Newborns can see most clearly at around 20-30cm, roughly the distance between a baby and their parent's face during feeds and cuddles. Their vision is limited so they are most drawn to high contrast at this stage, which is why our newborn designs use bold black and white patterns.

Because that's what they can actually see the most clearly. In the early weeks, babies' eyes haven't yet developed the ability to process colour or detail. High contrast patterns, dark shapes on light backgrounds, are the easiest for young eyes to detect and respond to, giving their developing visual system something meaningful to engage with.

Newborns are able to detect a strong red, but it appears very muted to how we see it as adults. Babies begin to perceive colour more distinctly from around 2-3 months, starting with bold primaries like blue and green. By 5 months their colour vision has developed significantly, which is why our 5 months+ designs introduce colour alongside pattern.

Babies are born with fully formed eyes but have to learn to see after birth. They learn best when the visual experiences are engaging without being overwhelming.

Our patterns are designed to help babies practise focusing and tracking in everyday moments, supporting how vision develops naturally over time. Patterned input is hugely important for a baby, as it helps them to make sense of the world.

Our products are designed to support babies from birth and throughout the first year. Different patterns are visually appropriate at different stages, reflecting how quickly vision develops in early life.

Yes, you can use any design functionally, but younger babies will respond to higher contrast patterns which are in line with their visual ability. Designs created for older babies are visually more challenging with colours and scales that won't be visible to younger babies.

Yes. Many babies continue to enjoy high contrast patterns well beyond 4 months. As with all stages, following your baby's interest is the best guide. And of course our products are practical too so will last long after the visual support element has worked its magic.

A premature baby's visual development usually tracks closer to their due date than their birth date. Many families start with newborn designs and move on as their baby's visual interest develops - as with all things, let your baby take the lead and show you what they are interested in,

An orthoptist is a healthcare professional who specialises in the assessment and treatment of visual problems, particularly those related to eye movement and development. They are experts in how vision develops from birth and how the eyes learn to work together. Laura, our orthoptist, works with us to ensure our products are grounded in the latest clinical understanding of infant vision.

The Baby Lab at the University of Sussex is a leading centre for research into infant perception and development. We work alongside their experts to ensure our patterns reflect the latest understanding of how babies see and learn.

Bamboo is often marketed as a natural, eco-friendly fabric, but the reality is more complicated. Most bamboo fabric is produced using a chemical-intensive process that uses harsh solvents, including petrochemicals, to break the bamboo plant down into a soft fibre. The resulting fabric, often sold as bamboo viscose or rayon, bears little resemblance to the plant it came from. Organic cotton, certified to GOTS standard, is genuinely traceable, genuinely organic, and genuinely better for your baby's skin and the planet.

Our products are made in the UK, China and Pakistan, with every manufacturing partner carefully chosen and held to the same high standards regardless of location. All products are independently tested to meet international safety requirements, and our organic cotton products are GOTS certified throughout the supply chain, from fibre to finished product. We're a B Corp, which means our entire business, including how and where we manufacture, is held to rigorous standards of social and environmental performance.

GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard. It's the world's leading certification for organic fibres, covering the entire production process from farming through to the finished product. It means everything that touches your baby's skin has been produced to the highest environmental and social standards, free from harmful chemicals.

B Corp certification means a business meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. We're proud to be B Corp certified, reflecting our commitment to doing business in a way that's good for people and the planet.

Yes. You can add gift wrap or a gift bag at checkout. Every order also comes with a free gift note and our brand booklet so the lucky recipient knows what makes the gift so thoughtful.

Yes. Add their address at checkout and we'll send it straight to them. There's no price on the packing slip.

Yes. Add your personal message at checkout and we'll include it with the order free of charge.

Each bundle is listed with full contents on the product page. All bundles are curated to work together across daily moments.

Our muslins are the most-reached-for item by new parents. For something more generous, our bundles are curated specifically for gifting. You can also shop by budget on our gifting page.

Yes. They are designed to be genuinely useful in everyday life, so extremely well received by new parents. Because our products support daily moments and babies' developing vision, they are reached for again and again.

A muslin is a lightweight, breathable, loosely woven fabric, usually made from cotton. We choose GOTS-certified organic cotton for our muslins because it is beautifully soft and produced to strict environmental and safety standards.

The honest answer is: everything. Muslins are the most-reached-for item in any new parent's home. Use them as a feeding cloth, a light swaddle, a pram cover, a changing mat layer, a comforter, a sun shade, a dribble catcher, or simply something soft and familiar that smells of you. Most parents find they can never have enough.

And with an Etta Loves muslin, every one of those moments is doing something more. The patterns are designed around what babies can actually see. So whether it's draped over your shoulder at a feed, laid flat for tummy time, or hanging from the pram, your baby's eyes are finding something worth looking at. Looking becomes learning, without you having to think about it.

Because they're not standard muslins. Every Etta Loves muslin is made from GOTS-certified organic cotton, no shortcuts on materials. But the real difference is in the design. Our patterns are developed in collaboration with infant vision researchers at the University of Sussex Baby Lab, with the scale, contrast and spacing of every pattern chosen to reflect what babies can actually see at each stage of development. A standard muslin catches sick. An Etta Loves muslin does that too, but while it's doing it, your baby is getting genuinely useful visual stimulation. You're not paying more for a prettier muslin. You're paying for one that's actually designed for your baby, not just for you.

We offer three sizes to suit different needs. Our standard muslins are 60x60cm, perfect for everyday use. Our larger 80x80cm muslins come in two-packs and give you a bit more to work with for swaddling and covering. For those who want maximum versatility, our XL muslins are 120x120cm, generous enough to use as a light blanket, pram cover or full swaddle.

Washed at 30°C as recommended, our patterns hold up well over time and can be passed down to new babies. Higher temperatures can affect the vibrancy of the print, so stick to 30°C and avoid washing with anything that has zips or velcro which can snag the fabric.

Etta Loves x Liberty is our collaboration with Liberty, the iconic British department store and fabric house. We worked with Liberty to create a collection of sensory products using their distinctive prints, redesigned to meet the science of what babies can actually see.

The Etta Loves x Liberty collection is a special collaboration. We'd recommend not waiting if there's something you love.

The Liberty collection uses the same organic cotton and infant vision science as everything we make. The difference is the print, which is drawn from Liberty's iconic archive and redesigned in collaboration with their design team.

Yes, we can ship to most places. Enter your country at checkout. If we don't have a postage option email help@ettaloves.com and we can help.

If you're in America, please visit us.ettaloves.com for shipping from within the US.

Standard UK orders are normally processed within 1 working day so will be with you in the following time frames:

Standard delivery - 3-5 days

Fast delivery - 2-3 days

Next Day delivery - the next working day from the working day the order way placed on (if you place a next working day after the midday cut off or on a weekend it will arrive 2 working days later)

We hope you'll love your order, but if something isn't right, contact us at help@ettaloves.comwithin 14 days of receiving it. Items must be unused, undamaged and in original packaging. You have 28 days from receipt to return for a full refund or exchange. Return postage is your responsibility unless the item is faulty. Refunds are issued to your original payment method within 7 days of us receiving the return. Gift wrap and cards are non-refundable.

More information can be found here

Wash at 30°C to help maintain colour and softness. Muslin gets softer with every wash. Avoid washing with zips or velcro to prevent snagging.

Fully machine washable. Reshape once dry if needed.

Spot clean with a damp cloth or wet wipe

Made from natural rubber with no holes. Wash with mild soapy water before first use, rinse well and air dry after each use. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Spot clean with mild soapy water or a wet wipe.

Fully machine washable. Reshape whilst damp if required

You can contact us through our contact page here or by emailing help@ettaloves.com