Choosing fabrics to use for burp cloths isn’t as hard as you might think. To make your burp cloths, you just need to know which fabrics to use for your baby’s comfort and your clothes’ protection. Post-meal time spent with your baby should be bonding time, not time spent changing everyone’s clothing.
Today’s blog is all about the best fabrics to use for burp cloths. We’ll break it down by fabric type and why each fabric is a good choice. Making your own burp cloths has never been easier, whether you’re a small business or a parent.
What Is A Burp Cloth?
First-time, soon-to-be parents who are still learning about everything they’ll need for their baby’s arrival might not know exactly what a burp cloth is for.
A burp cloth is a piece of fabric used as a barrier between your baby’s spit-up and your clothing. The burp cloth is placed between your baby’s mouth and your shoulder when you burp them to aid their digestion. The idea is for the spit-up to land on the burp cloth instead of your clothes. It’s not a foolproof method, but it’s the best we’ve come up with yet.
But you don’t want to just grab a random piece of cloth. Granted, that’s better protection than using nothing, but spit-up can be messy and seep through some materials. That’s why you’ll want to be careful about what fabrics you use to ensure the burp cloth can live up to its purpose.
What to Look For
Material
You’ll first want to consider what materials you should use for your burp cloths. You want a superior quality fabric that can withstand the worst your baby’s got. You’ll want to choose a super-absorbent fabric that can absorb moisture, blocking it from reaching your clothes.
Above all, you’ll want a chemical-free, food-safe fabric that’s safe for babies, especially since the fabric will be in direct contact with the baby’s mouth and face.
Size
As cute as a tiny burp cloth might be – and might work for preemies – you’ll want a larger burp cloth that completely covers your shoulder, upper arm, and the side of the front of your shirt.
If your burp cloth isn’t large enough, it will only catch some of your baby’s spit-up. You’ll likely still end up with a mess on your shirt, which is what we’re trying to avoid! Let the projectile vomit and the burp cloth become besties. The right size of burp cloth will do the job of keeping your shirt clean.
Absorbency
Absorbency is the #1 thing you’ll want to look for in your fabric. Other qualities are good, but absorbency reigns supreme. You’ll want a burp cloth with multiple layers, too, in order to increase that absorbency.
Food Safe
You’ll want the top layer of your bib to have a food-safe fabric. This means that the fabric is safe to eat off of and doesn’t contain chemicals that could rub off onto your baby’s food, making them sick.
Durability
You’ll want to buy burp cloths that can hold up through hundreds of washings. Unless your baby doesn’t spit up, you’ll want to wash each burp cloth after using it once. That’s a lot of wear and tear that weaker fabrics won’t be able to withstand.
How Many Layers Should A Burp Cloth Have?
The sturdiest burp cloths have three layers, but two should also suffice. Having a top and bottom layer is what’s most important since only having one layer would likely allow some spit-up to leak through.
The top layer is the soft, comfy fabric that will be in direct contact with the baby. A food-safe fabric option will be preferred here.
The inner core layer should be the absorbent layer that does the job of absorbing and holding. The bottom layer needs to be waterproof. This layer is responsible for keeping food off of your baby’s clothes.
Do you want a practically invincible burp cloth? Try a burp cloth with a polyurethane film lining in between the layers. Our CORE PUL fabric is a perfect choice. Nothing will get through!
Best Fabrics to Use For Burp Cloths
Top FoodSAFE Layer
We recommend using a FoodSAFE Organic fabric for the top layer. The soft, silky feeling is perfect for your baby’s skin. Not only that, but it’s safe with food, so your baby can eat right off it!
Our FoodSAFE fabrics meet the criteria established by Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations for food safety. Our most popular options include our Cotton Interlock, Cotton Jersey LITE, and Bamboo Jersey, with nylon and polyester options in development.
Inner Absorbent Layer
We recommend using Zorb for the inner, absorbent layer. Our Zorb fabrics are designed for super-absorbency and don’t need to be washed before use. They can absorb a ton of liquid and moisture, making them ideal for baby bibs. Top choices include our Zorb 3D Stay Dry Dimple, Zorb 3D Bamboo Dimple, and Zorb 3D Organic Cotton Dimple fabrics.
Bottom Waterproof Layer
We recommend using ProSoft PUL as the bottom, waterproof layer. Our ProSoft PUL fabrics are waterproof and come in food-safe options to keep your baby safe and dry as they chow down.
They’re soft, breathable, flexible, and durable. You can wash ProSoft PUL over 300 times before it wears out! We recommend ProSoft 1 mil ECO-PUL, ProSoft 2 mil ECO-PUL, and ProSoft Cotton ECO-PUL.
All-In-One Absorbent and Waterproof Layer
Our most recent innovation features our Zorb 4D CORE PUL Fabrics, which combine the absorbency of Zorb with the waterproof, leakproof protection of ProSoft PUL. Popular choices include Zorb 4D Stay Dry Dimple CORE PUL and Zorb 4D Organic Cotton Dimple CORE PUL.
How Many Burp Cloths Do I Need?
We recommend having at least a dozen burp cloths on hand around your house so you have enough for the day and a couple to spare. You never know how your baby’s food will go down, and you don’t want to burp them while all their burp cloths go through a wash cycle.
Ideally, you want three to five burp cloths on hand for each day of the week.
Choose Wazoodle Fabrics For Your Burp Cloths
Are you looking for the best fabrics to use for burp cloths? Look no further. Wazoodle Fabrics has everything you need to create high-quality burp cloths that can make it through many wash cycles before wearing out. Burp cloths made of Wazoodle Fabrics will keep your baby comfortable and your clothes clean.
Our Zorb Generation fabrics have the super-absorbency you need and feature SILVADUR Antimicrobial, which prevents bacteria, fungi, and algae from growing. We also have ProCare and ProECO fabrics with burp cloth qualities.
Not sure which fabric is right for your burp cloths? Check out our Fabric Finder page for burp cloth materials, or reach out to us! We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have and help you pick the right fabric. You’ll have the perfect burp cloths for your baby in no time.
Sources:
Very Well Family
