When bereaved or frightened parents in the UK need to know how much someone else cares… Bonnie Babies is there to help you knit for premature babies
Debby created the UK knitting charity Bonnie Babies to honor her own daughter.
On her website, she writes:
To lose a baby is heartbreaking for any parent; we were no different. How we cope with it is up to us.
“My way was to create something so special we could go on to help so many others. To make a tiny outfit for a premature baby. Or, sadly, a burial gown for a little one who didn’t make it. [It was a way for us] to pass on a keepsake to parents to offer the tiniest of comfort for them.
“[We wanted] to let them know we are all thinking of them, and how much their baby was so important, too.”
There’s nothing as hard as watching a premature baby struggle to survive. Bonnie Babies makes that struggle just a bit easier by providing blankets and other items to show families they’re not alone!
Knitting for Precious Premature Babies
Debby founded Bonnie Babies in 2001 to reach out to others in need. Over 16 years later, Bonnie Babies continues to encourage others to knit for premature babies: premature clothing, blankets, and burial outfits for U.K. Special Baby Care Units and families. Their goal is to show each mother — each family — that others still think about them and want to care for them.
If you’ve never knitted for charity before, knitting for premature babies is incredibly satisfying. (Those of us who already do or have know this well!) First, you can provide a personal message of hope to someone who desperately needs it. And secondly, knitting premature infant clothing is so quick and easy!
Click here to sign up for my free email course, Getting Started with Charity Knitting, and subscribe to the free Knitting Nuggets Newsletter.
Even a beginning knitter can easily start and finish a project for a premature infant! You may want to start with blankets, as these are the easiest and quickest to make.
A more advanced knitter can try hats, booties, sweaters, and/or toys. You can find many patterns available in the “patterns” section of the Bonnie Babies website.
Such items will keep a preemie warm and comfortable during his or her first few precarious weeks, while their bodies’ development struggles to catch up with the world. Not only that, but families can continue to treasure these precious items long after the child has outgrown them.
Imagine that: for the rest of their lives, that family will know that someone cared enough to clothe their premature baby. How priceless!
Another essential part of the Bonnie Babies mission is to create burial outfits for premature children who don’t survive. If this is a tragedy that especially touches you, you know just how much this sort of project can offer comfort to a grieving parent.
How You Can Help Bonnie Babies
Whether or not you’ve had the experience of nurturing a premature baby, you can help families through the experience!
You can find a full and complete list of all the types of donations Bonnie Babies needs at their How You Can Help page. In addition to knitted or crocheted items, you can donate financially or offer yarn or stamps.
You can also join the Bonnie Babies Facebook Community and share the joy of creation and helping other preemies and bereaved parents in the UK.
If this is a cause that touches your heart — whether you’ve experienced it yourself, know someone who has, or can fully empathize — I hope you’ll consider joining the Bonnie Babies cause.
If you’re inspired to knit for preemies, check out the Free Knitting Patterns for Preemies category on this website!
