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?

Ikea ones are brilliant. Pack if 2 for about £3. They are huge, absorbant and have many uses.

Sunshade/scarf to cover when Breastfeeding/comforter/light blanket/vomit mopper/shoulder cloth when burping baby.
absolutely brilliant.

Unlike the v expensive m&s ones that repelled any kid of moisture/liquid.

We'd be lost without them in our house.

They are brilliant as:

moses basket and pram liners
Breast feeding modesty protectors in those early 'figuring out the latch days' (whipped away once baby was on)
Changing mats on cold out and about surfaces
Comforter (DD1 aged 2.5 still uses 'em)
Baby puke catchers
Bibs
Pram sunshades that are breathable

I found the best value (and surprisingly by no means the most expensive) ones were John Lewis. DD1 is still using ones that we bought when she was a newborn and they get washed all the time and are still in good nick.

I also bought the "Big Muzzy" ones - £19 for three. Yes, they're expensive but by God are they useful as blankets, swaddling clothes, sunshades, playmats. You name it. And while not cheap, they're a damn sight cheaper than those aden and anais ones and just as nice.

But then, as others have said, I know people who haven't used them at all.

Big vote yes for the IKEA basic flannels/handtowels that you mentioned (Nackten). Only 20p each and much more absorbent than a muslin.

After a particularly challenging train journey with dd, all I had to say at the end was, 'next time we travel, we're packing all the muslins'.

Never used them with my 1st but my 2nd was constantly sick so we got through loads, I had them under his head in his crib as it was easier to change that than the whole sheet. My 3rd was somewhere inbetween.

I was given a pack of 12 at my baby shower and wondered what on earth I'd do with them. I was never the kind of organised mother who could remember/bother to place them over my shoulder before burping or cuddling my baby to catch the puke but I did use them to wipe it off my shoulder once it happened :-)

My 'baby' is now 19 months old and I still carry a muslin in my bag because it acts as handkerchief, bib, makeshift nappy change mat, wiper of spills etc.

I've never ironed one and can't imagine why on earth anyone would.

We ended up with about 50! Not just for baby sick, but for catching dribble, draping over buggy hood in bright sunlight, drying, protecting your shoulder when carrying baby, also great for mopping up if you are breastfeeding, comforter etc etc.

I also found them very soothing items in themselves - when there is a big pile of fresh clean ones... aaaaaah. If it's real 100% cotton muslin they have a lovely feel to them.

You can get big multipacks quite cheap in most supermarkets.

Very useful. Still have two and child is now 8. He has one under His pillow and uses it as a soother when overwrought!

Back in the baby days they protected clothes and carpets ( in other peoples houses) from baby sick , dribble etc. Wash n line dry very quickly.

There are a million and one uses for muslins and are an essential buy if you have a refluxy baby.

I used to put one under and one around my DD when I was BFing her as she had a real knack for regurgitating torrents all over the two of us. Much easier to wash sodden muslins than keep getting clean outfits. She also then had one as a cuddle cloth.

We used them as bibs, sun hats, pram shades/car window shades, makeshift nappies, pillow covers...

My kids are 8 and 4 years old and I still have a bunch of muslins that we are using.

I used them for DS, he was a bit of a pukey baby, but never really used them much at all with DD, who wasn't. I don't think we had more than about 10 of them, and once the baby years were over I never really used them again. Never found them any use as a sunshade (too small and fell off pram), impromptu bib (too bulky), cuddle blankets (DCs not interested). I did use them as an extra sheet for DS in his moses basket though.

Now washable wipes, they were the thing, little flannels, I had about 50 of them, used for anything that needed wiping and still in constant use for face flannels, spill mopping, bathroom mirror polishing etc 11 years on.

I agree with GotToBeInIt... Having muslins strategically placed in every room is something you quickly learn with a sicky baby.

We use them all the time for mopping up sick/ dribbles and find them to be a godsend for breastfeeding. I tuck them under my bra to catch all the milk and for the let down which is too fast for my baby. We have 9 big ones and 10 little and go though them really frequently. You can get them forna good price off ebay.

I had about 15 with baby 1 and used them all the time.

We had some from Tesco, John Lewis and Aden & Anais and you could see the difference in the quality. I found the tesco ones too thin but the others really good.

Im going to reuse them all for baby 2 but hopefully get more Aden & Anais ones if budget allows.

I never used them first time around, but then that's because my first baby was NEVER sick. Second one, oh yes, they were invaluable!
I got a bundle of second hand ones from NCT table top sales. They're very much softer than flannels.
We used one rolled up around third babies head (in Moses basket) when she can home from hospital as they had done this while she was in an incubator to make her feel more secure. Pram sunshade, blankets for soft toys, picnic rug for soft toys, sling for pretending to be doctors. There's loads of uses!

I am hoping they are useful as im expecting my first baby in the next couple of weeks and I have loads. A friend gave me about 15 big and small white ones and I have acquired some patterned giant ones and a pack of coloured ones too. I think the big ones are probably more versatile so glad ive got lots of those. If i was buying them myself I would probably buy a pack of large white ones as they will be easiest to wash and keep white with other baby whites and see how you get on. I wouldnt have bought the amount I have as like others on here it seems some mums don't use them at all. If I don't use them I will pass some or all on or use them as dusters.

They were absolutely essential for us- but we had a sicky/ refluxy baby. We must have got through about 10 a day sometimes- much easier than changing your clothes after every feed! Baby sick can go a LONG way. Also useful for playing peekaboo, as a tea towel, a sun shade, a towel, and as an emergency change mat.

I can't say I have ever ironed anything to with a baby- muslins included, so that wouldn't be a concern to me.

You need the, if you have a boy - to catch the fountain of wee they do when you change their nappies!

Nothing says 'we've had a baby' like a houseful of drying muslins, especially washed in non-bio - mmm, smell of baby.

Seriously I gues they are so ubiquitous because you can wash them at 90 degrees and they dry quickly - so more hygienic and quicker turnaround than flannels or towels...

Dd1 is 3 months and llike pp we have

Under head in day crib
Uunder head in pram
Undee head on changing mat
Available for guests wearing dark clothes who want a cuddle
As a shade over car seat if sunny
To protect sofa if she's lying there
Breastfeeding to soak up drips from her dribbling or other boob going into action early

So yes I am glad we got some cheap ones from ikkea

I'm probably the only person to admit to ironing muslins but it was because I was selling ones that I'd tie dyed at a craft fair. sadly my tie dyed baby clothes business wasn't very successful so DD2 has found herself to be tie dye baby. it'll all be on eBay when I get round to it.. Muslins are so useful though, for all the reasons mentioned. I had standard places for them all Iver the house for DD1 for about a year. DD2 wasn't half of sicky.

It's not muslins or babywipes or cheap flannels, it's muslins AND babywipes AND cheap flannels. All vital. Didn't need the cheap flannels till babies started weaning though. Flannels and babywipes are for cleaning up messy things. Muslins are for stopping things getting messy, like people's shoulders or beds or sofas.

And changing mats and your face. There's a rule of thumb that tiny babies ALWAYS pee on the changing mat. Have a muslin on and it soaks it up, and for boys you can bunch it up over their penis so they don't spray you. Also I hated putting my beautiful teeny babies down on a cold plasticky changing mat, a nice soft muslin was much better. I'm soft me.

Baby muslins aren't that thin tatty material like cooking muslins, they're more like soft teatowel thickness but a bit bigger.

One of those things that if you ask friends with older kids or your local mums fb group someone will probably have a stack and be happy to pass you on some of them. Only some mind. You never know when you might need a muslin. Or a baby wipe. Or a cheap flannel.

I agree that the Aldi ones are good quality and cheap.

I still put a muslin/towel down on the changing mat so it's not cold for DD and she's 10mo