What's the best place to buy muslins, cot sheets and cot blankets?

[VeronicaSpeedwell]

I have a tendency to just buy everything I can from John Lewis, but am wondering if there are any other reliably good options for baby linens? I want decent quality white basics, really. I've looked at various online stores but am clueless about which might be good. All white sheets look the same in a little thumbnail image! In fact, I am totally ignorant about all nursery shopping.

I got mine from sainsburys.

I think Tesco and ASDA had muslins in - they're for cleaning up sick and spills, you don't need anything decent or quality for that (although IMO a muslin cloth is a muslin cloth)

Anything else is beyond me really, we went for whatever was neutral and on special offer for the bedding.

Muslins are 5 for £3.50 in sainsburys at the moment!

I saw some cot sheets in Matalan on Sunday they were two for £7, they only had white though, i need to get some actually my cot is being put together tonight by my lovely dad!

I went to a huge indoor market at the weekend and got a brand new £50 John Lewis cot duvet for £6 ;) x

With sheets I tended to stick to John Lewis, mainly because I could go into store and feel how soft they were etc.

Blankets - I had some lovely ones from JoJo Maman Bebe and the White Company. I was also given the most beautiful soft bamboo blanket made by a company called Natures Purist.

Muslins - JoJo Maman again, but the best ones I have are made of undyed cotton and are from a German company. They are also big (70cm x 70cm I think). I got those from an online real nappy site. I also found these very versatile - I used as swaddling, an over sheet during very hot nights and over the pram on sunny days.

I got mine from John lewis, only as I was told they are softer & more distinguishable than others. No idea how true this is as LO's not here yet.

Thanks all! Good point re the sick, Fliss . I keep reading reviews of bamboo ones etc. saying they are vastly superior, but I doubt my DC will end up in therapy if I get them from Tesco.

I think I do want to check quality on sheets, though I have one already which was randomly discounted in Tesco, and seems very nice. I'm supposed to be working, but will read back all these tips when I'm free. Thanks! I just want to tick all this stuff off, instead of wrangling over the details. I need my brain back...

Muslins - never used them, have a stack at home
Cot sheets, definitely get elasticated ones and make sure you have plenty as changing sheets quickly is a must when they're ill.
cot blanket - never used one - Grobags are definitely the way to go.

I bought all mine from mothercare. But I did it via the web because bizarrely, you get web exclusive deals that are cheaper than the mothercare shop. At the time I was looking, I got both sheets and muslins on buy 1 get 1 free. For the muslins, it works out cheaper than asda!

Don't get the sheets from mothercare, they aren't very good. But the muslins are fine though.

And I also didn't use any blankets. Grobags the way. My thrashed so much as a young baby that no way the blankets could have stayed in place. They only get worse as the grow older, rolling and turning all over the cot.

I would say Ikea, Kiddiecare and Asda! Muslin's get softer the more you wash them. The Ikea ones have 2 plain and 2 patterned so they are a bit easier to know which one is yours. Sheet top tip, use a fitted one for the base of your cot and then put one normal one width ways across where the baby sleeps (old-fashioned folks call it a 'draw sheet' - cheaper to buy, could use an old normal sheet)).... if there are any accidents you change this sheet and hopefully not the fitted one! Another vote for grobags over blankets....

i bought cellular blankets from mothercare, but quite honestly, hardly used them, and not impressed by the quality.

bought some sheets for moses basket from kiddicare.com, again, you can TELL that the quality isnt nice, they dont wash well, bobble etc. im also a john lewis person and was trying to economise, but ended up getting all my cot sheets in JL. they wash FAR better than the garbage i have bought elsewhere and still feel soft.

i bought a couple of mothercare sleeping bags which were on offer. again, washed shoddily, felt crap quickly and for the 6-18 month size have bought proper grobags; washing much better and will go the distance.

muslins i bought from M&S. they feel soft unlike the asda ones, and i also have the peace of mind knowing that a 3 year old child in a factory didnt make them.

Asda and Tesco are surprisingly good quality at brilliant prices. I bought muslins and sheets from here as well as a huge number of vests and sleepsuits - pretty much anything they grow out of quickly. I got a couple of blankets from mothercare (a 2pack) which were fine, but I was given a beautiful one by my mum from the White Company and another one from OshKoshByGosh - it took me a long time work up the courage to use the nice ones because I was so worried about ruining them. I only used the blankets to cover DS in the pram or carseat - for the cot I used a grobag.

Ah thanks, this is all so useful. I am going to print this out and scrutinise it and then nail this stuff. I hadn't even thought of IKEA, but we have to go there anyway so I'll check that out.

Re blankets and grobags, I keep reading that grobags are too big for most newborns, so was thinking of cellular blankets for the moses basket and pram more than anything. Is that right? I was hoping to get away with just a couple, and then go on to grobags but maybe I'm deluded.

Oh yes, the official grobags are only good from 8lb/4kg. But I believe the average UK baby is near 8lb from birth. If you are expecting a much smaller baby then do get something else first. I'd suggest a proper swaddling blanket from places like gro.co.uk or jojomamabebe. A lot of babies loved being swaddled. I tried swaddling with a cellular blanket but it's completely useless. They don't stretch at all so it's never secure.

Mothercare often have a 3 for 2 offer on sheets. John Lewis are good too.

Muslins, get the cheapest possible. Never understood those ridiculous, expensive muslins with fancy decorations sewn on. It's just to mop up puke. Even if they end up using them as a comforter which my DS does, he doesn't care what it looks like.

I've never used a cot blanket. Had a couple of swaddle blankets and then switched to a sleeping bag. Have an entire drawer of unused blankets as a result

We have got most of ours from john lewis, the price difference was only about £1 a pack and the quality is so much better than the ones we had from asda and sainsburys.

They are going to be washed so often that i think its worth spending the extra to have good quality ones.

Mamas and papas are doing 3 for 2 on things that include bedding. That makes them a more normal price! I bought moses basket, cot bed sheets and lovely soft blankets from there for DS and the quality is amazing. I ;ent all the moses basket/pram sheets out to a few friends and will now use them again on our new baby when it arrives.

Well worth the money I think.

But I wouldn't spend much at all oon muslins - I got them in Boots as they were on offer, but I don't think they varuy that much from place to place.

Same for vests and sleepsuits as far as I can see. They all do the job and last for as long as the child fits into them.

Oh right, so maybe what I really need is just some bottom sheets and a couple of swaddle blankets? And maybe a blanket for the pram?

babydust, thanks for the JL encouragement -- I do find it easy to just click everything in the basket and just order. It may yet still come to that.

I'm so grateful to everyone who's posting, I really need educating.

I didn't use a blanket when DD was in the carrycot. It's very enclosed and DD was an april baby. (I've got a bugaboo cameleon). I only got a blanket when she moved on to the pushchair. I use a fleece blanket when it's slightly chilly, and then move onto the footmuff when it's proper cold.

OK, that makes sense! Our baby is due at the end of May, so it's likely to be a similar scenario. I'll not worry about that then, because even if it's freakishly cold we can just, er, buy a blanket if we find we need it. I'll add to my list a couple of swaddling blankets for the first few weeks.

The cotton jersey sheets from Mothercare are the best. MIne have been going for 5.5 years, look as good as new and wash like a dream - no ironing required, and are so soft.

Muslins from JoJo are really nice but thin - the ikea ones are big and thick.

And don't go overboard on blankets - a couple of light ones for pram and car seat and get sleeping bags instead. We swear by Bambino Merino ones.

Muslins - just buy them as cheaply as you can (probably from a supermarket)
Sheets - I got some from JL, some from Mothercare & some from ASDA and honestly can't tell the difference despite the ones from ASDA being about a third of a price of the others
Cellular blankets - I got these from JL & ASDA and the JL ones are so much softer.

For an end of May baby, I'm thinking that you'll probably only want bottom sheets for the pram/moses basket, perhaps a flat sheet or something else thin to go over the baby when its napping in the house and then maybe a blanket for when you're out with it in the pram in the day. Whilst you're pram will probably have some sort of cover from it, there's a lot of room between a newborn and the cover (if you see what I mean) so I always used a blanket to actually tuck in around the baby. Admittedly DD was an Oct baby but I'm due around the same time as you and think that this time I will still have a (light) blanket to tuck in over DC2 and reduce the layers by not using the pram cover. Another advantage of a blanket is that it is so much easier to tuck a blanket around a newborn than it is to get a cardigan on or off of them.

I wouldn't buy swaddling blankets until you know if your DC likes being swaddled. DD hated it and managed to battle her way out of the "proper" ones with velcro etc. I'd start off with just a blanket and then, if your DC likes being swaddled, you can buy some of the "proper" ones.TK Maxx often have the Swaddle Me brand swaddle stuff as well as Grobag sleeping bags. IIRC, you can't use Grobags until 10lbs although other brands may start at a lighter weight.

One other thing to check out may be a fan in case we have a hot spell.

BTW, a frugal tip I've learned (I think from mumsnet) is to not buy moses basket and carrycot sheets. A pillow case is just the right size for the mattress on these, and they are a lot cheaper. I actually used the spare set we have for the guest bed.

Most high street stores are a rip off and gouge you - especially in clothes and home wares.

Cot blankets and linens you want anything with 300 thread count and upwards. You can buy it loose in cash and carries too and just cut it to size (cheapest option). If your not good with such things then buy them in the size you want wholesale from Pakistan or India using sites like alibaba.com

Not all manufacturers are trade only and not all require large minimum purchases. The secret is knowing what you want as then you don't waste your own and their time. Wholesale shopping is different from "highstreet shopping" so to speak.

As for babies clothes for the simple "whites" like all in ones, bibs, gowns, tights etc again you get them wholesale. All the highstreets from Tesco, Gap to Mothercare buy from the same source in Bangladesh and stick their own label or design on it.

If your after designed stuff or designer stuff then the US is the best place to buy from but don't forget to factor in delivery and exchange rate. I had a good thing going a while back when it was almost two dollars to a pound and was able to get designer clothes for half the price and sell them at a tidy profit before they even hit the UK shores.

Thanks this is all really useful. I had forgotten about the pillow case trick! Excellent. Free bedding, plus a way of deterring overnight visitors ("We'd love to have you to stay, but all the pillowcases are in the wash covered in sick...").