Best Burp Cloths

A tell-tale sign of a new parent: running errands with a burp cloth draped over your shoulder…when you’re out solo. This baby essential is so important, it sticks with you even when you’re not actually with the baby.

During the newborn months and beyond, you’ll want burp cloths on hand 24/7. Not only do burp cloths take the brunt of spit-up, but you can use them to wipe milk dribbles, sneezes or whatever comes your way. Because there’s usually something coming your way. Stock up on burp cloths that are soft, absorbent and hold up well after zillions of washes.

How to Use Burp Cloths

Burp cloths largely serve one general purpose: to keep things clean when baby (inevitably) spits up. But there are a few different ways to use them depending on how you feed and burp your baby.

• Over your shoulder. This is the most common way to burp a baby, especially in the first few months. Position the burp cloth over one of your shoulders with the majority of the fabric also falling across your chest. Then hold baby chest-to-chest with them positioned over the burp cloth.
• Over your knee/across baby’s chest. Once baby has enough neck strength to hold up their head, you may prefer to start burping them over your lap. With baby sitting on one of your knees and leaning their chest over your other knee, hold the burp cloth across baby’s chest and slightly upward toward their mouth to catch anything that might come out.
• Over a nursing pillow. If you’re breastfeeding and using a nursing pillow, laying a burp cloth over the pillow under baby’s head can help catch both spit up and any breast milk that might leak as baby unlatches. Tuck one end of the burp cloth into your folded down nursing bra or shirt to help protect your clothes, too.

How Many Burp Cloths Do I Need?

If you’re planning to do laundry every other day, you can get away with having about six to ten burp cloths on hand. If your laundry day is once a week, aim to stock up on closer to two dozen. Either way, don’t be surprised if you find yourself going through three or more burp cloths a day.

To make sure you’re never without some kind of protection from spit up (which can happen even an hour or two after baby has stopped eating), keep a clean burp cloth in every frequently visited part of your home—on your glider, coffee table, nightstand, changing table, wherever you might need one within quick reach.

And it’s totally normal to discover that you need more burp cloths as baby gets out of the newborn stage. The amount that babies spit up usually peaks around four to seven months, so you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of burp cloths before baby reaches that point.