by Delia Elbaum
A burp cloth is a functional absorbent piece of materialused to keep all those yucky fluids caused by leftover milk and other spit-ups off you and your baby, which is a must-have! It is a baby essential that is important as they do not only take up the brunt of spit milk, but you can also use them to wipe milk dribbles, sneezes, or whatever comes your way.
When purchasing baby burps, you should consider one that is soft enough for babies' delicate skin, absorbent, and wide enough to ensure it provides the needed shield.
Intended Use Of A Burp Cloth
A burp cloth is mainly intended to absorb babies' spit after meals. It is also used for absorbing burps, vomit, drool, and fluids which happens a lot with little ones. It's an essential baby cloth used to clean up our little ones.
How do you use your burp cloth?
You can spread the burp cloth on your shoulder before lifting your baby for burping after feeding so that it absorbs the spit ups. Place the burp cloth in such a way that it covers your complete shoulder horizontally and runs in the front and back of your shoulder vertically.
Babies swallow air while breastfeeding/drinking and find it challenging to get rid of the gas(which causes crankiness due to all the discomfort it comes with). Therefore it can get wet and sticky; therefore, a burp cloth is needed for cleanliness.
How Many Burp Clothes Should I Have?
If you are wondering, 'how many burp cloths do I need?' It depends on how often your young one spits up, the number of feedings(which are unnumbered as they are still breastfeeding), and how often you want to do the laundry. But anywhere between eight to 14 burp cloths is a good number to have for a single baby.
However, if you have more babies, the number increases proportionately as each baby gets a fresh cloth each burp session. You will need to feed your babies (if they are twins)approximately eight times each in the first couple of months. Therefore 20-30 burp cloths are sufficient.
The beauty of burp cloths is their versatility. Apart from being used to protect your fabric during a burp sesh, they are also great to have on hand when using a public restroom changing station. They can also double up as:
- Thin summer blankets
- Wiping and cleaning rugs
- Emergency bibs
- Handle runny nose
- Moisten and use as a wet wipe
- Wipe clean your baby's face, hands, and other parts of the body quickly
- Playing games like peekaboo
When your little puke machine is on the drive mode, you might be surprised by how much mess can come out of a tiny person. This protective wear for you and your little one needs to be regularly cleaned and washed after every feed for good hygiene purposes; thus, a fair amount will do it.
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How Do I Care For Burp Clothes?
You need to wash your burp clothes after every meal. It is beneficial; to keep the clothes in good circulation; therefore, they must be clean for your baby's health and safety. If you want to remove the stains(from breastmilk and formula), use a gentle stain fighter on the dirty area and rub the material back and forth to coax the stain out. Once the discoloration loosens a bit, let it sit for a few minutes.
On a delicate cycle, fill your washer with warm water and use baby-safe detergents as the cloth comes into contact with your toddler's face. Once the process is over, you can hang out the baby cloth to dry or pop them in the drier. However, ensure the heat on the machine is on a low setting to prevent the baby cloth from shrinking.
What Fabric Is The Best For Burp Clothes?
You can use various clothes to burp your child, and cotton comes at the top of the list due to how absorbent, breathable and soft it is, making it perfect for your tot. Even though cotton is the best, you need to know that under cotton, there are a couple of varieties options in the cotton family that you need to know to choose wisely. These include;
- Flannel: This type of cotton is quite absorbent but a little stiff.
- Muslin: This type of fabric consists of loosely woven layers. Due to the layering, it tends to be good at absorbing and is incredibly soft. It is suitable for wiping the baby's sensitive skin.
- Plain cotton: It is good to use plain cotton, but you will need to layer it to avoid the liquids going straight through the cotton and messing with your tot's clothes.
- Organic cotton: Organic cotton is the best choice for parents who want peace of mind knowing that no pesticides and other harmful chemicals were used in planting the crops. You will also stay confident knowing that no toxic chemicals are rubbing against your little one's skin.
Apart from the above, you should also know that other fabrics like fleece and jersey are used to make burp cloths. Whatever you choose to purchase, ensure that it's a cloth that can withstand frequent wash and hot water as it will be going through a lot as you raise your bundle of joy.
Choose an all-year soft organic cotton cloth with a terry cloth layer for absorbency to cap it all in.
Conclusion
Every parent desires to make their little ones comfortable and happy. For this, we choose the best for our babies so that they can be as comfy as possible. Please do not overlook spitting burp and clean it with any other regular cloth, as your baby's skin is very soft and sensitive.
This is why you need burp cloths. They are an essential part of your baby's feeding routine that will help keep both the baby and yourself clean, help you maintain a standard of hygiene, and reduce the laundry. Which you do not have the time for right now.
