Lovie’s are used to provide newborns and infants comfort when their parent is not able to be with them at the hospital.  The parent is given a Lovie to take home, hold against their skin, sleep with, and cuddle with.  The Lovie takes on the scent of the parent and is then brought back to the hospital and put into the child’s crib.  This gives the infant some continuity and enhances the child’s ability to bond with the parent. 

The Lovie is basically a 22” x 22” square of soft flannel.  One corner is gathered around a soft ball about the size of a golf ball.  (This forms the ‘head’ of the Lovie.)  Then the two corners on each side of the ball are tied into a knot.  (These form the ‘arms’ of the Lovie.)

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Directions:  Cut a piece of COTTON FLANNEL (only) about 22” square.  Fold right sides together to make a triangle.  Sew around both sides, but leave an opening large enough to insert the head.  Turn triangle right side out. [The head needs to be made of something soft like polyester stuffing, covered with a thin piece of material (about 10” square) tied over the ball of stuffing.]  This next part is tricky to word, but easy to do.  Holding the triangle with the center point down, take the head and put it into the opening and center under the fold.  Tie the center of the triangle securely over the head using something like 6-strand embroidery floss or some other heavy thread that is not as easy to break (be sure to tuck the string ends as any strings left out could get into tiny mouths).  Either top-stitch or do a decorative embroidery stitch to close the opening.  Tie knots in the 2 “upper” ends of the Lovie to form the hands. 

Some people add a hat also made out flannel and attached it to the Lovie’s head using hand-stitching.  This is not required, but is certainly OK.  Other than the flannel hat, please do not add any other decoration to the Lovie.