Howdy friends! I originally posted this Car Seat Poncho tutorial several years ago. But it’s been such a popular post, and SO MANY of you have made these for your littles over the years… I thought it would be worth re-posting!! PLUS, my girl Cypress was sooooo itty-bitty and not-yet-sassy!
Before you comment or email me to ask if I sell these, the answer is no… BUT! Since making this poncho 3 years ago, there are a ton available on Amazon now. Check them out HERE! If you want to make your own with our simple tutorial, read on!
This post contains affiliate links.
This fleece car seat poncho tutorial will work for sizes 12m to 3T. You can easily adjust the dimensions slightly to fit a baby or bigger kid by measuring from their neck to wrist and modifying accordingly. Heck you could make one for yourself if you feel so inclined. They are pretty darn cute!
I decided to go with a solid neutral linen fabric in ‘Mushroom’, with a fun/colorful fleece for the cozy liner and accent colors. Since my toddler wears a lot of bright colors, I wanted the majority of the carseat poncho to be a neutral color, and then accent that with a fun colorful fleece print as the border and hood!
You could use anything though! You could even use two layers of fleece to make it warmer, and tie the ends like those ‘fleece knot blankets’ to make a no-sew version!
Supplies for car seat poncho:
-
1 yard Formenti Linen fabric in ‘Mushroom’
- 1.5 yards fleece fabric
- Sewing machine (I have this one)
- Thread to match your fabrics
- Sewing scissors
- Super cute child model (I’m sure you already have this on hand, right?!)
Car seat Poncho Instructions
I started by cutting my fleece to a 36” x 36” square. Fold in half twice… and and then corner to corner, like so:
Using your super sharp sewing scissors (that you NEVER let your kids use to cut plastic milk cartons) cut through all the layers at a slight circular curve.
UPDATE! A lot of you were having a hard time knowing which edge to cut to make a circle, so I whipped up this little video for you using a piece of paper to demonstrate!
Lay out your solid color ‘linen’ fabric (after ironing if necessary), and lay the fleece circle on top. Cut around the edges so you have two identical-sized circles.
I needed to cut a hole for the head, but I wanted to be really careful not to make it too big… because that can’t be fixed! You can always make a hole bigger later, but smaller? Not so much!
I’m glad I ordered extra fabric, because my first go ’round, I cut the head hole the size I THOUGHT would be appropriate… and it was wayyyyyyy too big. Like ridiculous.
So I used one of Cypress’ shirts and found an item that was a similar-sized circle as the head hole of her shirt. It happened to be a plate from the girls’ play kitchen, but you could use a lid or a saucer (which I call a ‘dessert plate’… but Nick corrected me and says it’s a saucer). #eyeroll
UPDATE: I’m getting lots of emails saying that you’ve cut the head-hole way too big for this car seat poncho for toddlers. I know that little saucer looks like a TINY hole that would be far too small for your little one, but it’s deceiving! When in doubt, use your child’s shirt hole as a template.
Find the center of the circle and pin it so you don’t lose it. Then place your circular item over it, trace with a marker, and cut out your circle!
Hem!
Hem the outer circle under 2-3 inches or so. This part is tricky because you’re hemming a CIRCLE… not a straight line. So feel free to take some little ‘tucks’ along the way to stay on track. It will look like this on the under side.
Hem around the circle for the head hole too. Then lay it over the fleece circle and try to get it as centered as possible. This is a good time to think about whether there’s an ‘up or down’ to the print. Pin it down along the seem every 4-5 inches, then sew the two layers together right over the existing seam. I used a zigzag stitch so it would be a little forgiving, just in case I didn’t follow the line perfectly.
This is what we have now!
Now we’re going to get to work on the hood.
Hood
Cut an 18” x 18” square out of your fleece fabric. Fold the edges over and hem them (about an inch). Then fold the hemmed edges in toward each other with the pretty side of the fabric on the inside. Then sew across the folded edge.
My girl was napping, so I couldn’t try it on her head to make sure it would sufficiently cover her noggin, so I blew up a balloon approx the same size as her melon head, draped my circle poncho over a little trash can, and put the hood on. I crack myself up!
I measured my hood to be extra long so I would have some wiggle room. Stick the hood down between the fleece and linen material, and decide where you want to sew it on. I realized that I had about 3 extra inches of fabric that I didn’t want to bulk things up unnecessarily, so I whacked them off. Then pin the hood to the linen (outer) fabric, and stitch it up! I used the zigzag stitch again for this part,
NOW it’s finally time to cut out the circle of fleece! Cut it slightly smaller than the existing hole, because I’m going to hem them over too.
Fold the edge of the fleece over about 1/2” and pin every couple inches all the way around. When you stitch this up, TAKE IT SLOW! And just do an inch or so at a time, feeling as you go to make sure everything is staying in place just so. (sorry I forgot to turn the light off on my sewing machine for this pic)
When I went to try this sucker on Cypress for a test run, it wouldn’t fit over her off-the-charts giant head. But that’s ok! I expected that! It was sooooo close, but since there’s no stretch in this material, it just wasn’t happening. But at least it wasn’t too big. I can totally fix too small!
Fold the car seat poncho in half to find the center of the front, then cut a slit (I cut about an inch and a half). Sew around it close to the edge just to keep it from fraying. It doesn’t have to be pretty because it will be covered! Then cut a diamond shape out of your fleece material the same width of the opening between the two edges of the hood.
Tuck that diamond shape long-ways in behind the slit you cut, and fold it over in the front so that it’s folded exactly in half. Pin it down!
Fringe
No folding or hemming on this one. Just stitch about a half inch from the edge! I took a scissors to it and added a little fringe on the point of the triangle. And I fringed the entire perimeter of fleece sticking out the bottom.
This darling hooded car seat poncho for toddlers turned out SO ADORABLE. I’m so glad I stepped outside of my sewing comfort zone on this!
And I actually think the little detail around the neck hole just adds to the cuteness! I love it when a mistake leads to something even more amazing!
I just can’t stand the cuteness!
One of my favorite parts about this design is that our girl can wear this in her car seat while still being securely buckled underneath. It’s the ‘law’ for kids to not wear coats in their car seat because they can’t be buckled tight enough. But with this poncho jacket, she can be buckled and still have a warm fuzzy BASICALLY BLANKET all around her.
Ok… ONE LAST PICTURE of my super cute Cypress:
I have a feeling a LOT of you are going to be making one of these car seat ponchos for toddlers for your little one, so be sure to send me pics or tag me on social media! (@RealityDaydream) …I can’t wait to see how yours turns out!
~Bethany
PSSSSST! Be sure to also check out our other sewing tutorials and projects!
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Thanks for pinning!
You mentioned a video in your instructions for folding and cutting. I’m not seeing it. I think I’m supposed to fold in half, and in half 2 more times. Would that be right, just looking at the pictures.
Thank you for the awesome tips!!! I used plaid fleece and minky on the inside, turned out wonderful!
where is the link for the pattern pieces . . . I have looked all over this site. It shows a sample pattern layout but where is the pattern
Hello! a few years ago i used this pattern to make a poncho for daughter. My daughter still loves this but i need to make another, in a big size. In the directions, you reference measuring from the neck to fingertips to make a bigger size, but once you have the number, how do you know what size to cut the circle? Thank you!
So the diameter of your circle should be the neck-to-fingertips measurement x2 (plus the 5ish inches for the neck hole)
Why times 3? Seems like it would be times 2. What am I missing?
Yes you’re right! That was a typo. Thanks or letting me know. I’ll fix it now!
I’m so excited to try this either today or tomorrow! I saw the idea last year and bought some adorable fabric for our now 17-month-old granddaughter. Thank you for your detailed instructions and tips. And for the photos of your adorable daughter. When I’m done posting this comment, I’m searching your site to be added to your email list. Blessings!
Yay that’s so exciting! Please send pics when you’re done! My email is beth@realitydaydream.com. And you can sign up for my mailing list in my sidebar!
Thank you so much for this pattern. It so simple and easy to modify for whatever look I’m going for. I needed a windbreaker for my daughter and was able to make her a nice one by sewing some vinyl in between the layers. As well as modding the hood so that it had multiple layers that I could stick the vinyl between. Now I don’t have to worry about her saying warm in the wind and rain. I will defiantly be using this pattern as a base to make more ponchos in the future. Thanks again!
Thank you Mari! I’m so glad it worked so well for you!
Hi Bethany,
First of all, I want to say that your daughter is super cute. I wish I could hug her right away. Second, this article is amazing and tackling the very common problem of buckling up kids in the cars while keeping them warm. I will sew the one for my little son as per your guidelines. Thanks for sharing!
Hi! I am having a difficult time understanding what you mean by hemming the hole for the neck. Won’t it bunch of I do that? Will I need to cut nicks in it? Am I actually not folding the fabric down, as in more of a basting hem?
Do you have this tutorial in a downloadable PDF? It would make following some much easier.
I love this so much!! I made one for my 8 month old with both layers of fleece because New England is so cold and we are already having a bad winter. It came out amazing and I’m a pretty terrible sewer!! Thank you!
Are these washable? I’m super freaked out about the linen shrinking.
Just pre-wash your linen!
Thanks. Would it work to use fleece on both sides?
Yes! Totally!
Thanks. Would it work to use fleece on both sides? Also, how long does it take to make one?
Yes it would totally work with fleece on both sides! Mine took me an afternoon to make. But if you’re more experienced with the sewing machine than I am, you could probably knock this out in an hour or two.
Thanks, Bethany!
Hi, I just ordered some fabrics to make this poncho. We live in Manitoba so it is cold in the winters. I was thinking about double layering the materials. I only bought 2 metres of fleece though so I may not have enough. How would you reccomend attaching a second layer? Thank you!
I tried to watch the video, but it would allow me to watch a second of the video then an advertisement would pop up. This happened repeatedly. I finally gave up!
That’s sooooo weird and annoying! I’m sorry it keeps happening to you. I’m going to look into it! Thanks for letting me know!
Hey everyone. I have some pointers or hardships that I had, lol. If I make another one someday, I am going to do it a little differently.
I had troubles hemming the linen neck hole. It took me a few times of riping it out before i decided to put tiny nicks in the fabric every so often then fold/hem. It helped stop the material from bunching up and made a smoother hem.
Also I am not sure of it’s because I double fleeced it but hemming the fleece over on the neck after was extremely difficult. I ended up not hemming it down and actually “hemming” it up. I also sliced the fabric like the bottom to give it that same frilled look. Also next time, i would cut a hole in the fleece at the same time as the linen (keeping the fleece hole smaller still). I found it hard to sew the materials together without having a hole to put my hand through. That’s all. 🙂
Girl – change the fleece measurement requirements to 1.5 yards.
18” is .5 yard.
I was at the fabric store when I found your post – .5 yard short for the hood because you didn’t include it in the actual total fabric.
In a recipe the total amount of an ingredient is listed – why in the world would you list the additional 18” square separately and omit it from the total.
– Frustrated I have to go back to the store or omit a hood.
You’re totally right. Why did I even do that? I’m not a sewing blogger, so doing this tutorial was a stretch outside of my comfort zone. But I’m so glad I did because SO MANY PEOPLE have used this tutorial!! I’m surprised nobody has called me out on the fabric measurement situation until now. 😉 I will fix it ASAP.
How would you modify to use a directional fabric and avoid one side being upside down?!?!
Thank you!!
What kind of fleece do you use, anit-pill or blizzard!!!
I used Anti-pill, but if you’re in a very cold climate, Blizzard wouldn’t be a bad idea!
Thank you so much for posting this free tutorial. I am getting ready to start this little project. I am sure with your great tutorial, and fantastic comments, That all will go well. Thank you, thank you !!
Sharron
Yay! Good luck! Send me pics when you’re done <3
Love this but I am making for a small 1 yr. old. Do I need the 18×18 for hood or use excess from the 60 wide x 36
I have a sewing machine. It runs. Ive never made anything besides a pillow when I was a kid and a few repair stitches. Am I insane for wanting to make this? Or is relatively “beginner” friendly? Thank you!
Yes! I totally think you could pull it off!!
Just finished this project this morning! I love how it turned out. I used “heavenly fleece” for both layers which has to be hemmed at all edges but it was an easy modification. The only thing I wish I would’ve done different is to make it bigger. I would have done 60×60 for the first square so the blanket would cover her legs. Thank you for the tutorial!
This would be great for those carseat-to-supermarket trolley moments as well as being handy for popping under the buggy as a just-in-case cosy.
So is your second piece 36 x 36?
Lol.. the balloon is too funny. I love that you did that! I would’ve LOL but I didn’t want to wake my son. Thanks for the tutorial and the laughs.. hope to get this going in the next few days!
Pattern for this poncho
It says there is a tutorial but the only part is for the Circle? Can you post the original?
Is there a way to fix the head cut out if you made it too big? I completely finished it and i overcompinsated. I feel absolutely sick! 🙁
Do a button and loop! Or read through the comments here… there are a lot of good ideas for fixing this problem. You’re not the only one! 😉
Thanks so much for this pattern! I made one last yr for my daughter and just finished making another one for this year. I made it out of double layer fleece (one patterned and a complimentary plain colour) andade it reversible (which hurt my brain a bit to figure out… But so worth it!!)
My sister-in-law gave material to make this for her granddaughter. I’m not sure how well it’s going to turn out. She bought a fabric that is very stretchy for the outside and the a flannel material for the inside. Have you made this with other materials before or do you recommend using a linnen and a fleece.
If you don’t plan on fringing the bottom, what do suggest as far as sewing?
Thank you!
You would put the 2 materials on top of each other with the right sides facing. Then, see the outer edge completely around.and then turn it right side out. You will have the neck opening still and finish.
I made this for my daughter. It came out so cute. Thank you for sharing this. Your instructions were easy to follow. I used a pattern that had feathers, so I cut some feathers from the scrap and sewed onto the front of the poncho. Adorable. Thank you!
I made this for my daughter after getting tired of taking off her jacket everytime we get into the car. She loves it, and it looks great. I have lots of experience sewing, as I made my wedding dress and other things. But I would not have thought of this on my own. Thanks for sharing the tutorial.
I purchased enough fleece to make 2 ponchos, not realizing that the material needs to be 60 inches wide. My circle came out way to short. Please add the width to your material requirement so others are aware. I’m hoping I can add a long ruffle at the bottom to make it longer .
So sorry that happened Lisa. I will update the post with that info. Thank you for sharing.
I’m confused, why does it need to be 60 inches wide if you’re cutting it into a 36” square? Won’t you just be throwing 24 inches of material away (or scrap pile)?
I have the same question!
Me too!
You need the excess for the hood! I just made two today for a newborn and 1 year old… I used 36×36 squares and 28×28 squares, plus the hood material. Overall you will need about 36×60 of the fabric you want the hood to be made out of and 36×36 of the other material.
I want to make sure I don’t cut it too short. Did you include fringe in your measurements? My granddaughter measured 29” wrist to wrist. I was going to add a couple inches for growth so I would cut my square 31×31? That doesn’t seem very long. Should I add a couple more inches? She is 3 ft tall.
You could make a ruffle trim out of same fabric of outside of poncho
I’m a little confused on making the hood and then attaching it to the poncho part. I’m fairly new at sewing and I cant really tell what I’m doing by the pics.
Same here! Does the hood attach to just the linen first or are all three sewn together?
I had the same problem. But I kept looking at it and thinking about it and it finally hit me last night what needed to be done. I will be finishing up mine today. I was stuck on the hood.
I’m confused on the hood. I get the first steps on sewing the hems on the long sides and folding in half to meet each other. Then I am not abke to follow along with the directions.
Can you please help me out with the rest of the hood please?
This is adorable! I was thinking of adding snaps on the inside for when it is super chilly to keep it closer to the body. Do you think that would be helpful or no?
Totally! That’s a smart idea!
so i have a question. the child i am making this for her head is 15 inches around and 12 inches from front of hair line to back. when cutting the hole do i just find something that is 12 inches across and make a circle with that. i’m sure this sounds silly but my mind is just not getting that part with the directions
Hey Michaela! I’m not good with math and dimensions. LOL! But due to the somewhat stretchy nature of fleece, I wouldn’t use your child’s head measurements and cut a hole that size. Plus after you hem the neck hole, it will be even larger. My daughter’s head was off-the-charts large when I made her this poncho, and I used a saucer with a 5″ diameter for the head hole. It seems SO STUPID SMALL when you’re tracing it. But it will be close! I promise! You can always make the neck hole bigger, but not smaller 😉
A 5” diameter circle gives you a 17.8” opening.
Diameter x 3.14.
I kept the fabric folded after the first cut (to make the circle). Then I went down 2.5 inches from the top point (the center) and cut a curve to 2.5” on the other edge.
This is such a cute project! I tried to get one started this afternoon, but for some reason my fabric comes out in the shape of a round cornered square instead of a circle. I practiced with paper before cutting the fabric, but never could get it to come out right. I watched your video over and over. What am I doing wrong?
Gah! I don’t know! I know others have had this problem too, and I was hoping the little video would help. You could really just make sure your fabric is a perfect square, and lay it out flat and eyeball cutting it into a circle. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
When cutting, the edges of the triangle need to end up being the same distance from the point. That means cutting quite a bit more on the longer edge. If the shorter edge is 18”, then mark the long edge at the 18” mark and curve from the shorter edge to longer edge as shown in the video. This gives you a point to aim for.
Use a tape measurer. Pin the measurment you want to the top of the folded fabric (where their head will go) like 18 inches. Just glide the tape from top to bottom of your folded fabric making a light mark on your fabric as you gently move the tape measurer. Then cut with sizzors. This should help you get a perfectly round circle.
I had the same problem , but i rounded my cut a little more and it came out perfect .
can you use different material besides the linen
Yes totally! I just liked the tailored look of it.
When you use the linen , does that make it harder to wash?
What did you use to cut through all the layers of fleese? I had a hard time.. I wasted fabric cutting this out.
I used my super sharp fabric scissors, and it was fine! I’m so sorry you’re having a tough time. 🙁
I have only boys in my family, but I’m thinking a cute “super hero cape” look would solve my problem!
YESSSS! Totally! I don’t think there’s anything inherently ‘feminine’ about a poncho anyway. 😉
I just made a maroon one with an Avengers pattern fleece for my 4 year old son (cut a 43” square since he’s taller, but the 36” square worked for my toddler daughter!). He won’t take it off and calls it his super hero cape! Thanks for the design. It’s awesome!