Bring a new life into the world can be a hugely gratifying experience, but that doesn’t mean your new bundle of joy will feel the same way. Newborns and infants all have a tendency to burp and spit up breast milk or formula, and burp cloths are a great way to minimize the mess that comes with that.
How Many Burp Cloths Do You Need? The short answer to how many burp cloths you will need is an endless amount because the spewing never ends! All jokes aside, around 30 is a good place to start because you don’t want to be doing endless loads of laundry just to get them clean. You can go through ten a day depending on your baby’s tummy.
Knowing all about burp cloths is a great start to this wonderful, and messy, journey you are about to embark on with your precious newborn.
But keep in mind that there’s more to burp cloths than just having a ton of them, you should know all about materials and styles that may better suit your needs. Burp cloths are a necessary part of parenthood in the early stages, especially if you want to stay dry.
What is Burp Cloth?
Obviously knowing exactly what a burp cloth is would be a great way to start. There are so many products necessary for having a baby that it can be easy to get lost in all the weird names and types and miss out on something integral. Don’t worry, that’s why you’re here reading this article; because you’re a good parent.
As a new parent, you might not realize that babies need to burp. It’s not that some babies may burp more than others; it’s that all babies burp. The only difference is the quantity and consistency of the spit up that comes along with those burps.
We’ve all seen the cute and hilarious viral videos of babies being held up and then projectile vomiting all over their parent or caretaker. It’s gross but loveable. Not so lovable when it’s your fancy dress or work shirt. That’s why burp cloths can be so handy.
Burping your baby during and after feedings is important because they often take in air while sucking their milk down, which can cause gas.
A buildup of gas in their tiny tummies can make them feel sick because they just don’t have the proper mechanism for processing yet. Burping your baby regularly through the feeding gets rid of that excess air and gas so that you aren’t putting the liquid on top of it.
If you forget to burp your baby, the volcano erupts. But the downside is, even burping your baby regularly can’t guarantee that you got all that air and gas out. Therefore, you still have to spit up spills and disaster zones.
Burp cloths are these magical little pieces of fabric designed to shield you from the baby spit up the onslaught. Often they are made of soft and absorbent materials so you can clean up baby easy and not worry about the spit up sliding down.
They are meant to both protect your clothing and keep your baby dry, so you don’t have to search out a wet wipe every time they spit up.
What Size Should Burp Cloths Be?
When it comes to the size of burp cloths, your preference does matter. They can be small squares the size of wet wipes to help clean up that inconvenient mess, or they can be long enough to hang off your shoulder to catch all of the little dribbles that may occur.
Men often enjoy using a burp cloth that covers their whole shoulder because they might burp their baby just that way over their shoulder, or try lifting their baby to play with them. The over the shoulder option gives them better protection against the mini geyser that may occur.
Moms are more used to getting covered in mess and generally enjoy the convenience of wipe sized clothes. They’re simple to handle and you just toss them into the laundry after one use, whereas dad might keep using the same one all day; to each their own.
There is no best size for burp cloths, just whatever works best for you and your family.
What Are Some of the Best Burp Cloths?
1. Gerber Baby 4-Pack Flannel Burp Cloth
Two-layered burp cloths are a prime material when it comes to those awful messes babies can create. That’s why Gerber offers these wonderful flannel burp cloths.
The material is thick enough to absorb the thick spit up, and the double stitched edges mean that even repeated washes shouldn’t wear them out and cause the cloths to fray.
These also come in plenty of cute designs to match whatever your baby is wearing.
2. PPOGOO Muslin Burp Cloths
These are the types that fathers enjoy best because they go right over the shoulder and can be used for frequent spills all day long. Men tend to be a bit lazier when it comes to baby, so they’d just rather keep this over their shoulder just in case.
Muslin is a great choice for a burp cloth because it is light, breathable, and stands up to the mighty washing machine. You won’t have to worry about finding more burp cloths when you use this one because it will hold up to do the job right all on its own.
3. KiddyStar 5-Pack Baby Burp Cloths
A personal favorite, these cloths can easily be folded up or spread out over a shoulder, easily fitting any preference of the baby caretaker. This is also a nice soft, absorbent material that won’t scratch at babies face.
They also roll up very easy so that you can store them in diaper bags or pockets without any large bulges or worry about them inconveniently taking up space for other important items.
How Long Do You Use Burp Cloths?
Many parents will keep using burp cloths well into toddlerhood because they are there and easy to use, and can save you money.
Instead of always using a wet wipe or paper towel to clean up a baby’s messy face, you can just whip out an old trusty burp cloth then toss it in the laundry. You will definitely save money over time.
A babies intestinal situation should mellow out somewhere between six to eight months, so they should stop spitting up so much by then. Once you introduce solid foods they are going to be more focused on eating their cheerios anyways. That can help settle any tummy pain and keep liquid down.
Plus, older babies are just able to handle any air that goes down better than newborns, and that’s a fact.
How Many Burp Clothes Do I Need?
Suggested above the perfect amount would be around 30 burp cloths so that you don’t become overrun with tiny colorful squares, but if your baby is especially messy you might want to upgrade by another 10 or 20.
Anything less than that amount of burp cloths and you will be struggling to find one right when you need it the most.
If you have an average sized house or apartment you will most likely want a stack of burp cloths in your room, the living room, and one other area in the house.
Some vigilant mothers like to have a small stack always at hand in their diaper bag as well. There should be enough burp cloths that you can spread them out and always have one at hand even when many are dirty.
Being prepared is the best feeling in parenthood, so you might want to ere on the side of caution and buy more than you think you will need. There’s no need to go crazy and buy a hundred though unless you know that you are likely to lose many and not do the laundry quick enough.
Factor in your own qualities when deciding on what number to purchase, because that can make a difference to how many burp cloths you will need as well.
Related Questions
Can I get by without investing in burp cloths?
Of course, you can get by without a number of items that are supposedly “required” for a baby, but these truly are a great investment. Dedicating specific clothes to wiping up your babies spills will just make life easier for you.
Wouldn’t a towel work just as well?
Towels are often too large, even face cloths, and may get wet quicker than burp cloths designed to wipe up thick baby spills. Feel free to utilize whatever you can though; it’s definitely not against any sort of rules.
What do I do if all my burp cloths are dirty?
Get more burp cloths! If you need to clean up an immediate spill and are out of burp cloths then you probably need to do laundry already. Pick up the baby’s swaddle, which is most likely nearby, and mop up the mess. Don’t stress, it’ll all be clean soon.
