Muslin Squares. To Bother or not bother?

[TheScenicRoute]

What exactly are muslin squares? I imagine that very very thin material that you use to strain home made jam or cheese? If it is the same stuff, I fail to see how useful they could really be as what I'm imagining is not absorbent and has biggish holes in it.

I remember reading a post on here where someone suggested getting as many as 25 squares, but when I've gone to buy these they are really not cheap at all!

Are they really the be all and end all to new motherhood? I can't help thinking some of those super cheap thin flannels from ikea would be cheaper, or kitchen roll for convenience of not needing to wash and iron them.

I will duely do as you instruct as I really am a clueless first timer. To buy or not to buy... And how many?

I never used them. Baby wipes are a godsend...

Buy them. They are the most useful baby equipment you will have.

They have many uses from mopping up baby sick to using as a bib/sling/hat/carseat sunshade and in our case a comforter for DD1. I bought 25 of them cheapish from Ebay - they don't need to be be expensive or poshly patterned if you don't want them to be.

DD1 is now 6 and still needs her bankie when she is hurt/upset or tired.

p.s. Mine were only ever washed and dried in my pregnant wash everything for the baby madness, then now get washed and randomly hung out to dry.

I didn't use them. Tended to use kitchen roll or baby wipes.

I had a few and polish with them

I found them invaluable mainly for baby sick but can also be used to put on nappy mat under baby, mop up breast milk leaks from bed, also make guests feel a bit better when holding baby (esp if they had a dark colour top on!)

I had several piles of them round the house, easy to clean just lob in washing machine, no ironing required.

I got big squares which were great, can't remember where from, but not expensive given that they were used daily for many months and are still in great condition ready for dc2. I think I got 25. You can get cheaper smallish ones though, try asda.

Saying that, Some babies don't make as much mess as my dd did though !

I bought pack of 10 with my first baby and we used them loads (both with him and DD). Sadly both of my babies were prolific pukers!

They're also handy as bibs and general mopping up cloths. My oldest is 8 yrs old now and we still have a couple left that we use for cleaning.

DD is 10mo and I still use muslins daily, for all sorts of things. For a newborn, they're invaluable. They're big enough to save your clothes in a way that flannels and kitchen roll are not.

I have never ironed one.

I think you either get on with these or you don't. My sister bought a truckload and never used them. She gave them to me and I used them constantly, but then DD never stopped puking!

DD used them as a comforter until she turned 4, and still occassionally since then.

Why would you iron them?

I do think lining the pram/Moses basket with them sounds like a great idea for whipping away unexpected sicks and saving the bedding, but they seem to work out at £1 per cloth which seems extortionate for such cheap crappy material.

Maybe now is the time to try to fix my sewing machine and start hemming some myself.

I would invest. They are great for covering over the sheet on cot for pukey babies , throw over your shoulder when holding baby, wiping mouths (wipes and kitchen towels very harsh for a new born) . I'm sure there are loads more uses but that mainly what I used for. I still have some kept for when sisters bring their little ones over. JL used to have them in different colours I think.

When you consider how much you will use them, it's really nothing.

They're brilliant, especially if you have a sicky baby. They are also the perfect comforter as they are so easily replaced. I love them! Just buy one cheap pack to start with then you can always get more later if you find them useful. All the supermarkets sell them cheaply.

I use two or three a day, but ds is a puker! But as others have said if you have one in your bag you'll find a million uses for it and wonder how you would ever manage without.

No need to get 25, get a cheap pack of three from boots or sainsburys or wherever, see how you go in the first week, order more If you find them useful.
I think i have about ten standard size, and I also have three giant ones which I used to use to swaddle ds when he was younger, and to keep the sun off the buggy.

And Ps no I don't think it's exactly the same fabric you're thinking of, similar but a closer weave. They're v absorbant and also dry quickly. I wouldn't want to carry a flannel heavy with multiple pukes around in the changing bag!

Use them all the time. Check out eBay I'm sure mine were cheap from there.

If you have a refluxy one you will need them

I used to have one under the head end of the changing mat, one the same place in the Moses basket and then cot, when feeding one tucked in my trousers under whichever boob we were on because dd would vom immediately she unlatched, one over the shoulder ready for winding and s spare one. I was also always armed with the free baby towels I got in my bounty pack and the first pack of swim nappies I bought! Mine was very sicky though... Hopefully yours won't be!

The youngest madthing is nearly four and we still have and use muslins. You can get pretty coloured ones, look in tkmax as they often have Aden and enis? Ones cheap.

Mine started getting a bit grubby looking so I bought some dylon cold water dye and tie dyed them.

"I'm a roarer, a rogerer, a gorger, and a puker!"

Taking the opportunity to slip in a classic Blackadder quote. Yes, I entirely agree that it's down to whether your baby is also a puker. They were like a mobile phone to me; I felt panicky if I left the house without them. Get a packet and just get more if you have a lot of vomming to deal with. I mean, on a bad day I could use several; so I needed about 20 to ensure I was never stranded between wash loads.

I still find uses for mine and my dc are 6 and 7! Am currently using one as a headscarf to keep sanding dust off my hair during a huge decoration project.

We use them for drying baby bum after wipes - doesn't everyone or are we weird?? Its an essential in our change bag with nappies, wipes, sudocrem, change mat and nappy bags. £1 per cloth is expensive - really????

Depends how pukey your baby is. Both ours were hugely sicky and we could never have too many muslin squares!

Ooh I love a good Blackadder quote Eugene

I have about 40...

Refluxy sick baby and very leaky boobs meant they were invaluable.

Now we use them as bibs (BLW is messy and small ones don't cut it!)

Generally crumb/mess cloths/spills.

Light cover for DS in summer/ emergency hat if tied in all corners.

Pram liners/ extra layers when chilly.

Knot tied In for teething

Tied behind back of DS in 'too big' high chairs when eating out/high chair liner.

Superhero cape!

Peek a boo cloths/waving/sensory play.

Er, strainers in kitchen...

Probably more but can't think of any right now.

Some people don't use them but I found them invaluable particularly early on. I'd grab a few and you can always get more.