Baby Burp Cloths:
Your First Defense Against Frumpiness

{Photo by feverblue}

Are your baby burp cloths locked and loaded? Are you prepared for the battle between goobers and glamour?

Picture This...

Your precious infant is cooing happily on your shoulder, flirting with your visitors and playing with your hair.

You pat your infant on the back gently, thrilled to be dressed in something other than sweats...to be outside the house...talking in full sentences again. You calmly drink in the oohing and aahing going all around you. After all, you do have the most perfect baby ever birthed.

...What's that?

...Do I hear the rumblings of stomach discontent?

A burp escapes your baby and everyone laughs - until you feel the warm sensation of something slowly sliding down your shoulder and dripping onto the floor!

And it's a mad-dash to grab ANYTHING for damage control. Your beautiful blouse has an automatic ticket to the cleaners.

This could have been avoided with an properly armed arsenal of baby burp cloths. Do you have an emergency stash of burping cloths on hand? Or are you hoping no one will notice the apple-sized yellowish discoloration on your shoulder?

Baby burp clothes are sections of cloth that you place under a baby's mouth. It's to protect your clothing from the onslaught of slobber and milk that may accompany the burp.

If you don't help her get that burp out, you will have either a very fussy baby on your hands, or an unexpected explosion of partially digested milk in a few minutes. Develop the knack for getting that burp!

Heather's Recipe for
Stunningly Clean Burp Pads

+ wash on regular cycle

Brand-spanking-new burp pads!

This even works on stains that are years old.

Burp Rags - Shopping Smart

There are thousands of infant burp pads available for you to purchase. It's really amazing how expensive a burp rag can become! However pretty they may be, never substitute prettiness for practicality. (Fortunately, there are burp rags out there that give you both prettiness and practicality - you just need to know where to find them.)

Here are some shopping rules for purchasing burp pads:

The infant burp pad should be large enough to cover the majority of your shoulder.
It should never be so expensive that you feel bad if your infant throws up on it.
It should always be machine washable.

There are plenty of burp cloths out there that are utterly useless. It seems that any piece of leftover-scrap can be trimmed and sold as a baby burp cloths these days.

My first set of baby burp cloths was purchased at Target, after I opened the package I realized they were only a little larger than my hand! To add insult to injury, after one tiny spit up they were completely soaked through. They ended up as wash cloths. Money wasted.

Best Buys for Pretty and Practical
Infant Burp Rags

Since I struck out at Target, I turned to the Internet to give me functional, yet fashionable burp cloths to carry and use. I was amazed to discover designer burp cloths that were not only affordable, they were actually worth the money spent (which really isn't that much!).

JJ Cole Burp Pad Design

The Best Baby Burp Cloths: In Size

If your baby is a few months old and is over 15 lbs, choose a burp rag that covers a larger portion of your shoulder. Murphy's Law dictates that if you use a small burp cloth, your infant will find the ONE spot not covered and spray all his lunch in that one spot.

There are several companies that make large and attractive burp pads. Here's a list of my personal favorites:

Surprisingly, Threadsmith offers customized burp cloths that cover your whole shoulder and a large section of your back. Check out their templates and choose your own clever phrase or baby's name to personalize.
If you're looking for eco-friendly products for your baby, these large burp pads by BabySoy are a great purchase.
JJ Cole's innovative burp pad design covers your entire shoulder and curves around your neck. They come in trendy designs and colors.

Super-Absorbant
Land Of Nod Burp Rags

Best Baby Burp Cloths: In Absorbancy

For those babies that seem particularly prone to spitting up, these burp rags have an extra layer of absorbency. They not be as wide as the pads above, but they pack a powerful punch of protection for the vigorous vomitor.

These burp pads sold at The Land of Nod are so thick they could double as a changing pad (think of the space you'll save in the diaper bag!).
These beautifully-crafted burp pads by Swaddle Designs are hardy enough to handle even the most serious of spitters.

Best Baby Burp Cloths: Monogrammed

If you would like to have your burp cloths monogrammed, here are some places that do great work.

Personalize these absorbent 100% cotton pads with polka dot accents at Go To Baby
Add your own logo or phrase to a variety of large burp cloths (including camouflage) at Threadsmith.

Yes, I have worn the spit-up "mother stain" in public before. Although it silently and proudly screams MOTHER! to all who pass, I prefer people learned that from the precious face in my lap and not the stain on my shoulder.

She will go all day without spitting up and then the moment I don't have a burp cloth around, she will spit up all over. Heed Murphy's Law and stay well stocked!