Oh I love love love this question. A friend in work who is having Baby No. 1 asked this question in the break room. Incidentally, I am not allowed to linger in the Break Room, just pop in long enough to make a cuppa. According to my Boss, as, ahem, ‘Management’, we have to give the Staff their own space. What is this all about?! It just means they have somewhere specified to slag us off. And how will I keep updated on the gossip? Its a good job I have a few insiders….
Anyway… Muslin cloths, I could write for hours about them.. The best invention. My no. 1 essential when it comes to baby care. I could not , and still can not cope without them. below is my Top 20 uses for a muslin cloth. Forward this to all those friends and famiy who are non-believers in this most sacred piece of cotton.
Top 20 Uses for A Muslin Cloth
- A burping cloth. Perfect for catching all the excess milk/sick/spit. Pop it on your shoulder.
- A breast pad. Feeding the baby? Milk coming out of orifices you didn’t even know you had? Just use the cloth to line your bra or feeding top while Baby is latched on. It soaks up pretty much everything.
- Breast feeding scarf. Its thin, its breathable, drape it over Baby to save your dignity, drape it over yourself, drape it over the person next to you if they can’t stop staring.
- Liner for pram/car seat. I often found that the car seat material in particular was scratchy. Line it with a lovely, soft, always-better-tumbled muslin.
- A comforter. Kids love them. They cuddle them, sleep with them, suck them. Hey, if it works, don’t knock it.
- Sun hat. Forgotten baby’s hat? Tie knots in the four corners or make it into a bandanna.
- Sun visor. I have jammed it into the top of a car window, most of them are a good size and will cover the whole window. They are particularly good for use on a pram/buggy. I hate walking past a pram when it has a beautiful but completely impractical sun umbrella up. They never work. Use hairclips or pegs to tie it to the pram hood. They work perfectly.
- Snot wiper. Blow on it, pick with it , mop up with it.
- Spare clothes. i have created a top, a nappy , a sarong and makeshift knickers with a muslin cloth.
- Bandage. Always handy.
- Dry baby wipe. There are times when a baby wipe just wont do. They are too wet and moist. The beach is a perfect example. Little one fallen over and has sand all over their face/ice cream/sandwich? Use the muslin like a tea towel, wipe the sand off, works so much better with something dry. Toilet accident? Once you have cleaned with baby wipes, sometimes you need to dry the skin afterwards – muslin = perfect.
- Bib. You can now buy triangle shaped bibs, but a muslin cloth tied in a triangle around little ones neck is wonderful. Particularly if you are in a restaurant/friends impeccable kitchen/ice cream parlour. They are soft on little ones necks. They are big. But best of all they are sooo absorbent.
- A makeshift bag. Out and about? Little one collected whole host of useless (but to them very precious..) junk? Leaves/shells/twigs/dandelions? Tie corners in it a la Dick Whittington and you are quids in.
- Blanket. Particularly useful for swaddling and in summer when baby just needs a little something to keep the wind off.
- Spillages. Porridge, milk, juice, the spinach and broccoli baby swill you made, soup, your coffee when they throw it all over you/the sofa/the table. A muslin can handle the lot.
- Ice pack. Just the write thinness to wrap around frozen veg for those Mr Bump incidents. A tea towel is way too thick.
- Makeshift toilet toll. Really.
- Cleaning. They are particularly fabulous for windows.
- Pillow. Just like a rolled up cloud.
- Prince George went home from hospital in one. Reason enough for anyone.
mummymarbles 