NICU Smock Pattern

I drafted this pattern 4 years ago after my cousin’s little boy Benjamin was born months early weighing in at 2lbs 8oz I searched everywhere for preemie cloths to fit!  Babies less than 3lbs are considered ‘micro-preemie’ & you can actually find some stuff on the internet to buy made, but not many patterns.  So after looking at different things I drafted up a pattern for a NICU friendly preemie smock that fits a good range of sizes.    When babies are in the NICU it really helps the parents to see their little ones wearing some sort of clothing.  BUT with all the monitors & wires many clothes are difficult to get on, or they get in the way of the wires or the nurses… which is what makes these so great!

I do not want to sell this pattern because I did not create it so people could make them to sell or I could profit off of it, but to encourage people to help others out.  For that reason this pattern is free for personal and charity sewing only.  This pattern, the pieces along with the instructions & photos, are copyrighted & may not be sold or reproduced without the written consent from the owner of Everything Your Mama Made & More!  Feel free to link people back to the blog where they can access it for free.

Before sewing items to donate to the hospital (this or others) PLEASE contact them first & ask what they need… you may need to bring this in to show them before they can give you an answer.  Some hospitals are very strict about what they can take.

If you have any questions feel free to send me a quick email or leave a comment

Happy Sewing!

Copyright © 2010 Everything Your Mama Made & More!  All Rights Reserved.

Baby Ricardo born at 31 weeks 4lbs 1oz, wearing a reversible smock.

Preemie 6lb doll in the serged version from a generous pattern tester from http://www.sewingmamas.com

This is a NICU friendly pattern that fits most 3-7lb babies.  All seams are ¼” seam allowences. To make 1 layer with serger finished edges you need 1/3 yard of soft 100% cotton flannel.  For a 2 layer reversible smock you will need 1/3 yard EACH of 2 different 100% cotton flannels. If you buy 1 yard cuts you can get 5-7 out of each yard depending on how you lay them out. Make sure to  pre-wash your fabric in warm or hot water & dry on high… these are washed often & need the fabric needs to be pre-shrunk.  It is important to use velcro & not other types of fasteners, sometimes NICU babies are undressed in a hurry, velcro is one of the easiest & fastest thing for the nurses to get open and out of the way in a hurry.

DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN PIECES .PDF FILE TO PRINT HERE

1 layer serger or bias tape smock…

Cut one each of pieces A (on fold), B & C.

2 sets of sew on velcro measuring 3/8” X 3/8” (one for each +, the soft sides on piece B or C & the rough sides on piece A) and optional package of bias tape.

Optional Package of Bias Tape.

STEP 1: Lay piece A right side up on your table & then put piece B right side down on top of it so the shoulder matches up & pin.  Then lay piece C right side down matching it up with the other shoulder & pin.  Sew a ¼” seam on both shoulders attaching all 3 pieces.

STEP 2: Finish raw edge with your serger OR apply bias tape all around the edge.

STEP 3: Sew on velcro.  You will sew the rougher sides to the WRONG side of piece A where the +’s are marked on the pattern piece.  Then sew on the soft sides to piece B where the +’s are marked on the pattern piece.

That’s all there is to it!

2 layer reversible serged, bias tape smock or sewn & turned…

Fabric 1… Cut one each of pieces A (on fold), B & C.

Fabric 2… Cut one each of pieces A (on fold), B & C.

4 sets of sew on velcro measuring 3/8” X 3/8” (one for each +, the soft sides on piece B or C & the rough sides on piece A) and optional package of bias tape.

Optional Package of Bias Tape.

Chopstick or other turning aid.

STEP 1: With fabric 1 lay piece A right side up on your table & then put piece B right side down on top of it so the shoulder matches up & pin.  Then lay piece C right side down matching it up with the other shoulder & pin.  Sew a ¼” seam on both shoulders attaching all 3 pieces. Set a side & repeat with fabric 2.

STEP 2: For sew & turn instructions skip to step 3. Put Fabric 1 right side DOWN on the table.  With Fabric 2 right side UP lay it on top of fabric 1.  Line them up & pin together! Finish raw edge with your serger to attach the two OR sew with a narrow seam on your sewing machine to hold them together and then apply bias tape all around the edge. SKIP TO STEP 6

STEP 3: To sew & turn!  Put Fabric 1 right side UP on the table.  With Fabric 2 right side DOWN lay it on top of fabric 1.  Line them up & pin together (you should not be able to see the right side of either fabric)! Sew a ¼” seam all the way around it leaving a 2” unsewn section at the bottom center (the straight part)  Clip your corners almost to the seam for a nicer finished look.

STEP 4: Using your chopstick or other turning aid now turn the smock right side out. Mak sure to use the chop stick to get all your curves & corners nice so it is easy to topstitch! Take an iron to it to make your edges crisp & easy to topstitch!  Your opening should fold under ¼ inch nicely like shown… pin closed so you can topstitch it closed.

STEP 5: Using a 1/8” seam allowance topstitch the entire outer edge.  This will look nice & also keeping it from getting all wonky when being washed!

STEP 6: Sew on the velcro.  You will sew the rougher sides to BOTH piece A’s where the +’s are marked on the pattern piece.  Then sew on the soft sides to both piece B where the +’s are marked on the pattern piece.  There is NO velcro on piece C because that soft fabric is against the babies skin!

That’s all there is to it!