Muslin diapers for newborns: what is it and what is it for?

Many have already appreciated the advantages of muslin diapers, while others are discovering them for the first time. I remember my bewilderment when I came across a piece of fabric meter by meter at a price of more than 1000 rubles per piece. It was then that I studied the material and decided to take a risk. After summer and victory over laziness, I can confidently say that everyone needs such diapers. Why? I'll tell you below.

What are muslin diapers and what are they for?

What is the peculiarity of such diapers and what is the advantage of the fabric? Muslin is a natural fabric that is produced by special plain weaving. It is very thin, but at the same time durable. This material is easy to care for. Muslin washes well and can vary in its composition.

If we talk about the varieties of this fabric, we can distinguish such types of muslin as silk, cotton and wool. The material is made exclusively from natural raw materials. Such diapers can be safely used among newborn babies and older children, without fear for the health of their skin. You can see what the fabric looks like in the photo.

Reviews

Based on all the positive qualities, muslin diapers will be an indispensable thing in the first years of the baby. Despite their high price, they will be an indispensable assistant for a young mother. And to understand whether you need to buy them, you should read the reviews on this material.

Victoria, Chelyabinsk: “I purchased such diapers for the first time and they did not disappoint in my choice. I had never heard of them before, but decided to give them a try. Lightweight fabric came in very handy in the summer months - the baby did not feel hot under it, and the skin breathed freely. Although many dissuaded me, I still decided to purchase a product from a domestic manufacturer. And, despite expectations, they turned out to be of very good quality. The set included two large and two small diapers with beautiful baby patterns.

Benefits of muslin diapers

It's no secret that a newborn baby's skin is very delicate. Any low-quality materials can cause rashes and irritation. It is for this reason that many mothers prefer to use muslin diapers. Such products can be purchased in a set or purchased individually. Pediatricians and dermatologists recommend using such diapers not only for children in the first months of life, but also for older babies. The undoubted advantage of diapers made from this fabric is that it is highly breathable. This is especially important in the summer, as the child will not sweat much. This will prevent the appearance of diaper rash and irritation on the body.

Another significant advantage is that muslin diapers absorb moisture well. Thanks to this feature of the fabric, the child will always be dry and clean. It is very important to prevent allergies, irritation and diaper rash. If such a problem arises, it can be quite difficult to cope with it. In this case, it is necessary to use various drugs, which is extremely undesirable for babies in the first months of life.

Let's move on to the third and no less important advantage of muslin diapers. This type of fabric washes well and after washing becomes even softer and more elastic. In addition, the described fabric is very easy to iron. Swaddling a baby in such diapers is no problem. You can purchase the products in question at a pharmacy or children's store. Mommy can choose the type of muslin and its color to suit her taste. The variety of shades of diapers is amazing.

When buying diapers, it is important not to fall for a fake. It is recommended to purchase the product from reputable stores and pay attention to the label indicating the composition of the product. It should indicate that the material is 100% cotton.

Bathing a newborn

Why and why? Bathing a newborn (hygienic bath) is carried out for all healthy children after the umbilical remnant falls off. Before the umbilical wound heals, it is recommended to bathe the baby in boiled water or running water, but you need to add a solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) to it.

Until your baby is six months old, it is advisable to bathe him daily; in the second half of his life, you can do this every other day. As a rule, children really like to swim, because before birth, water was their natural element. In water, the muscles relax, the child feels comfortable and calm. The duration of bathing in the first year of life is 5-10 minutes. Washing with soap is carried out no more than once a week. It is advisable to bathe the child no earlier than an hour after feeding, preferably 10-15 minutes before evening feeding.

It is more convenient to bathe a newborn baby together; most often, the father is called upon to help, and in many families, bathing the baby is exclusively the father’s “honorable mission.” Large and reliable male hands hold the baby’s tiny body with amazing tenderness, which contributes to the emergence and development of close contact between the child and the father, who at these moments feels very needed. But if you have to do without an assistant, don’t worry, you can do it just fine on your own.

Important! If your baby is unwell, has a fever or signs of skin irritation, it is better to postpone bathing until you consult your pediatrician.

You will need: a baby bath, a jug of warm water for rinsing the baby, a special water thermometer, baby soap, a terry mitten, a large terry towel, a diaper, baby oil, a changing table with prepared clothes for the baby, cotton swabs with limiters or cotton swabs.

If the umbilical wound has not yet healed, prepare two containers with cold and hot boiled water or a solution of potassium permanganate to add to running water. The solution of potassium permanganate must be added to the water “drop by drop” until the water turns a faint pink color. Before using potassium permanganate, make sure that the crystals are completely dissolved, as getting a potassium permanganate crystal on the skin can cause a burn.

The air temperature in the room while bathing the child should be 22-24 degrees. You can bathe your baby in the bathroom, if it is spacious enough, or in the kitchen.

First of all, you need to prepare the bath - wash with a brush and soap and rinse with boiling water. Place the bath in a stable, comfortable position and fill it ½ full with water. First pour cold and then hot water to avoid steam formation. Now you need to immerse the thermometer in water. The temperature of the water in the bath should be 37-37.5 degrees. Measuring the water temperature with your elbow is only possible if you have sufficient experience; a thermometer is always more reliable.
Lay out the baby's clothes on the changing table, lay a towel on top, and place a diaper on it for wiping. However, you can put the diaper near the bath to make it more convenient for you to take it.
Undress the child and, if necessary, wash him. Take the baby so that the head rests on the forearm of your left hand, and hold the baby’s left shoulder joint with your fingers (the thumb clasps the shoulder from above, place the other fingers in the armpit). Use your right hand to support the baby's buttocks and legs.
Slowly immerse the baby in the bath: first the buttocks, then the legs and torso. Continue to support the baby's head with your left hand, leaving your right hand free for washing. The water level should reach the baby's armpits.
Swing the child on the water back and forth, left and right. Your movements should be smooth and unhurried. Smile at your baby and talk to him affectionately.
If you plan to wash the child with soap, then the “mitten” is put on the right hand. Lather your body using gentle circular motions and immediately rinse the soaped areas. First, wash your head from the forehead to the back of the head, then your neck, arms, chest, abdomen, legs. Rinse skin folds thoroughly. Lastly, wash your buttocks and genitals.
Remove the baby from the water with its back facing up. Rinse your body and wash your baby's face with water from a jug. Place a diaper on the baby, place him on the changing table, and dry the skin with gentle blotting movements.
Dry your ears with cotton swabs or cotton swabs.
Lubricate the folds of the skin with baby oil. If necessary, treat the umbilical wound.
Swaddle or dress your baby.

Now, to feel complete happiness, it would be nice for your baby to eat and sleep.

Are there any disadvantages?

When describing the disadvantages of muslin diapers, first of all, it should be noted that their cost is quite high. This is explained by the fact that the production of the described material requires expensive equipment, which is owned mainly by foreign companies.

Another significant drawback is that products of this type require more delicate care. When using them, it is important to observe the correct washing conditions. If you are washing in an automatic machine, you must select the delicate cycle. When washing muslin by hand, it is necessary to wash it at a temperature not exceeding 40°C with a powder that does not contain aggressive additives such as chlorine.

Preparing for washing

Before you send your diapers for washing, you need to prepare them properly:

Thoroughly clean the fabric from any remaining food and feces.
Sort diapers by color and type of material.
Remove difficult, old stains.

Do not allow large amounts of dirty laundry to accumulate. The optimal washing mode is once a day.

Cleaning up baby feces

It is impossible to achieve an ideal result of cleanliness if the soiled diaper is not wiped down first.

If the fabric is stained with urine, wash it under running cool water, washing away traces of urine with laundry soap.

If the diaper is soiled with feces, then it is pre-washed, following a certain sequence of actions:

The fabric is moistened with water, and the stain is washed with laundry soap.
After five to ten minutes, the product is rinsed under running warm water and sent to the main wash.

Where can I buy?

Today, popular brands that produce muslin diapers include companies such as Aden and Anais, Adam Stork, Qwhimsi, Ozone, Wildberries (Valberis) and others. You can buy goods wholesale and retail at the pharmacy, as well as in such popular online stores as Aliexpress, Instagram, Babyton, Mamsi, Ikea, Detsky Mir and others.

If you are not lucky enough to buy a fake, such fabric will quickly lose its shape and color. To prevent this from happening, purchase the product from trusted stores. It is important to understand that muslin diapers cannot cost the same as, for example, flannel or chintz products. High-quality fabric that will last you quite a long time will cost many times more.

How to choose?

Depending on the age of the baby, it is important to choose the right size. Large products, the size of which is 120x120 cm, are suitable for swaddling. Medium products, with a size of 70x70 cm, can be used to cover the baby or cover the changing table.

Small diapers, the size of which does not exceed 40x40 cm, are excellent as napkins and bibs.

How to use muslin diapers correctly?

So, we have found that muslin fabric is an excellent choice for swaddling babies. It is made exclusively from natural material, does not cause allergies, is elastic, washes well and has a number of other advantages. It is comfortable for a baby to sleep in such material, because it absorbs moisture well and at the same time allows air to pass through.

With the help of the diapers in question, you can perform various types of swaddling - tight or loose. Lately, loose swaddling has become increasingly popular. In this case, the baby does not need to be wrapped too tightly. A kind of cocoon is created from the fabric, which does not allow the child to wake himself up, but at the same time allows the baby to take a comfortable position for sleeping.

Whichever swaddling method the mother chooses, the baby will feel comfortable. The fabric does not wrinkle and does not rub delicate skin. Some mothers use a muslin diaper as protection from insects and wind. The fabric protects the baby well in the stroller, but does not create a greenhouse effect, allowing air to pass through perfectly.

In summer, you can cover your newborn with a swaddle as a thin blanket. This material is also suitable for covering a mattress. In hot weather, it will be comfortable for the baby to sleep on such material, and most importantly, it will not be hot at all. Even if the baby sweats, the muslin will quickly absorb excess moisture, and the child will remain dry and clean.

Brown laundry soap

For many years in a row, despite the variety of washing powders, many women prefer ordinary laundry soap. Due to the fact that it contains no substances that irritate the delicate skin of babies, its use completely eliminates the occurrence of allergies and allows you to solve the problem of how to whiten baby diapers. There are two ways to remove stains with soap:

Fill a basin with hot water, soak things in it, and then rub them with soap. After 30-40 minutes, you will need to first wash them and then rinse them 2-3 times. The correct result is no stains and clean water after the last rinse.
The second method is to use machine washable soap. It is necessary to grate half the block and pour 100 ml of water into the resulting shavings for 15-20 minutes. Next, you need to pour the mixture into the powder compartment, place dirty clothes and diapers in the drum and select the desired mode.

How to sew it yourself?

If mommy managed to purchase muslin fabric, you can sew the diaper yourself.

To do this, we adhere to the following simple algorithm of action:

Take the required fabric size, for example, 120x120 cm.
Spread the material on a flat surface, wrong side up.
The edge needs to be processed. To do this, we turn the edge under and baste it with a thread and a needle or grab it with tailor’s needles.
Now we sew the diaper. It's better to do this on a sewing machine.

Ready. Now we wash, iron the product and can use it in caring for our baby.

Morning toilet of a newborn

Why and why? We all know that “cleanliness is the key to health,” so every day we wash ourselves, brush our teeth, take a shower or bath. Without these usual hygiene procedures, a person feels uncomfortable. For a newborn baby, daily skin care is much more important than for an adult; in addition, the first habits of cleanliness begin to form unconsciously at such an early age.

The baby's daily toilet consists of washing, treating the eyes, nose, and skin folds. Until the umbilical cancer heals, it also needs to be treated daily. You need to wash your child after a night's sleep and during the day every time the child has had a bowel movement. The ears are treated as necessary in case of contamination and dried after each bathing. Children's nails are trimmed as they grow.

You will need: cotton pads (cosmetic pads), cotton wool for making flagella, baby oil or Vaseline, a container with warm boiled vodka, a container for used materials, scissors with rounded ends, cotton swabs with limiters, a set for treating the umbilical wound.

First you need to remove rings and watches from your hands and wash your hands. Prepare everything you need: open a bottle of oil,
wash the water container with soap, scald with boiling water, fill with warm boiled water,
twist nasal flagella from small pieces of cotton wool, about 3 cm long and 2-3 mm in diameter,
prepare a kit for treating the umbilical wound.

Now that you have everything at your fingertips, let's get down to business!

How are muslin diapers different from regular ones?

Why buy expensive products if you can buy ordinary cotton diapers very inexpensively? It's all about quality. Muslin is made exclusively from natural and hypoallergenic material. This means that such a product will not cause allergies, irritation or other problems in your baby. The difference between expensive material and chintz also lies in wear resistance.

A muslin diaper will last much longer and will not lose its color and shape, unlike regular ones.

Care instructions

Reviews from mothers who have tested the products in question in practice indicate that the quality of this material really justifies the price. A real muslin swaddle will last quite a long time and can be used for several generations of children. Of course, in order for the material not to lose its properties or deteriorate, it must be properly cared for.

We will tell you how to do this:

Immediately after purchasing several items, wash them separately. This will help make sure that the fabric is really high quality and does not fade.
To prevent the product from losing its shape and color, preference should be given to hand washing rather than machine washing.
The water temperature during washing should not exceed 40°C. If the water is too hot, the fabric may shrink slightly.
It is best to use baby powder or soap without adding aggressive ingredients. Detergents used to wash adult clothes can cause fabric deformation.
It is better to wash muslin diapers separately from other items.
If the fabric is heavily soiled, for example, if the fabric is used as a diaper, you should soak the fabric for 2 hours before washing.
It is best to dry the material on a flat surface so that it does not stretch out.
It is not necessary to iron diapers.

Don't be afraid to dry your muslin outside in the sun. High-quality products, as a rule, do not fade and retain bright colors for a long time.

Bleaching things

If you need to remove marks from greasy food or other stains, you can use stain removers for flannel. But choose brands without chlorine, especially for woolen fabric.

The gel from the Persil Universal line brightens well. Its use is practiced for manual and machine cleaning of products.

Home whitening techniques are popular. For undyed cotton items, use baking soda - 2 tbsp. l. Dissolve it in water - 6 liters, heated to 20˚C. Before washing, soak the items for two hours.

How to bleach flannel correctly

If yellow marks appear on the surface of flannel products, take ammonia with a liquid composition used for dishes. These components are measured in 50 ml. Combine with water warmed to 20 degrees - 250 ml and add baking soda - 3 tbsp. l. Stirring, bring the liquid until smooth. Spray with a spray bottle onto contaminated areas. After 10 minutes, wash by hand.