Muslin is a very lightweight cotton or bamboo cloth, made from a plain weave. Muslin squares are excellent for baby care, especially with newborns, as the cloth is extremely soft and gentle on the skin making it ideal for swaddling, blankets and burp cloths.
But let’s dig deeper, here’s everything you need to know about muslin squares, what they’re used for, how they can make your life easier and your baby happier and of course – which are the best ones to buy in the UK right now.
What can you use muslin squares for?
Muslin squares come in several sizes, are massively flexible and be used for a wide variety of things. They can be washed in the washing machine, dry very quickly and come in a massive array of colours and patterns too.
Some of the most common uses of muslin squares include:
- Swaddling your baby
- Sick or burp cloths
- As a towel – drying baby after a bath or wipe down
- As a comforter for baby to hold on to
- To aid discrete breastfeeding and absorb any leaks
- As a dribble bib
- To line a cold changing mat or changing surface
- As a sheet for sleeping on
- As nappy liners in washable nappies
But muslin squares aren’t just good for baby! They’re also good for:
- Using as a hair cover or bandana
- Cleaning cloths
- Makeup / face cloths
- Lightweight towel for the beach
As you can see, muslin squares are very versatile and an essential part of daily family life. Muslin cloths get the For The Family stamp of approval!
Which are the best muslin squares to buy?
If you are pregnant, have a newborn baby, or perhaps are shopping for a gift for a friend or family member, you can definitely put muslin squares on your must-buy list. One of the great things about them if buying as a gift is you can never have too many, so it doesn’t matter if someone else buys them as well, they will all be used! They are great gifts for a baby shower or a congratulation present at birth.
There will be a few choices when it comes to buying muslin squares. The first is whether you buy bamboo or cotton. Most muslin squares available are cotton, which is very lightweight and versatile, but bamboo is making a rise in the UK cloth industry. Bamboo is breathable so keeps cooler in the summer and bamboo forests and the bamboo industry is more sustainable than cotton, although organic cotton is an option for environmental sustainability. The second choice will be the size and this will be based on what it’s used for. Small muslin squares will be more useful for burp clothes, breastfeeding aids and a comforter, whilst larger muslin cloth will be useful for swaddling, changing and toweling. The final option is entirely cosmetic, as many colours and patterns will be available!
Decided that you need to get some muslin baby squares in your life but feeling overwhelmed by all the choices? Here are our top 10 muslin products which combine quality, versatility and an excellent price.
Top 8 muslin squares for the newborn baby
The best bamboo muslin baby products
This beautiful muslin blanket by Life Tree is a 70% bamboo, 30% cotton hybrid and absolutely huge at a whopping 120 x 120cm. This means it is a full size blanket that can be used as a breastfeeding cover, as a towel or swaddle when doubled up, or as a full sheet or blanket in bed. The print is a gorgeous pastel blue, peach and gold feather design which is original and unique to Life Tree, ideal for a newborn boy or girl. An excellent quality, beautiful blanket.
“This blanket is unreal! It is so beautiful! So soft! And so perfect! I’m wanting to order a couple more as none that I have brought compares to this one! So very happy!” – Reviewed by Cattrinstar.
These Little Bamboo Muslin Squares are a simple, classic set of 70% bamboo, 30% cotton hybrid muslin squares. At 60 x 60cm they are ideal for burp cloths, wash cloths and fitting in your changing bag, but are still big enough for swaddling and toweling. Also available with a pack of 6 smaller wash cloths which makes an ideal gift to cover all needs.
“These are the best muslins I’ve for for my baby. They are super soft and gentle and wipe up anything needed. Great for peekaboo games too as they feel nice against her face! Such a reasonable price for 10 in a pack as well. They was really well and haven’t lost their softness yet in the 3 months I’ve used them so far.” – Review by Miss Weyman
The best organic cotton muslin baby products
Winner of best design! One of our favourite set of designs is this pack of 5 Organic Cotton Muslin Squares by Tiny Alpaca. These amazing designs are so colourful and playful, guaranteed to be a hit with any newborn baby and include yellow rabbit, pink goose, orange fox, light blue panda, and grey whale. They’re 100% organic cotton so that you’re confident about lowering your environmental impact as well as getting a higher quality product. At 60cm x 60cm these are a good size for swaddling and toweling whilst not being too bulky to roll up and pop in the changing bag to go out with.
“These muslins are fab – such cool, fun designs and they’re unisex which is great as my friends don’t know the sex of their baby! They were delighted with this gift. Would definitely recommend.” – Review by
Amazon Customer
Winner of most environmentally friendly! At 30 x 43cm these Budding Bear Premium Burp Cloths are an ideal size for throwing over your shoulder when burping a baby, using on the changing table, or wearing as a bib. They are made of 100% premium organic cotton, use chemical free natural dyes and are packaged using 100% biodegradable materials. They’re a little thicker than other muslin squares, which makes them extra-absorbent. The neutral designs are simple and attractive.
“Lovely thick cotton, different to the muslins I had been using. Modern designs. Baby really likes the sheep design- more a grey and white than a brown and white as photo shows but good contrast that she likes. They wash very well.” – Review by A_hew.
The best cotton muslin baby products
Bloomsbury Mill Super Soft Muslin Squares have gender-neutral grey and white stars, polka dots, and chevrons. They are 70 x 70cm in size, which we would consider large and ideal for all purposes, allowing them to be doubled up for a thicker snug swaddle and a pack of six represents excellent value for money.
“Better than the ones we purchased from a high street well known baby clothes manufacturer. A very good size, soft and wash well.” – Reviewed by GS.
Winner of best value! If you want simple classic Muslin squares then go for these Muslinz Premium Muslin Squares which come in a total of 8 different colours which you can select at purchase. Whether you want a classic white, or would prefer to add some colour with blue, green, grey, mint, pink, yellow or violet, there is bound to be something to match the nursery here. This pack contains 12 large squares, each 70 x 70cm in size, ideal for swaddling, towels, blankets and more. Exceptional value without compromising on quality.
“These are the perfect size big enough to use as a breastfeeding cover, and for a shade cover as well as the other many uses of mopping up baby bits. I like these better than the ones I bought from John Lewis, which surprised me. I recommend these to all my friends now.” – Reviewed by Shopaholic82.
Pop a bit of colour into your changing bag with this pack of 6 Bright Bots Combo Muslin Squares which include six 70 x 70cm vibrant squares in three different combinations of colours. They have a set for girls, for boys, and a unisex combo. We think they’re all absolutely stunning and wash really well.
“Fabulous! Great rich colours, really soft, washed well – I washed them before use. I put all of them in the washing machine on a 30 degree wash. I washed them alone and put in a “colour catcher”. Considering the depth of the colours, the colour catcher came out light pink so that’s very impressive. I used muslin cloths when my daughter was a baby and fell in love with them. I continued using them for a long time and I now use them myself for cleansing my face.” – Review by Hotlips.
If you don’t want something too big, then these Absorbent Muslin Cotton Baby Face Towels by Qav Jah are just 30 x 30cm, making them an ideal size to have in the bathroom, at the changing table and in your changing bag and they come with a hook loop so you can hang them up where you need them. Beautiful designs just perfect for a boy or girl two, with six different images including fish, dinosaurs, flamingoes, cats, giraffe and woodland.
“Lovely – Ideal for my little one.” Review by C HOWELL
Hopefully those eight choices of excellent Muslin products have given you some ideas of what to buy, whether yourself or for a gift, perhaps at a baby shower or for a newborn. Whether you decide to go for plain, coloured or patterned, bamboo, organic or premium cotton, I’m sure the little recipient will love how soft they are whilst mum and dad will love their versatility.
