Having two babies in the last 2 years might not have made me an expert mom, but it has given me a new appreciation for multitasking. And there is nothing I love more than baby items that multitask, saving both time and money! If you’re having your first baby soon or looking to purchase a gift for a new mom in your life, there are a lot of items you’ll see in stores and registries that are an absolute waste of money and precious space. There is one item, however, that serves multiple purposes and is worth every penny: a package of muslin blankets!
What are muslin blankets? An example of two of the most common brands are Aden & Anais and Luna Lullaby. The blankets typically come in a package of 3-4 blankets and are sized 44 inches by 44 inches or larger. The size is key — a baby cannot be swaddled properly in a tiny receiving blanket!
Here is a list of things you can do with a great muslin blanket:
- Swaddle – the muslin stretches enough to conform to the baby, but remains taught to hold securely. The blankets usually come with a tutorial on how to swaddle, and the manufacturers’ web sites also have videos.
- Sunshade – you can drape the blanket over your infant car seat to keep off the sun, even in Texas heat, because the muslin is breathable and will not suffocate your baby if they start to chew on it. I don’t go anywhere without a muslin blanket covering the baby during the summer.
- Nursing cover – just yank that blanket right off the car seat and drape it over both of you to nurse. I have done this in planes, at parks, and in restaurants!
- Playmat – again, I just yank it right off the car seat and throw it on the carpet when we’re at someone’s house or the play room at our church and let the baby crawl around safely. My kids were both very active starting at 3 months and can’t be left in a car seat for long or they get restless, so I take them out and put them on the floor pretty much everywhere that it is safe to do so.
- Burp cloth – OK, so this is not a use recommended by the manufacturer, I’m sure, but spit-up happens! Sometimes all you’ve got is the muslin blanket in your infant car seat, and I’m here to tell you that it works just fine for that purpose.
It seems to me the that the blankets are easier to find now than they were a few years ago, perhaps other moms have caught on to the magic of the muslin blanket. Recently, even Target has started selling them, so you won’t have to go far or order online for a great baby gift last-minute!
Have you used muslin blankets with your babies? Are there any good uses I’ve left off my list that you’d like to share?
Where do you buy something like this and how much do they cost?
You can now get A&A at Target or Buy Buy Baby, you can also get Luna Lullaby locally at Baby Bliss in Snider plaza! They typically run around $28-$40 for a package which has 3-4 blankets, so it ends up being around $10 per blanket. I’ve used the same 3 blankets for both kids now, and still using them!
Great! Next time I’m at Target, I’ll have to check them out! Thanks a lot! (this is def going on the registry for Baby Kue#2)
LOVE these! And I also loved A&A’s burpy bibs…my little guy was a spitter and their burpy bibs were the only ones I’d use if we were out. Great as bibs and as burp rags!