When you have a baby and small children you need endless equipment. But there are some hacks to double-up on certain items. My most used baby item (by far!) is a muslin – it's truly a piece of fabric magic!
Basically, a muslin is a square of cotton fabric that is finely and loosely
woven. It dates way back to ancient India. This simple technique gives you one
of the most breathable fabrics.
They come in a huge range of sizes, colours
and patterns so you’re spoilt for choice!
Here are my 15 uses of a muslin:
- Lasts forever! Muslin material is durable - I have muslins from over 8 years ago now
- Burping/spit-up cloth – drape it over your shoulder and you’re ready to burp your baby
- Blanket – muslins are breathable, because the light and loose fabric allows for air to pass through. So I used muslins for swaddling my summer baby and used smaller muslin squares as light baby blankets when out. This also helps to shield a baby from the sun (summer sleeping bags are often made out of muslin material too)
- Sheet – use a muslin as a Moses-basket sheet or even for a cot bed (make sure you get the size right for the bed. I had to stitch two together when they were slightly too small)
- Comfort blanket – muslins come in a range of different sizes, and all my babies have used them as early comfort blankets
- Shade – a muslin can give shade when you hang it over the hood of the pram/buggy
- Hand towel – because muslin material dries so quickly it’s ideal as a hand towel
- Bib – use it as an improvised bib if you don’t have one to hand
- Serviette – we use muslins for all kids (and even us, adults) during meals
- Spillage! – use a muslin to mop-up any drink spillage!
- Toy – you can use a muslin as a peek-a-boo toy, and our kids use it for pretend picnics, and as a bandage for doctor role play
- Easy to clean – you can easily wash them over and over
- Changing mat – if you are going out with only a small bag you can use a muslin as a temporary changing mat (put it on something soft – a public mat, or your legs for a sit-down change, or the grass when outside)
- Makeshift hat – it’s easy to fit it around a little-one’s head
- Wrap for fragile items – you can wrap-up fragile items into a muslin, or use it as padding
A muslin is your multi-purpose travel companion – the fabric
is super light and folds up very small, so it’s ideal to take away with you (and
try out some of the above uses!)
I made a video about this topic too. Go check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZvLnjnOLug
