MON AMI Mother Goose Cotton Muslin Swaddle Blanket by

Cotton muslin is the fabric most parents end up preferring for a swaddle blanket, and this is exactly that: a muslin swaddle in a Mother Goose print, which is a gentler nursery reference than the usual parade of animals.

Muslin breathes, which matters a great deal in a warm room, and it softens with every wash rather than stiffening up. A muslin swaddle blanket also rarely stays a swaddle for long. It becomes a stroller shade, a nursing cover, a clean surface on somebody else’s floor, and a tummy time mat, which is why most families keep several in rotation, and why it is such a reliable baby shower gift.

Buy two if you are giving it. New parents run out of clean blankets faster than they run out of anything else, and a receiving blanket in a print worth photographing is the one they reach for first, in the pram, on the sofa, and in every early photograph.

What is a swaddle blanket? A swaddle blanket is a large, thin, square blanket used to wrap a newborn snugly with the arms contained, which many babies find calming in the early weeks. Muslin is a common choice because it is breathable and softens with every wash, and swaddling is generally stopped once a baby shows signs of rolling over.