You Can Have Your Baby’s First Blanket Turned Into A Stuffed Animal

You might not think twice about that blanket you receive when you bring your baby home from the hospital—after all, you’re probably focused on the bundle of joy wrapped inside the blanket. But one woman has come up with a cute and clever way to recycle these pink- and blue-striped blankets.

Etsy user “Numsie” is creating DIY stuffed animals using hospital receiving blankets, and she’s made bears, elephants, bunnies and other animals, which she calls “Numsies.” This is a great way to keep your baby’s first blanket as a memento, but in the form of a cute little stuffed toy.

Look at the adorable receiving-blanket-turned-teddy-bear below:

The owner of the Numsie shop states on her Etsy page that not everyone gets to take home their hospital blanket, so if you don’t manage to snag yours, you can use any flannel blanket, such as one you would get at a baby shower. Check out some of her other sweet creations below.

Here are some baby blankets transformed into stuffed cats. How cute!

How about a floppy-eared puppy dog for your babe?

You can even have your Numsie personalized with your child’s name:

If you’re unsure whether you should take the blanket provided by the hospital home with you, just ask your nurse. A lot of hospitals are fine with you taking it home, but some prefer you leave it behind.

The reason these pink-and-blue blankets elicit such an emotional reaction from people is because they’re so iconic—nearly every newborn baby you’ve ever seen was probably wrapped in one! That begs the question: Where do these blankets come from and how come every hospital in the world seems to have them?

Well, they are reportedly made by Medline, an Illinois medical supply company that’s been around since 1910. In the 1950s, the company decided to redesign receiving blankets, which had previously been made from drab beige fabric. Medline’s founder, A.L. Mills, asked the women in his office what would appeal to them in a baby blanket, and the group offered up the now-ubiquitous pink-and-blue-striped design.

Officially known as the Kuddle-Up Candy Stripe blanket, it became an instant classic. Medline now sells 1.5 million of the striped blankets every year (as well as smaller quantities of similar blankets with ducks or elephants printed on them).

RELATED: Don’t want to throw away your precious baby shower cards? Reuse them by making these great DIY projects: