7 Things I Wish I Had Sewn Before Having a Baby
Before I had a baby, I had grand sewing plans. I pictured myself effortlessly whipping up adorable handmade outfits, crafting beautifully coordinated nursery décor, and generally embodying the pinnacle of stylish, prepared parenthood. Reality, however, had other ideas.
Between first-trimester fatigue and the relentless morning sickness that comes with growing a tiny human, my sewing machine saw far less action than I’d imagined. But beyond the exhaustion, I also had no real clue what I’d actually need and use every day—despite confidently believing I’d done my “homework” by binge-watching YouTube University videos on “What You Actually Need for <insert age of infant here>.”
Oh, the naivety.
Of course, every parent’s experience is different—what works for one might be completely useless for another. But looking back, there are definitely a few things I wish I’d sewn before motherhood descended upon me like a beautiful, chaotic whirlwind.
So if you’re nearing (or already in) this stage of life, firstly—congratulations! It’s truly magical (but also hard work). And secondly, I hope this blog post helps you be a little more strategic with your precious sewing time.
A Pram Caddy
The pram caddy is designed for quick access, but as a result it is not a place to store valuables unattended.
Currently, when we head out for our daily walk, I employ a rather questionable system: all my loose belongings go into the pram’s undercarriage in what can only be described as a lucky dip of chaos. Need my phone? Good luck. Want to take a sip of water? Sure, but first, let’s retrieve the bottle from under a rogue muslin cloth, three odd socks, and a suspiciously crumpled snack wrapper. A proper pram handle bag—with compartments, no less—would be a game-changer.
There is a great free tutorial from Easy To Sew on YouTube on how to make these, which I plan on following if I ever get round to it.
A Pram Liner
A reversible pram liner from Linen Label.
Baby fluids (spit-up, nappy leaks, and the occasional suspiciously sticky hand) get everywhere, including the pram. Being able to swap out a liner rather than waiting for a freshly washed one to dry would have been a lifesaver. Currently, we’re using the newborn insert (still at 9 months), which came in white.
I’m planning on making a quilted reversible liner in a slightly more forgiving colour than white. I’m hoping I can use some of my scrap fabrics for this, as I could make one side patchwork.
There are several free patterns available:
Tutorial from sew pony (blogpost)
Video tutorial from Ms Villana.
A Nappy Bag with Compartments
I currently use a 15-year-old Longchamp bag, which is great in size but functions more like a black hole. When you’re holding a baby in one arm and desperately rummaging for the car keys with the other, a bag without compartments quickly becomes your arch-nemesis. If I could go back in time, I’d make a bag with multiple sections and a handy zip pocket for essentials, something like this free pattern by Sewing Times.
A Portable Nappy Change Mat
This free pattern is from Made by Marzipan, and is designed for one-handed opening and closing.
We bought a cheap one. It was too small, uncomfortable, and broke within weeks—because, as they say, buy cheap, buy twice. A slightly padded, wipe-clean, foldable change mat that could be carried, opened and closed with one hand (because the other hand is obviously holding the baby as lots of baby change tables don’t have straps!) would have been so much more practical. Lesson learned.
I’m hoping to make this sewing pattern from Made By Marzipan, which is free and has a helpful video tutorial. I will buff it up with a lining of wadding and quilt the outside fabric.
A Changing Mat Cover
A changing mat cover would have ticked the box for both functionality and aesthetics.
We borrowed a friend’s changing mat, which was all fine and dandy until we somehow managed to rip it (don’t ask how—parenting is full of mysteries and thankfully our friend forgave us!). It would have been far more hygienic and convenient to have a few interchangeable covers sewn up in advance, as well as way more aesthetically pleasing. I know aesthetics aren’t a priority with a new baby, but when you spend a lot of time in the same room breastfeeding, you do start to notice the feng shui more.
Here are some free patterns for changing mat covers:
Video tutorial on how to draft one for your exact changing mat dimensions.
Blog post from a Small Snippet
Dribble Bibs
Why oh why did I not churn out dribble bibs before baby was born?! This would have been the ultimate scrap busting project and are so so needed for those spit ups. We ended up buying some due to the emergency need but every time we use them I am disappointed in myself that I didn’t sew them. I guess sewers and mother’s guilt have combined here!
Thankfully, this is a really quick sewing project that can realistically be done in a nap time. This could easily be drafted without a pattern, or an existing bib could be used as a template. If you prefer patterns, here are some available online:
Scalloped pattern from Etsy for $7.60 AUD (seen in pictures above).
Bandana bib from Apple Green Cottage for free.
Standard shape bib from Mary Martha Mama for free and with a video tutorial.
Another standard shape bib from Made Everyday for free and with a video tutorial.
More Breastfeeding Friendly Dresses
I live in the tropics, so breezy, throw-on dresses are my go-to. However, all my previous “memade” dresses are not breastfeeding-friendly (because, you know, they didn’t need to be!) and it turns out that lifting an entire dress up to feed a baby isn’t exactly the most practical (or dignified) option. During pregnancy, I made three Adrift Shift dresses with added side zippers for boob access before birth, and these have been worn on heavy rotation since (so much so that my contrast dress needs a bit of seam repair at the back as (in my experience) a lot of bum shuffling happens when breastfeeding). However, it would have been useful to have more because there are often days when I cycle through as many outfits as the baby due to spills of various bodily fluids.
More easy-access, stylish, and breathable dresses are definitely on my sewing to-do list. My last post on my 2025 sewing plans discusses this further, although no sewing has happened yet and it’s mid-March! I’m hoping to make more Adrift Shifts, Saltwater slips and a new-to-me pattern the Bubble frock.
Final thoughts
Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. If you’re expecting, or even just planning ahead, I’d highly recommend sewing at least one or two of these before baby arrives for obvious reasons. Don’t be like me.
And if you’re already in the trenches of parenthood—what do you wish you had sewn before your little one arrived? Let me know in the comments!