the corners are all the way pulled out. 

Now fold the bottom third up (about 18 inches or so).  The fleece sides will be touching each other and will form the pouch.  Pin the sides together. 

Sew up one side, across the top, and down the other side.  I backstitched at the edges of the pouch for extra support.  Your pouch blanket is now ready for your little one. 

Strap your little one into her stroller or car seat, slip the pouch up under their feet, and then wrap the rest of the blanket around them.  Warm and cozy!

Works great if I carry her in it too.  Her own little snuggle bag, and her feet don't dangle out the bottom!