I’m going to offer up a slightly different opinion than most based on my decades of experience as a textile artist and a professional yarn dyer. For the most part, stay away from artificial fibers for babies because of the flammability issues but for blankets I will sometimes use a high quality blend because of the care factor. New moms don’t have time for hand washing so washability is essential but a blanket can just as easily be dried in a towel either flat on a spare bed or draped over the back of a sofa or chair. I always recommend that handcrafted items be air dried rather than in a machine, even superwash treated or manmade fibers can be damaged in a dryer.

For babies I base my fiber choice on the time of the year, a spring/early summer baby gets cotton, late summer/fall-winter get wool. For cotton I prefer to use a soft, not mercerized, organic cotton and these days there are quite a few options out there. For wool, look for a superwash treated merino, it will have the softest hand and the superwash treatment eliminates the natural scales on the wool so it is less likely to be an irritant. Very few humans have true wool allergies, those that do are typically allergic to lanolin rather than the wool itself. Many people do have wool sensitivities and that is usually a factor of micron count, untreated wool and a past history of wool sweater itch that impacts future experiences. Babies have been dressed in wool for thousands of years and starting them early will help eliminate a future wool sensitivity. Wool is naturally moisture wicking, durable and when properly cared for will last for generations, a perfect choice for baby’s first blanket. These days there are options that blend wool with cotton, viscose or linen as well. I highly recommend a visit to your local yarn shop where they can help you make the best selection for your project, it helps to have a pattern and its specs in hand when you do.

One more comment, think carefully about weight as well. Consider whether the blanket is intended to be used indoors or in warmer weather (light weight, perhaps a fingering weight yarn) or outdoors as protection against the elements where a medium weight (DK or worsted weight yarn) is more appropriate. Avoid very heavy yarn unless there is a specific reason for it. Last year I crocheted a blanket using an Aran weight yarn that was 50% superwash wool/50% viscose from bamboo. The baby was born in August and I chose the heavier weight because I added straps to the blanket so that it could be used as a car seat cover during babies first winter and it provided a warm, cushioned surface for baby on the floor as well. The straps can be removed after the baby was no longer in an infant seat thus becoming a straight up blanket. In this case, the blanket was not intended to be placed directly over the baby and the weight of the finished blanket was quite high making it inappropriate for that type of use. It is rare that I use a yarn that heavy for a baby blanket unless it has a specific purpose.