What exactly is a receiving blanket anyway?

If you or someone close to you is pregnant, you may be asking yourself, what is a receiving blanket? After all, there are so many products that a new mother needs when she finds out that she is pregnant, it can be difficult to get your bearings and determine what you actually must have while you are still pregnant and before the baby arrives. A receiving blanket is something that you will find very useful both during the time immediately after the baby is born and over the following months.

What is a receiving blanket?

Now that you know a receiving blanket is something new parents definitely want, you still may not understand what sets this type of blanket apart from other blankets. Generally, receiving blankets are blankets that can be used to wrap the infant shortly after they are born. In some cases, they can be used by the hospital staff after the baby is delivered, but often the hospitals have sterile ones on hand for that purpose. You can use the receiving blanket to take the baby home and to swaddle him or her in while they are very young.

Some of the characteristics that make a receiving blanket useful for this purpose include:

• Smaller size than other blankets so that they can wrap the baby without being too cumbersome
• Square or rectangular shaped to facilitate swaddling
• Lightweight so that they can be used in layers to maintain the baby’s body temperature in a variety of environments

As a parent, it is important to get value from the products you purchase for your infant. Babies grow up so quickly that in many cases, they outgrow clothing, toys, or other products before you have gotten a great deal of use out of them. The best way to avoid this problem is to buy items that can be used for multiple purposes, and this is definitely true for receiving blankets.

You can also use a receiving blanket to do the following:

• Layering with other bedding
• Keep the baby warm in his or her stroller
• As a burp cloth (particularly after the baby has outgrown the other uses)
• A surface for quick diaper changes
• Makeshift modesty cover while nursing
• Tummy time mat