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DIY Home Decor and DIY Project Tutorials

How to Make A Kids Poncho Towel

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Here is my typical Saturday morning…get up, the usual breakfast, get dressed, and off to swim lessons. Play with the mister while the lil’ lady has her lesson and then….{insert deep breaths here} full panic mode from the lil’ lady cause she is freezing.

I get her in a towel, but the second she has to do anything besides stand there panic strikes again cause she will have to let go of her towel and will get cold.

Please tell me this sounds familiar…anyone?

This easy DIY wearable towel I semi-homemade is the key to avoiding this VERY frustrating situation. She can wear it so it keeps her warm and she can still get her stuff together with her now usable hands! Hooray me! Why did I not make one of these sooner?

You can make your own wearable beach towels for kids too. It takes less than 15 minutes.

DIY kids poncho towel

Note: When I originally set out to do this project I was going to attempt a hooded beach towel. Then it dawned on me that my kids don’t like to have things on their heads. Ever!

So if I was looking to stop some complaining  a hooded towel was not going to help me out in that department. So I simplified and just made a poncho style towel. I’ll pat myself on the back later 🙂

What you’ll need to make a beach towel poncho:

  • A towel: If you’re looking to make a toddler beach towel you’ll want to use a smaller towel so they don’t trip. When folded in half the towel should reach from their shoulders to about their knees or shins.
  • scissors
  • sewing machine

Making your Beach Towel Poncho

Step 1: Fold the towel in half and mark the head hole with pins or a pen. You want to make sure their head fits through but you don’t want to make it so big that it falls off of their shoulders.

Step 2: cut down about 1 1/2 inches on both ends of the marked head hole.

Step 4: Cut along the folded edge from one end of the head hole to the other.

Step 5: Try it on for size if possible.

Step 6: Fold the long edges of the head hole over 2 times and sew into place. Do the same for the short edges of the head hole.

Step 7: (Optional) After trying it on, if the towel slips off of their shoulders, you need to make a few pleats. Do that by cinching the two long edges closer in. This will create pleats as shown with the red arrows. Pin it and sew into place.

Now your kiddo is ready to wrap up in their own toddler beach towel and still be able to use their hands to eat lunch or help pick up!

wearable towel for kids

See! She can use her arms and doesn’t have to let go of her towel!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christine Olah says

    July 8, 2020 at 2:51 pm

    Seriously just saved my sanity…getting my daughter back to the trailer from the beach is pure torture (the towel falls off…is too tight…is too long…is too short…aghhh). Just cut a hole in her towel for now, will sew when home! Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Corey Willis says

      July 9, 2020 at 11:50 am

      You’re soooo welcome, Christine! Glad to help you find something for your little one that works!

  2. Lisa Yo says

    June 29, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    So excited to make this!

    I have 2 questions :
    1. How do I know how big to make the hole for the head? Do I simply eyeball or is there a way to measure ?

    2. I’m having a hard time understanding the pleat part to prevent the falling off the shoulder . Can you explain?

    Cheers,
    Lisa

    Reply
    • Corey Willis says

      August 3, 2020 at 4:12 pm

      Hey Lisa, I just eyeballed the cutout based on the size of my kid’s head. The pleat part makes it so the hole can be big enough for the kid’s head to go through but no allow the towel to fall of their shoulders. It creates more of a rectangle shaped hole.

  3. Judy Hill says

    January 30, 2019 at 8:40 am

    I used bath sheets instead of the beach towels. Debating whether to sew up the sides to make arm holes.

    Reply
  4. Dee @ Zuniquely says

    April 26, 2017 at 9:25 pm

    I loved the tip about the pleats to prevent the towel from slipping off the shoulders. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Corey Willis says

      April 27, 2017 at 12:44 pm

      You’re so welcome, Dee! Thanks for stopping by!

    • Corey Willis says

      May 1, 2017 at 10:51 am

      You’re so welcome, Dee! Thanks for being part of the Hey There Home family!

  5. Penny says

    July 22, 2015 at 11:39 am

    I love this idea! I pinned it a few months back, and I just found beach towels on sale so I’m making one each for my granddaughter and grandson. I haven’t used my sewing machine in 15+ years. I have made one, and I’m struggling with the neck. The long edges aren’t a problem, but the short sides are difficult for me. The long edges have plenty to fold down and sew. I don’t sew on a regular basis (as you can tell by the fact my sewing machine has set for 15 years untouched). I’m more of a visual person, and I couldn’t really see how you did the short sides. Oh well, they’re beach towels for my grandkids and they will like them. Thanks for the awesome idea!

    Reply
    • Corey W. says

      August 3, 2015 at 7:34 am

      Hi Penny. I pretty much made a long rectangle and folded the edges under and sewed them to keep them from fraying. I’m excited to hear that you whipped out your machine!

  6. Alysha says

    October 21, 2014 at 11:02 am

    I love this! The only change I would make is to make poncho “sleeves” – I can see my daughter freaking out when she lifts her arms and the air gusts in at the sides – “mommy i’m cooooolllddddd!!!!” Otherwise, I am in love with this! my little man wants nothing to do with a hooded towel either.

    Reply
    • Corey W. says

      October 22, 2014 at 8:07 pm

      Ha! That is a good point. You could even use ties to hold it together at their sides. Kids are so weird!

  7. Glenna @ My Paper Craze says

    August 11, 2014 at 2:24 pm

    This is such a great idea! I need to do this for my grandson. Thanks for the inspiration.
    Glenna @ My Paper Craze

    Reply
  8. Jerr says

    July 4, 2014 at 10:52 am

    So glad that I ran across this on pinterest these would make awesome birthday gifts So while pop pop has my older 2 at a picnic and my little 2 are napping i’m going to make 4! After i saw this i started thinking of a way to shorten them for toddlers i’m going to cut across the bottom then fold up 1 in. and sew across then i can use the pieces that are left over to make bibs! Thank you so much for sharing! Happy 4th of July=)

    Reply
    • tinysidekick says

      July 6, 2014 at 9:08 pm

      That is a great idea! I need to still make one for some more kids I know and thought that folding them up for the littler ones would be perfect. My daughter loves hers! Thanks for stopping by. I’d love to see photos of your finished towels. You can send them via email or post on my facebook page!

  9. Katie @ Addicted 2 DIY says

    June 2, 2014 at 10:22 pm

    I need to do this to every single towel for my kids! My little one, especially, loses his mind and can’t do a single thing if he is “freezing to death!” after his shower or swimming. Thanks for the fantastic idea, Corey!

    Reply
  10. Alexis @ Persia Lou says

    May 31, 2014 at 10:23 pm

    So smart!!

    Reply
  11. Krista @ the happy housie says

    May 28, 2014 at 8:53 pm

    Awesome! Pinning!

    Reply
  12. Denise says

    May 27, 2014 at 4:58 am

    Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest! I need some of these just for bath time.

    Reply
    • tinysidekick says

      May 27, 2014 at 9:06 pm

      These would be great for bath time! Especially in the winter months when my daughter doesn’t want to brush her teeth cause she’ll have to let go of her towel. 🙂

  13. Jennifer @ Brave New Home says

    May 26, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    Great idea! So much better than wrapping up the little ones every two minutes.

    Reply
  14. kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says

    May 26, 2014 at 7:03 am

    This is such a fun and easy idea, Corey! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  15. Kristina & Millie says

    May 25, 2014 at 5:10 pm

    too neat! Brilliant idea! I will have to try this for the grandbabies 🙂 Stop by our Snickerdoodle Sunday sometime, we would love to see you there!

    Reply
  16. Britni says

    May 25, 2014 at 1:19 pm

    This is genius Corey, want to make one for me?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. DIY Bathing Suit Cover Up for Kids | says:
    June 29, 2015 at 3:01 am

    […] from my twins for several summers now.  NO MORE!  I did something about it after finding this awesome tutorial from my friend Corey at Tinysidekick.  I followed Corey’s basic tutorial but added my own twist by adding some adorable pom pom […]

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  2. Wearable Towel for Kids | Do It Daily says:
    March 18, 2015 at 3:21 am

    […] Click HERE for the instructions […]

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  3. WeAllSew « http://weallsew.com says:
    July 11, 2014 at 6:40 am

    […] One-Piece Swimsuit (Free Pattern). 5) Turn a towel into an easy to wear warm-up with the How To Make A Wearable Kid’s Towel tutorial from TinySidekick. 6) Make a cozy beach robe from a towel with Dana’s tutorial from her blog, […]

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