Baby Mango is a blanket buddy, a soft toy and security blanket in one, made as a bright and cheerful companion for a baby.

Baby Mango is knit in the round with a small amount of seaming, using basic increases and decreases and simple stripe colorwork.

He finishes at roughly 13 inches square.

Skill level is comfortable beginner. If you can knit in the round and change colors for stripes, you can make Baby Mango.

Yarn needed is approximately 100 grams of a main color and 50 grams each of two contrast colors, in DK weight, roughly 300 to 400 yards total.

The bold stripes and high contrast colors are not just for looks. In the early months babies see bold contrast far more easily than soft pastels, so a toy like this gives a young baby something to focus on, and later something familiar to hold as they grow. That developmental thinking sits behind every Byrd’s Nest blanket buddy.

Designed by Julie Anderson of The Byrd’s Nest, drawing on a Master’s in early childhood special education and more than 17 years of designing toys made to be loved.