A hooded blanket can be perfect for outdoor sporting events or just for lounging around the house. Fleece blankets are warm, durable and washable, so perfect for children. A hooded blanket can be similar to a poncho, making sure you have maximum coverage and comfort.

To make a hooded blanket, you should pick your fleece material, this can be a plain material or patterned. The blanket is 6x7 foot. Cut your fabric so you have 6 foot 1 inch one side and 7 foot 1 inch the other, this 1 inch is for the hem, so fold over the edges by ½ inch and pin down and sew round the edge. This size of blanket will fit on a king size bed. There are many videos and instructions of how to make or knit your own blanket on the internet or on You Tube.

You then have to find the centre of the blanket and cut a 1 foot square out of the middle. With some more fleece material, cut 2 x 1 foot squares and sew one side of the edges together, then place in the whole of the blanket and sew the hood to the blanket, leaving one side unsewn. Then all you have to do is sew the remaining hems of the hood.

There…you have a fantastic hooded blanket that all your friends and family will be jealous of. Don’t forget to wash the blanket at a low temperature, so as not to shrink it. Most hooded blankets that you can buy these days are machine washable, just make sure you read the label before. This hooded blanket can also be used as a play mat or just safely securing your little one into their cot. It is suitable from birth and can also be used as a replacement for a cosy toes in the buggy.

Most hooded blankets are suitable to use with a car seat, but to be extra sure, it’s best to buy one which has fitting instructions of how to tighten the straps up so they are fitting the baby and not the blanket, otherwise the baby could slip down under the straps, if you have a car accident.

Not all hooded blankets on the market are for babies and children, there are some that are designed for adults, which are waterproof on the outside and fleece material on the inside, for a warm, snuggly feel. These kind of blankets are ideal for outdoor people to get together, even perfect for festival goers. They come in many colours and are great for summer and winter temperatures. These blankets can be easily washed, therefore making it an ideal accessory to take with you camping.

If you are buying a hooded blanket as a gift, the best advice you can be given is the quality and softness of the material. The worst thing in the world is having a blanket that doesn’t wash well and you end up with a stiff, dry, tatty looking thing that you don’t want going near your soft, precious baby.