What do you actually use muslins for?

[racet]

I keep hearing people rave about how much you need to have muslin cloths but what they don't say is what do you actually use them for, apart from wiping babies face? Do I need them if I plan on FF? Do I just put them over baby while feeding them to avoid spills on them or are bibs better? I won't need them for swaddling as I've got separate items for that. FTM!

1. Light blankets to pinion flying arms.
2. Protection for clothes and soft furnishings.
3. Cloths to wipe up... Everything.
4. Shade in a variety of ways including holding sunhats in place under supervision.
5. Emergency clothes
6. Pretend baby sling for older child's toy bear.
7. Emergency stain cover (but you can't move it off the stain so limited use)
8. Picnic blanket when picnic blanket is forgotten.
9. Emergency towel when towel is not to hand.

10. Dusters until the end of time.

I bought loads based on this advice but my babies weren't sicky so they were hardly ever used.

Ds1 was very reflux (fully breast fed too). We went through a lot of Muslims mopping up sick and dribble. Good for lining public changing tables or as an emergency towel.
Ds2 was a bit of a dribbler and would go through a lot of dribble bibs and muslins.
Stopped needing them when dc could walk really.
Also useful when weaning onto solids.
I now use them for straining fruit for jam, etc and have one for wiping the slide in the park or as a little towel if they paddle in the river. Quite lightweight to carry around but also highly absorbent.

I used them for cleaning up milk drools and milk burps and they were a saviour for reflux too. Just having them on my shoulder when burping baby meant my clothes kept clean x

I had loads of (expensive) funky looking muslins

Hardly used the bloody things! So don’t agree they are universally useful. My babies weren’t snotty or sickly. I never had a poonami and they were never sick or posity.

I notice a lot of people use them with hair clips to keep the sun out. Especially for I candys. We have a Babyjogger which has a massive hood and insect net. So again no need for muslins.

Do you want mine? I’ve got about 20 harfly used

*hardly used!

I’m loving all the alternative uses on this thread...maybe they will finally get some use!

My 8 year old still loves her muslins

I had no idea when I was pregnant either but we ended up using them for Literally everything, cleaning sick, spilled milk, snot, putting vapour oil on when baby had a cold, draping over them in the bath so they don't get cold too quickly, laying over a sheet in the Moses basket incase of spit up, cleaning hands and faces after weaning, the list is never ending. We had hundreds and we still always ran out

I used them instead of bibs. Much more effective.

My youngest is 5 I still use them.
They're great if you have a cold as they don't hurt your skin.
If it's hot I soak them in cold water and put them on the kids - or myself.
Others for cleaning up.
Wiping hands, faces.

EVERYTHING, as above, and now the big ones are used for forts by DD4.

My DC is now 18 months and likes to snuggle them but before that...to wipe up snot, catch vomit as it's flying out, placed on my shoulder for dribble/snot/vomit purposes, wiping up things that had split, cleaning faces...they wash really well in my experience and I am definitely of the 'you can never have too many' school of thought.

I’m pregnant with my third and still have a pile of brand new, unused muslin cloths from the first two.
No idea!

Bogies, bogies, bogies. Plus they're in a bottom drawer so DD2 uses them as blankets for her teddies and for all the very important wiping she has to do.

I don't agree that you can never have too many though. We've got millions.

To dry baby's bum and occasionally as bibs (although tea towels do just as well). Thankfully my baby has never been that sicky (touch wood).

We still use ours and little one is nearly 5! They're fab for mopping up spills/ general cleaning

My DS is 20 now but I've still got two muslins left that are great for cleaning . Somehow the fabric is better than tea towels or cleaning cloths !

Amazed at how many are used as comforters. My DD still has a bag of them at 10 and can’t sleep without one. I was a bit smug thinking that they would be interchangeable but then she developed her favourites which are now threadbare…

I only ever used them as light blankets/swaddles/pushchair covers on hot days.

Didn't have a sicky baby so didn't use them for that. So yeah ended up with tons after being told they were essential, then had no use for them!

@racet are you convinced yet?!

I got some packs when pregnant as everyone said they were essential... they aren't!

I ended up using them (2 large then folded and tucked down sides) in baby's crib the first few weeks so any sick could just be moved (before getting wet through- had to be quick!) without moving baby out to change the 2 sheets on the mattress.

After this they got chucked.

I dislike them being used as sick cloths- you hold a beautiful baby and get given a stinky sick rag too 'just on case'. I used bibs for mine so any sick was removed instantly! Everyone I know who used them had a lingering sick smell on baby/ themselves/ their home

@schooliscoming the sick smell is hard to avoid if you have a very vomity baby

With my first basically a sick catcher - it was everywhere and I went through a lot! Meant I wasn’t constantly changing the cot sheets as I used them as a top sheet.
With the second she wasn’t a sick baby so didn’t really use them other than wiping face etc but they become her mussy and she would sleep with them, she didn’t use a dummy and it was her comforter (& still at 12 she uses it when she sad 😞)

Draped over the hood on a hot day