Oh my goodness, I’m sharing a pattern for the first time in YEARS! It’s a freebie too, so I hope it’s one you’ll love. This one is totally giftable, and very practical plus it’s super easy. In August, I had a baby and became a mom. And as soon as we bought the baby home my husband and I had the same fear: that we would drop the baby. Probably a worry most parents have, but we had also just had new porcelain floors put in, and they are very hard. You see where our fear is going.
As my baby grew, I realized that he would be eventually sitting on these hard floors, and potentially flopping backwards. So I decided to make a big, squishy play mat that he could crawl around and play on. I decided to use Bernat Baby Blanket as it was super chunky and squishy and could cushion my baby’s falls or knees. Plus, it’s easy to wash as well. I used four skeins of this yarn and it made a good size play mat for baby. I also used an basic stitch, so this is pattern even a novice can hook up and proudly present to the expectant mom.
Now, when I say this is big, I mean big. It’s not exactly a square but it’s five feet on one side.The yarn is pretty plush, and I used a 9.00mm hook so it worked up big and squishy. I love squishy for this as the floor is very hard and I want my baby to be comfortable and safe when he’s playing. This is a great alternative to foam mats since those can be somewhat pricy, and some babies chew on them.
Play Mat Pattern
Gauge
Not important for this project
Finished Dimensions
66” by 52”
Materials
880 yards of super chunky yarn
9.00mm hook
Smaller hook or yarn needle for weaving in ends
Yarn
4 skeins of Bernat Baby Blanket in Seafoam Print
Stitches Used (US Terms)
Ch-chain
Hdc-half double crochet
Directions
Row 1: Ch 96, in third ch from hook, hdc and hdc in ea across. Ch 2, turn.
Row 2-52: Hdc in first st, and in each across. Ch 2, turn.
In Conclusion
This play mat will be super useful for my baby, and we are sure to use it for quite a while yet. It’s a lot more diverse as it can be easily moved so I can move this from our living area to his bedroom and back again without too much trouble if need be. And I feel a lot better about him sitting on the floor now that he has this cushy play mat. This would make the perfect baby show gift as well, as is likely something not a lot of others would think to gift. I hope you love hooking up this easy project!
Would you like to see other baby crochet projects? Let me know in the comments below.
