B is for Blankie

Now that she's 18 months and starting to talk, I'm beginning to introduce the alphabet to A. Since our theme this week is blankets, I thought we would focus on the letter B.

I've been wanting to try my hand at a taggy toy for awhile now and thought this the perfect opportunity. You could do this with any letter (B is probably one of the more difficult ones). Wouldn't it make a sweet baby gift? Just choose the first initial of the baby's name!

What you'll need:

• A large printout of your letter of choice
• two pieces of scrap fabric (I used some flannel I had on hand)
• ribbon
• scissors
• a sewing machine (I suppose you could technically sew this by hand, but I sure wouldn't want to!)
  

1. Layer your fabric, wrong sides together, and pin your cut-out letter to it.

2. Trim around the outside of the letter.

3. Create the taggies by pinning looped ribbon to the right side of the fabric, facing inwards.

4. Place the other layer of fabric on top, right sides together, so the ribbons are hidden inside. Pin together.

5. Sew around the outside of the letter, leaving several inches open to turn inside out.

6. Lightly draw any holes inside the letter. DO NOT sew these together yet. I made that mistake and then wondered why on earth my fabric wasn't flipping right-side out. Took me 20 minutes to take out all the stitches! (This, after I was getting pretty cocky confident in my sewing skills. Well, I usually manage to keep myself humble.) Cut out the holes.

7. Turn the fabric right-side out.

8. With an iron, press the fabric flat, tucking in the part that has yet to be sewn.

9. Now carefully sew shut the fabric around the inner holes. You might need to go back in and trim up the excess so it looks nice and neat.

9. Stuff with filling and sew shut. You're done! Hand it to your little one or toss it in their crib for a naptime surprise!

A was delighted with her new toy. I told her it was a "B" and was rewarded with a string of "bee! bee! bee!" Then I told her that B says "b" and we had fun going "ba ba ba ba!" Although she obviously enjoyed it, the B was shoved to the side during naptime and she chose to cuddle with her beloved blankie instead.

Books that Celebrate the Blankie

Hooray for Harry by Kim Lewis

This sweet little tale is perfect for a toddler bedtime story. When Harry the (adorable and ridiculously cuddly) elephant goes down for a nap, he discovers his favorite blanket is missing. His friends (a lamb and teddy bear) help him retrace his steps to find the missing blanket.

Not only does the story teach chronological order and re-enforce the idea of friendship, it also encourages creativity as you learn about the many ways Harry played with his blanket. Not to mention, it is just so darn cute! The animals looks so soft and snuggly... forget the blanket - I wanted to take a nap with them!


Kiss Good Night by Amy Hest

Here's another sweet bedtime story that's sure to become a favorite of your toddler. Although the blanket isn't the focus of this story, it is one part of little Sam's elaborate but sweet bedtime routine. The illustrations in this book are warm and tender, the story is repetitive without becoming tiresome, and the ending leads you into kissing your own little ones goodnight. On top of all of this, it has the best opening ever: "It was a dark and stormy night..." :)