How to Help Needy Newborns & Their Families around the US

Knit for babies in need and their families alongside Newborns in Need; they provide everything tiny ones require, included knitted clothing

In 1992, Carol Green read a shocking statement from a magazine: newborns that died in infancy had to be buried in paper sacks or discarded with medical waste.

It sounds callous, but the reason for it? No one had the money or resources to purchase burial clothing.

Carol shared this with her fellow quilting club members, who were convinced the article had to be inaccurate. Driven by a need to know the truth, Carol contacted the writer of the article, who confirmed the shocking statement.

At this, Carol contacted hospitals in her own area and discovered they had the same problem.

You can find more ways to knit for babies in need here.

From Creating Burial Wear to Creating Baby Clothes

You might guess that a woman who took it upon herself to confirm a shocking statement she read in a magazine article would not stop at simply knowing the truth. Carol Green enlisted her friends, and together they began to create burial wear for hospitals.

So she and her friends then turned their attention to knitting, crocheting, and sewing for living babies too: gowns, hats, blankets, sleepers, and so on.

Richard Green dreamed up the name “Newborns in Need,” and a charity was born.

Although their craft charity makes up only a small part of the wide range of services Newborns in Need offers, it’s an active one that provides garments to thousands of needy babies every year.

Volunteers don’t just knit for babies; they also sew and crochet these much-needed items.

How Newborns in Need Helps Infants & Their Families

Some of the items Newborns in Need donates include:

• pacifiers
• T-shirts
• onesies
• wipes
• bottles
• sleepers
• afghans
• hygiene products

Wondering about handknits? In addition to the afghans mentioned above, Newborns in Need offers these items (often lovingly handmade by volunteers):

• booties
• hats
• burial garments
• sweaters for teddy bears

And these items are donated to some of the following organizations all over the country:

• hospitals
• homeless shelters
• crisis centers
• foster homes
• medical clinics

As an example of their hard work: in 2013, they distributed an amazing 450,000 items. The need remains high, however, so they always need more volunteers.

How You Can Help Newborns in Need

Ready to knit for babies? If you feel like Newborns in Need might be the charity for you, you can learn more at the Newborns in Need website.

You can access a variety of free knitting, crochet, sewing, and bereavement patterns. These cover everything from infant afghans to knitted hats, booties, and burial buntings.

Newborns in Need asks that you stick with the patterns on their website, since they’re the result of years of trial and error.

Use whatever yarn fits the project, but you should avoid wool or wool-blend yarns since they are allergens. Whatever yarn you use should also be able to handle repeated washings.

(Bereavement items don’t need to follow these guidelines.)

Newborns in Need has many chapters around the United States, especially in the Midwest. If you don’t have one in your area, you may want to consider gathering some friends and starting your own!

No parent should ever have to feel alone or scared because they’ve given birth. Nor should the misery of the passing of a newborn ever be compounded by the lack of appropriate clothing for burial. These are two excellent reasons to knit for Newborns in Need.