The Best Burp Cloths for Everything from Spit-Ups to Drool
Trust us—you're going to want a burp cloth on hand 24/7 to help with baby's messes.
Burp cloths are the do-everything underdog product of the baby world. They aren’t big gear items and don’t fall into the category of absolute must-haves like diapers and wipes, but they are essential. From wiping up baby dribble to acting as a barrier between your outside clothes and fresh newborn skin, you’ll find yourself reaching for a burp cloth daily. Our best overall pick, Burt’s Bees Organic Burp Cloths, are wide enough to drape over your entire shoulder and super soft against your baby’s sensitive skin. We know that every family has different needs so we’ve added a few other options for you to choose from. Since burp cloths so versatile, you’ll likely be using one to two fresh burp cloths a day, so we suggest stocking up and creating a stash of at least six to ten.
Generally speaking, you’ll want to stock up on soft and absorbent burp cloths. Some brands use thicker cotton and double lining for more absorbency, while others are made from thinner, more flexible materials like muslin. The version you choose depends on your preference and budget.
Why Trust Babylist?
Babylist is the expert in baby; we know baby gear inside and out. We talk with parents face-to-face in our showroom and on our user panels and hear from thousands annually via our Best Baby Products online survey. We know what items millions of expecting parents are adding to their baby registries.
As Babylist’s commerce editor, I’ve researched and tested an array of baby products, from the small ones that make life easier like burp cloths and swaddles to the big gear items like car seats and playards. And as a mom to two kids with a decade between them, I’ve personally and professionally tracked the evolution of baby products, giving me a unique perspective. I used my years of professional and personal experience to curate this list, as well as weeding through feedback from thousands of parents through Babylist’s annual Best Baby Products survey of thousands of Babylist users.
Here are our favorite burp cloths that you can add to your registry or your cart.
Babylist’s Top Picks for the Best Burp Cloths
Best Overall: Burt's Bees Baby Organic Burp Cloth
Best Budget-Friendly Burp Cloths: Gerber Flannel Burp Cloth (8 Pack)
Best Double-Lined Burp Cloths: Copper Pearl Printed Burp Cloth Set
Best Organic Cotton Burp Cloths: Tiny Kind Burp Cloth 4 Pack
Best Double Duty Burp Cloths: Aden + Anais Organic Muslin Burpy Bibs (2 Pack)
Best Soft Burp Cloths: GREEN SPROUTS Muslin Burp Cloths (3 Pack)
Best Bulk Burp Cloths: Gerber Prefold Birdseye Cloth Diapers
Best Burp Cloths for Travel: Small Story Burp Cloths (4 Pack) - Neutral Bears
The Best Overall Burp Cloth
These no-frills trifold burp cloths are thick, easy to fold, and store nicely when not in use. Made with soft organic cotton, they soak up messes in a snap, and the flannel-like material gets softer with each wash. Aside from being great burp cloths, you can use them as a little pillow under your baby’s head during diaper changes or even as an extra cover to lay on top of your changing pad. This way, you can toss the cloth in the wash after a blowout while protecting the pad.
Best Budget-Friendly Burp Cloths
If you’re looking for quantity and quality, this bulk pack from Gerber has you covered (literally). They’re a great budget-friendly option for both at home and on the go. And since they’re made of flannel, they’re super soft, thick and absorbent. Don’t expect anything fancy with these burp cloths, though; the designs and rectangle shape are fairly basic, but they’ll last.
Best Double-Lined Burp Cloths
These double-lined burp cloths have a middle fleece layer, making them extra-thick and even more absorbent. The size and material make them great for throwing over your shoulder for a soft barrier between your clothes and your baby’s skin (and random spit-ups too). A few Babylist users named this brand of burp cloths as their favorite, with one parent noting that they’re “super soft” and absorbent. I used these burp cloths for my daughter, who was the reigning champ of spitting up post-feed, and I loved how thick they are (they feel like miniature blankets). Copper Pearl makes matching bandana bibs, which are just as absorbent and can be tossed in the wash (plus the burp cloth and bib coordination is irresistible).
Organic Cotton Burp Cloths
These burp cloths from Tiny Kind are made with 100 percent GOTS-certified organic cotton and have a polyfill in the middle layer, making them super efficient at cleaning up baby messes. They’re also a decent size, and we love the cute prints and colors available.
Best Double Duty Burp Cloth
Parents love baby textiles made of muslin because it’s soft, breathable and can hold up in the wash. Designed to be used as a burp cloth and a draped bib, these unique aden + anais burpy bibs are super soft, and have a no-slip feature to ensure they cover your baby’s front and back (because somehow, spaghetti sauce can cover both their front and their back). One Babylsit user said the bib-burp cloth design was an “absolute game changer in how we were able to manage the spit up.”
These are a bit pricier than a typical burp cloth, but they do double duty as a breathable bib. Just snap the sides together in the back, and voila: your baby’s shoulders, chest and arms are covered.
Softest Burp Cloths
Soft, thick and generously sized, these organic cotton muslin burp cloths from Green Sprouts feature four absorbent layers to keep messes in check. And since they’re a full inch larger on each side than most bigger-sized burp cloths, they’re truly all-purpose—from cleaning up spit-ups to becoming a makeshift changing pad when you’re in a pinch. Keep in mind: While these burp cloths are similar in shape to the aden + anais burpy bibs, they don’t transform into a bib.
Best Bulk Burp Cloths
We’re going to let you in on a parenting hack: you can use diaper prefolds as burp cloths and since they’re usually inexpensive for a large quantity, it’s a savings hack too. These eco-friendly liners are made out of 100 percent birdseye weave fabric, making them super absorbent. They come in a pack of 10, so you’ll almost never run out.
Best Burp Cloths for Travel
Dribbles, drool and spit-up happen at home and when you’re on the go. These soft, slim-cut burp cloths are the perfect size to keep in your car, diaper bag or even just in your pocket. Despite being on the more narrow side, the organic cotton is just as absorbent and they are just wide enough to slip over your shoulder.
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 position 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 or register for closer to two dozen. Either way, don’t be surprised if you find yourself going through three or more burp cloths a day. In fact, when we surveyed Babylist users, many of them said that they went through burp dozens of burp cloths regularly. “We easily have 50 of them and I want more. We go through them so fast and it’s helpful to have tons so you’re not doing many loads of laundry a day,” one user said. So the actual amount will depend on your lifestyle and how many times you’re willing to start a load of laundry.
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. One of our surveyed users said they “need one about every few feet in my house” to ensure they’re never faced with a baby mess sans burp cloth.
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.