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During the first couple months of life, while babies are looking adorable in their newborn cloth for pictures, they are more often than not cuddled up in blankets or swaddles, napping and getting used to the new world they are in. Inspired by the Bedding Essentials Baby Bento Gift Box, I wanted to have another simple and elegant bento for baby bedtime supplies, so a mix of modern and traditional swaddle blankets were a great choice!
This bento contains two Modern Swaddles and a Swaddle Blanket 4 Pack for all of baby’s cozy swaddle needs! While modern swaddles are, from what I hear, far easier for baby wrangling, some mothers adore the old school fabric swaddles you wrap yourself, so this bento has something for everyone. In addition, the traditional swaddle blankets can be used as receiving blankets, stroller covers, or any number of other baby care uses so they will be loved regardless of what style of swaddle your mama-to-be prefers! In addition to the ones I found on Amazon, Carter’s also has several Swaddle 2 Packs if you are looking for other options in those adorable Carter’s baby prints! I’ve bought oodles of cute baby clothing gifts for my family and friends from Carter’s, so I have to include their swaddles too!
For these and other Baby Gift Box Bentos, I used a 10 inch square box to house our gifts and it was the perfect size for this Swaddle Blanket Bento! While this bento could potentially fit in a smaller box, it was pretty full with my best folding and the swaddles themselves folded much more easily than they would in a smaller box.
These boxes are also great as mailable presents for if you cannot visit your mama to be but still want to send a personal and thoughtful gift. Regardless of if you are mailing or giving in person, I encourage you to stuff the top of your box with tissue paper if there is extra room so that items don’t move around while shipping or wrapping, plus it makes it a fun presentation removing the tissue paper to a lovely organized baby gift!
Supplies:
- Swaddle Blanket 4 Pack
- SwaddleMe Swaddle 2 Pack
- Square Gift Box
- Tissue Paper (Optional)
PART 1 - FOLDING SWADDLES
First we will start by folding the swaddles that frame the receiving blankets. I recommend this size swaddle because it's already the width of the box, making folding even easier! If your swaddle is bigger, you will need to fold in the edges to make it the width of your box before starting folding, which may make your swaddles harder to fold with a consistent thickness throughout.
Start with your swaddle face up, with the sides of the swaddle folded in as shown. Then, fold out the outer wing to make a more uniform thickness throughout.
Now, take the bottom of the swaddle and fold it over the wing, covering the velcro securing bits and forming a rectangular packet, as shown in the photos.
3. Using the height of the gift box as a guide,start at the bottom of the swaddle and fold it over, with the folded end being slightly lower than the height of your box. Continue folding the swaddle over itself until the entire swaddle is a rolled up rectangular packet that is the height and width of your gift box.
4. Repeat the same folding process with the remaining swaddle. Then, place the swaddles along the top and bottom of the gift box, folded side up. The remaining space will be used as a guide for folding the flannel receiving blankets.
PART 2 - FOLDING RECEIVING BLANKETS
1. Start by folding your large flannel receiving blankets into quarters, creating a smaller square of fabric to continue folding. Using the width of your gift box as a guide, fold in the sides of the blanket to create a long rectangular packet that is the width of the gift box.
2. Turn the packet 90 degrees so the long side runs along the edge of your gift box. Using the width of the open space in the gift box as a guide, fold in both ends of the packet so the loose edges are on top and the folds are the width of the open space, as shown in the photos. Fold the packet over once more, concealing the loose edges and creating a small rectangle that is the width and length of the extra space in your gift box
3. Repeat the process with the remaining blankets, then stack them on top of each other in the middle of your gift box, completing your bento and showing off your favorite pattern on the top!
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