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Newborn babies need a lot of things and one of the most basic and important things that you should have on hand upon giving birth are baby receiving blankets. As you can guess from the name, the receiving blanket is used for, well, receiving the baby. This is what you should use to cover the baby to keep him warm. Some mothers and nurses also use infant receiving blankets to swaddle the baby. Swaddling is when you wrap the baby’s body with the blanket snugly. Some experts say that babies feel comfortable if they are swaddled inside their blankets because they cannot move their hands and legs, just like when they were still inside their mom’s womb where the space is very limited.

Swaddling is commonly done in the hospital to lessen the shock caused by the sudden change of environment for the baby. Just imagine what a baby feels when he suddenly sees the glaring lights of the delivery room after seeing nothing but darkness inside the womb or when he suddenly hears loud sounds of voices and whirring machines in the hospital after hearing nothing but his mom’s muted voice while still in utero. Surely, you also felt the same shock when you were born. Swaddling the baby makes him feel as if he is still inside the womb of his mom.

Blankets for newborns are usually made of thin and lightweight materials like cotton. This way, you can use as many blankets as you want to make the baby warm if the baby is premature or very small or you can discard some blankets if the baby does not need as much warmth.

If you are going to attend a baby shower, you can also give these as gifts. You can buy a set of plain ones for the new baby and personalize them by stitching the baby’s name on one corner. You can also buy baby receiving blankets with adorable patterns like hearts, polka dots, stripes, paisley, flowers, and so on.