Car Seat Swaddle Blanket

This blanket has holes for carseat straps, so baby can’t kick it onto the ground.  Allows you to swaddle your newborn comfortably while on the go!  

How to:

1
Print off and assemble template.  Tape together.

2
Lay your outer piece of fabric face-down. Use a pencil or washable fabric marker to trace around template.

3
Now layer your materials: first the batting, then the inner piece of fabric (face up), then the outer piece of fabric (face down).  Right sides should be together.  Pin materials, staying inside the pencil lines.  Cut out.

4
Sew materials together around the perimeter of the fabric.  Leave a hole for turning right side out.  Remove all pins and turn fabric right side out.  Use the eraser end of a pencil to poke out all seams.  Sew hole shut, then continue sewing to make a decorative stitch around the perimeter of the blanket.

5
Now we’ll make the holes for the car seat straps. The marks on the pattern should fit most infant seats, however, if you have the car seat available I recommend doing it this way for a custom fit:  Lay the blanket in the car seat.  Use a pen to mark where the straps are.  Remove blanket and use a straight edge to complete the marker line where the strap slits will be. (Don’t worry, the inked fabric will be cut away.)

6
Sew a box around each marker line, using the mark as a guide for your sewing foot.  Use a rotary cutter and a straight edge to cut out the inked centers of the boxes.  Then use scissors to trim neatly, but be careful not to sever your stitches.

7
Lay the blanket in the car seat and pull the straps through.  If possible, put baby or a stuffed animal in the seat so you can get a more accurate fit.  Fold over the right flap and tuck around baby.  Fold up the bottom flap.  Then fold over the left flap.  Note where the bottom and left flaps meet, then pin Velcro tabs in place. Sew on Velcro.

As with all handmade baby items, use at your own risk.  Pattern is for private use only.

Click to check out Made By Marzipan’s other sewing projects for baby.

Made By Marzipan may have received product or payment for this post. Posts may contain affiliate links. Disclosed in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

79 thoughts on “Car Seat Swaddle Blanket

  1. lil starbeam says

    I can’t wait to try this. what a clever idea!

  2. Joanne says

    So far I have dwn loaded template, it does not measure up properly it doen’t fit together in sequence like you are lead to believe….. frustrating..

    • Marzipan says

      Joanne,
      Try selecting “no scaling” and “no margins” on your printer settings.

    • elise says

      reading through remarks and I must say the printer remark, no margin no heading no something, is the first time someone has figured out some of MY problems. no one has ever told me to do that,, what a great simple answer , thank you. an incredible simple but invaluable tool , for someone that does not normally do more then print. I have trouble just enlarging patterns, I just had to say thank you with as much feeling as i could. aloha

  3. Shelly says

    The template is a little off in some places but not anything major that cannot be easily adjusted!

  4. Tora says

    This is so cute and warm and a cool idea:)

  5. viki-dee says

    i have a friend with new baby in omaha where it is cold now, and a daughter in ohio who is due in august and it will get cold there in the winter. just the thing i was looking for to make as gifts. thank you.

  6. pressedfortime says

    This is a great easy project, and I imagine also a good way to keep the car seat clean in summer if your baby has a spit up or something! Might even grow with the child if tall enough for the straps when they get re-sized as they grow!

  7. Mary C. says

    I have a grandson on the way and my cousin’s daughter has a baby on the way can’t wait to try this, thanks.

  8. Joan P. says

    I want to make this for my niece’s baby. She stated that any additional items in the car seat can interfere with the seat belt if there would be an accident. Can you help with this issue. This would definitely help keep the original seat cover clean and baby warmer here in Nebraska.

    • Jenn says

      Anything where you have to put the carseat straps through it most likely will interfere with the carseat. Look up why bundle me’s aren’t recommended.

  9. Marzipan says

    Hi Joan,
    Good question! The good thing about this blanket is that it DOES NOT interfere with the car seat straps, or the tightness of them! The blanket has slits for the straps, and one layer that rests against the back of the seat (no thicker than putting your baby in a sweater). Then you buckle the baby tightly as you normally would, and wrap the blanket on the OUTSIDE of the straps.

    Your niece is right; it is unsafe to put your baby in a thick snowsuit, or put a blanket BETWEEN the baby and the straps, because it can compress in a crash, making the straps too loose. I feel this carseat swaddle blanket is a better alternative, HOWEVER, as a parent, it is up to her to decide what she feels is best and safest for her child :)

  10. chris varela says

    Thank you so much for yr tutorial and pattern. Have made it now and ready to try it out for my little granddaughter!

    • says

      Wonderful, Chris! :)

  11. Charina says

    I can’t get the pattern to open :( :( I am in desperate need of this since my baby screams the entire time i am int he store and i have to unbuckle him to swaddle him, he falls asleep, then i have to wake him to re buckle him :( :( hope i can get this to open soon…

    • says

      Hi Charina,
      Sorry to hear that, as far as I know nobody else has had trouble opening this one. Can you tell me what browser you’re using? (Explorer, Firefox, Safari?) And what exactly happens when you click on the link to the pattern?
      If you’d like to email me at madebymarzipan@gmail.com, I could try emailing it to you instead :)

  12. katie says

    i love this concept. i’m going to make one but im leaving the batting out of the back so there is less bulk between baby and the seat. (personal preference ) this is safe for seats even with the batting as long as you make sure the straps are tightened before you put in the blanket and you dont have to loosen to accommodate the blanket.

  13. Sheila says

    I really love your tutorial and thank you for the pattern. I am going to make one for our new great-grandson.

  14. Anonymous says

    where is the pattern?

    • Marzipan says

      Click on the red words that say “Click here to download the Carseat Swaddle Blanket pattern.” Right above the supply list.

  15. says

    Emily, it’s adorable! Thanks so much for sharing your photos :)

  16. Robin says

    Hi there! This is adorable and just what I was looking for, Marzipan. Many thanks for creating and posting the pattern, photos and how-to video.

  17. Deborah Fitch says

    What is the fabric you used? I really like it and would like to know what to ask for at the fabric shop.

    • says

      Deborah, I’m sorry but I have no idea. It was sold as a flat fold of fabric when I bought it about a year ago, and I just can’t recall. It’s probably been discontinued by now, though… sorry!

    • Samantha says

      I too had issues with my printer printing to the right scale. BUT it wasnt so far off that I couldnt piece it together enough to get the general idea.. I just made sure the outer edges (the most important) were matched up.. Only gotten as far as piecing pattern together.. trying to figure out who to make one for. My son is already 2 :( But it is just too cute to NOT make.. Thanks so much for sharing!

    • Samantha says

      Print out the picture of her finished product and bring it with you to the fabric store.. Sometimes small “quilt” shops can locate the fabric for you!

  18. Vienna says

    I just love your patterns. Whst a great idea for baby shower gifts. I am a teacher and we have a lot of young teachers having babies with mothers and mother-in-laws who just don’t sew or have the time and sewing is something I love to do! I love taking ideas and running with them and making them my own (adding to the ideas). Thanks for the gresat ideas.

    • says

      I’d love to see what you come up with, Vienna! Feel free to post your own projects right here!

  19. Melani says

    Do you sell these portable highchair covers? I don’t have a sewing bone in my body and am a busy mom of twins and a three year old, or know anyone that could?

  20. says

    Sorry, Melani, I don’t sell them. Maybe you could ask a friend with a sewing machine? It’s a super simple project. Good luck!

  21. Mary says

    Thank you for making this tutorial! Your directions are very clear and easy to follow. Love this!!

  22. Robin says

    I made this for my grandbaby and it was very easy and simple to make. It turned out perfect.

  23. hazel says

    going to try your pattern for y granddather twin girls hop it works

  24. Shahida Khan says

    I am so excited to try this out. Will this only fit a particular type/size of car seat? Can I extend the bottom end to fit a toddler size?

    • says

      It will fit any infant carseat. I suspect a toddler would just kick or wriggle their way out of it!

  25. Diana says

    I love this blanket. I’m not sure if my pattern printed full size. Would you post the finished measurements? Thank you.

  26. Terry Mc says

    The slit lines did not print off. Can you provide measurements for placement?

  27. Laura says

    Thank you for the pattern! It fit together perfectly, and was easy to use! I was able to complete this whole project in an hour, and am very pleased with the result! I think I will make more! :p

  28. Angelle says

    This is a really cute pattern! Thanks for sharing. I’m going to try it without the batting. Here in South Louisiana we seem to only have about 3 weeks of cold weather per year. :)

  29. Julie says

    Just made one for my Grandson who will be born in Oct, we live in Minnesota so it will be great for the winter. It was a lot of fun to make. Thank you so much.

  30. Anonymous says

    love the pattern. could you tell me what song is playing in your video. thanks,

  31. Susan says

    I’m making 2, one for the car seat and one for the stroller. I’m using a double layer of fleece.

  32. Shelsy says

    This was a great pattern! I made it for a baby shower gift and it came out beautifully. Very simple and straightforward.

    http://lazydaisiesinthesun.blogspot.com/2013/11/project-journal-car-seat-blanket-and.html

  33. Tamara says

    First time sewer, tried my hand at quilting the outter side and i am very pleased with the outcome, thank you very much for the free pattern and the tutorial on how to make, my friends daughter will love it!!

  34. khorraxe says

    I’ve been looking for a pattern to make one of these. I just printed out my pattern! Thanks for the great video. I’m also looking forward to checking out more stuff on your web site. Thank you!

  35. cadmancavalier says

    Thank you. I love it.

  36. Sammie says

    So far I have cut and assembled the free pattern from the website. The pattern isn’t perfect so some very small adjustments have to be made so that it indeed looks like the final product. No worries. I only have cotton material and want to have the minky on the inside so I will wait and sew this tomorrow. Thanks for the tut, I love watching everything you make

  37. harmonikisses says

    Great tutorial! But I would rather have both measurements and a pattern available. Keep up the good work!

  38. ShesComplicatedDesign says

    Love this…awaiting my bundle of love this summer. Thanks

  39. xtalinn says

    This is awesome! i will be attempting to make one beings as we live in oregon and our little ones always needs to be bundled or protected from rain. thank u so much for sharing your intelligence and knowledge! they no longer will be able to kick the warmth to the floor, yea, makes me a happy momma!

  40. Hussam says

    Awesome video! I wish I had a child to make one for him or her :-(

  41. Joseph says

    So cute. You made it look so easy, now lets see if I can do it. Thanks so much!

  42. Pat says

    Can you please tell me what the width and length are of this pattern. Printed out and it seems small. Thanks. Pat

  43. Sandy says

    It looks so easy. I’ve got to try one for my niece who is due in Oct.

    One suggestion on the video. Move the camera up a little, so we can see you marking the top placement of the straps and attaching the velcro.

  44. Brenda says

    Do you think this would work with two layers of fleece? Leaving out the batting.

    • says

      Absolutely!

  45. Judith Latham says

    Hi Marzi,

    I love this idea and want to make my newborn one or two of these, but when I click on the link to open the pattern template, nothing happens. Any chance you could email it to me, please? Will definitely send you photo’s of the final product. I am so excited.

    Regards
    Judith Latham

  46. Nancy Lashley says

    I too cannot get the pattern to download. could you please send it to me? thanks

  47. Daphne Davis says

    I can not download the pattern. Would you mind send the pattern to me via email.

    Thank you.

  48. Tammy says

    How do i get your pattern? i can’t seem to find it. And i would love to make one for my sister-in-law. Baby Grant is do in Dec. Thank you Tammy

  49. Cynde says

    Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom! Beautiful things and easlily understood. I wish you all good things coming your way!
    Grandma in Helsinki, Finland

    • says

      Thank you, Cynde!

  50. kim says

    good day!

    I cannot dowload the car seat pattern?!

    Thank you

  51. judy revell says

    this is so sweet, i’m making it for a gift, i printed out the template but the marks for the seatbelt didn’t print out and i don’t have an infant car seat. does anyone have one they could measure and give me the measurements so i can mark them on the pattern please?
    thank you.
    judy

  52. sherry says

    Thank you l have someone in mind and know that they will love this tanks for sharing this pattern god bless you.

    • says

      You’re welcome!

  53. Gwen McKinley says

    been slowly working through the site. Made the changing mat, poppy pillow, and about to start the car seat swaddle. No problems with the templates or directions. Thanks for posting

    • says

      Wow that’s great! Thanks for watching!

  54. Vicci foss says

    Hi I am trying to download the pattern for car swaddle but it is not allowing m please help.

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  60. Helen says

    I made one for my daughter and she loved it. She used it as an extra cover over the car seat and left it right in the car seat.
    She loved it so much that everytime one of her friends is having a baby I make another one. After the first one, I started adding PUL fabric along with the batting so the car seat doesn’t get wet if they wet through the diaper. This saves taking the car seat cover off, which is not a fun project.

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