In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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We tested burp cloths from Burt's Bees, Aden + Anais, Copper Pearl, and others to find the best
Our round-up of the top 9 burp cloths is sure to simplify your decision-making process.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
By Abriah Wofford ⋅ Senior Research Analyst ⋅ May 30, 2024
The Best Burp Cloths for 2024
Need a burp cloth to catch your baby's messes? We've got you covered. Our review ranks this year's top 9 options. We researched the market before purchasing the most promising contenders for hands-on testing to determine the best. We think a top-notch burp cloth should be soft enough for infants' delicate skin and absorbent enough to contain big messes, like milk dribbles and spit-up. So, while comparing and evaluating performance among the group, we focused on coverage and durability to recommend the best. Our review will help guide you to the perfect burp cloth for your needs and budget.
The Burt's Bees Baby Burp Cloth feels like a perfectly worn-in t-shirt but softer, thicker, and super absorbent. They are excellent for keeping stashed around the house because they are handy almost everywhere. Although comprised of only two layers, the thick and heavy organic cotton jersey is highly absorbent and excellent at catching spills or spit-up. We love the plush feel, and the supple fabric is the perfect weight and texture. The stitching feels durable, and these burp cloths wash well with minimal shrinkage even after repeated washes. We also appreciate the organic material, making them ideal for eco-minded parents.
The Burt's Bees had poor absorption during our initial testing. However, this issue quickly faded after a few cycles through the wash. If you want full absorbency immediately, we recommend laundering them with baby detergent two to three times before use. We also wish these rectangles were slightly longer. As is, Burt's Bees makes the narrowest options we tested, and more coverage is good just in case. These minimal drawbacks are not dealbreakers; we love using these burp cloths and think you will, too. If you're shopping for larger burp cloths that are still soft to the touch, check out the Hudson Baby Flannel Burp Cloth.
Having the right burp cloth on hand can help you avoid multiple wardrobe changes and help keep baby tidy.
Copper Pearl isn't an eye-catching burp cloth, but we fell in love compared to the competition. This basic 3-layer cloth is thinner than average, but the fabric offers bulletproof protection. A core fleece layer absorbs and wicks away liquids, while the outer material is a soft cotton jersey knit that is smooth to the touch. The extra-long shape of this cloth comfortably fits your shoulder without slipping and provides extra coverage down your back without creating bunched fabric.
Unfortunately, the different fabric types tend to shrink unevenly, and the material can look rumpled and disheveled early on. The absorbency is also average, meaning it will take a few seconds longer to soak up spit-up and may miss some when cleaning. However, the cotton generally becomes more absorbent over time, so this problem might self-correct the more you use the cloths. Despite these downsides, we love the Copper Pearl cloths and think parents will like the cute patterns and excellent performance. Another absorbent option to consider is the Gerber Prefold Gauze Diaper. Although the Prefolds shrink, they absorb instantly.
We feel that the Copper Pearl burp cloth offers the Goldilox of coverage; not too big and not too small. Just right.
The Gerber Prefold Gauze Diaper is an excellent multipurpose product. In addition to being a top-ranked cloth diaper, parents can use it as a burp cloth, a cleaning rag, and more. The multilayered cotton utilizes a gauze fabric similar to muslin but with a slightly coarser (but still soft) weave. Though the Burt's Bees Baby Burp Cloth is softer. We find this gives an extra level of absorbency and excellent durability. Despite the coarseness of the weave, the material retains its softness and gets cushier after each wash. It is one of the heftiest products in our review, piling on six layers of fabric. We found that liquid is absorbed almost instantly into the material, and very little soaks through to the other side.
Gerber Prefolds have the most significant amount of shrinkage compared to other options in our review, losing nearly 3 inches of length after the first wash. The overall size is slightly smaller than average, so it does not offer as much coverage as you may expect. While these burp cloths are handy and functional, you don't get the same cuteness factor from the plain white fabric. It is, first and foremost, a cloth diaper, and that is how it looks. But if aesthetics are not your priority, and you are a fan of multitasking products, this may be the best choice for you.
Although slightly shorter than many burp cloths, the Gerber Prefold Gauze Diaper makes up for it in width.
While we do not have a hard time considering different ways to use our burping cloths, the Aden + Anais Burpy Bib is the only product in this review with an intentional dual-purpose construction. The cotton muslin cloth has a contoured shape that perfectly fits a parent's shoulder and has a hidden snap that allows it to turn into a favorite baby bib for older babies and toddlers. The high quality of the materials and the simple addition of a snap closure ensure that the Burpy Bib will be a long-lasting product well worth the initial investment. The Aden + Anais is longer than most competitors and offers decent coverage on both front and back without bunching fabric around the neck. There are four layers of muslin, but the fabric's weave is much tighter than other options, making these feel thicker and more absorbent overall. After a few washes, the absorbency time is one of the best in the group we tested, as is typical of muslin. The fabric quickly distributes liquid, so you aren't left with a single sopping wet spot on your rag.
You may be amazed by the large size when you first get these. However, muslin is notorious for shrinking, so plan to have a cloth about an inch smaller each direction. We recommend prepping the fabric by running it through 2-3 wash cycles to reach full absorbency potential before using it. The price is a key consideration for the Burpy Bib. It is one of the most expensive options in our review, but we think this cloth's high-quality construction and multipurpose ability make it worthwhile. We recommend the Aden + Anais Burpy Bib if you like the classic muslin feel and value one-and-done products that will be useful for many years. But if you are a parent shopping on a budget, the absorbent Gerber Prefold Gauze Diaper may be a better pick.
The Aden + Anais Burpy Bib has extra length that offers a lot of protection down the front and back.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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The fabric of the Burt's Bees burp cloths drapes easily over the shoulder and stays put.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
How We Test Burp Cloths
Before testing burp cloths, we researched the internet for the best and most popular options available. We selected options based on the materials and the absorption reported by users. We tested each cloth for absorbency, coverage, softness, and durability to determine rank and award winners. We had help from a new mom and her 6-week-old infant, who was key to our burp cloth testing process. He helped us explore each cloth's performance in real-world situations and messes.
We researched and closely examined the pros and cons of the different fabrics commonly used for burp cloths.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Why Trust GearLab
Senior Review Editor Abriah Wofford leads this review of the best burpees. With 7+ years of professional childcare experience and many more years as the oldest child in a family of 6 kids, she uses her baby knowledge to inform testing processes and product selection. Abriah has been a part of the BabyGearLab team since 2015, and during that time, she has extensively tested and analyzed hundreds of baby products.
Our research was supplemented by real-life use with 6-week-old Noah.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Analysis and Test Results
We tested four main performance metrics: absorbency, coverage, softness, and durability. Examining these factors helped us select the best products for burping babies.
What's the Best Value?
Burp cloths come in handy all the time so you can never be too well-stocked, and because you will be using and laundering your burp cloths frequently, durability is the key to making your purchase worthwhile. Our favorite affordable burp cloth is the Gerber Prefold Gauze Diaper; the sturdy woven fabric is super durable and has outlasted many other options in our homes. The low price and high durability make them an excellent choice for anyone on a strict budget. If you have a bit more to spend, Burt's Bees cloths are cute, durable, and fall in the midrange in terms of price; plus, they are soft organic cotton.
The Copper Pearl was able to absorb and retain a very large amount of liquid.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Absorbency
While burping cloths can be fantastic for multiple uses, their primary purpose is to catch and absorb spit-up and keep it from reaching your clothing. Therefore, the ability of the burp cloths to absorb liquid is one of our key metrics. The material type and the number of layers of each product contribute to the overall absorbency level.
One of our favorites for absorbency is the Copper Pearl. Its fleece inner core makes it one of the most absorbent options in our review. Built for absorbency, the Gerber Prefold is also a top performer, letting hardly any liquid through the numerous layers of gauze weave fabric.
The Hudson Baby Flannel burp cloths have extra layers of fabric sewn into the center panel.
The multiple layers of fabric in the Gerber Prefold Gauze Diaper provide enough fabric to absorb multiple spit-up incidents.
Some burp cloths are large enough to fold multiple times if you need extra absorbency. Although the Milkbarn Organic earned one of the lowest absorbency scores, it can be folded and manipulated to suit your needs. Others have built-in folds with numerous layers of fabric sewn together in the center, like the Burt's Bees and Hudson Baby Flannel Burp Cloth. This type of construction provides more absorbency where you need it most while reducing bulk around the edges. Due to the loose fabric weave, the least absorbent product we used is the Comfy Cubs Muslin Burp Cloth.
The fabric of the Burt's Bees is some of the softest in the group.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Softness
Burp cloths will touch your baby's skin multiple times a day. Cozy soft fabric can help prevent irritation or rashes.
While all the products we tested are more comfortable than the average dish towel, we love the organic cotton and smooth jersey knit of the Burt's Bees. The fuzzy soft flannel of the Hudson Baby received an eight and is another favorite. Both burp cloths are gentle enough for comfortably resting a baby's face while burping.
We love the soft and cozy feel of the flannel fabric of the Hudson Baby cloth.
The soft and fluffy muslin of the Aden + Anais is one of our favorite fabrics.
The Aden + Anais earned a fairly high score here as the coziest muslin option in our test, getting softer and fluffier with each wash. The muslin on this cloth has a much tighter weave than others, providing a smoother surface and higher absorbency to boot. The least soft option is the Gerber Flannel Burp Cloth, which has a rough flannel material that borders on abrasive.
The Milkbarn Organic burp cloth offers the most surface area of any cloth in our review.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Coverage
The coverage type you want from your burp cloth is a personal preference. Some feel that the more coverage, the better, as you never know how bad a mess can get. However, some parents don't like excess fabric and prefer only to have what they need to do the job.
We discovered that burp cloths with a contoured shape offer more coverage in the right areas and less bunching and folding for a happy medium. When placed over your shoulder, options like the Aden + Anais Burpy Bib provide more fabric for chest and back areas without excess crowding your neck. The Burpy Bib earned a fairly high score for coverage.
The Aden + Anais Burpy Bib is thinner in the middle and wider at the edges. The slightly curved shape provides coverage where you need it.
The Gerber Flannel cloth is very wide but very stiff, so the fabric sticks out off your shoulder in an awkward way.
The Milkbarn Organic is the largest contender on our list. However, it is only a single layer of thin muslin, so you'll need to fold it if you want something thick enough to prevent leaks. Folding decreases the size significantly but may increase versatility, allowing you to double up certain areas of the cloth to offer the best coverage for you. For this reason, it earned one of the highest scores for coverage. The Burt's Bees Baby Burp Cloth is the smallest option in our review and provides the least amount of coverage.
The Gerber Flannel Burp Cloth has the most durable feeling fabric of the bunch, however, it is also quite rough.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Durability
How much use do you like to get out of your baby products? If you are looking for a multipurpose workhorse that you can use through multiple children and various tasks, there's a cloth for that. If you prefer something more delicate, you may sacrifice some durability, but that doesn't mean you can't still get a lot of use out of your burp cloth.
The Gerber Flannel, in particular, uses heavy-duty fabric, has tight stitching around the edges, and is generic enough to fit into many home areas. Thanks to its nearly indestructible build, it earned top marks in this metric. We also love the Aden + Anais Burpy Bib for its multitasking abilities and sturdy materials. The small snap closure allows it to become a drool or mealtime bib after the baby has outgrown the burping stage. The high-quality muslin does not wear thin over time, making it an excellent choice for those who want to reuse baby items through multiple children. The Burt's Bees Baby Burp Cloth is a basic cloth that washes well and is sturdy enough to last through multiple children, although it may show signs of past stains. It earned an 8 for durability.
Although similar in looks to other muslin options, we don't expect the Comfy Cubs Muslin Burp Cloth to last quite as long.
One of the best multitaskers of the group, the Gerber Prefold Gauze Diaper is also one of the best budget options.
Some options are slightly lower quality and may not last as long. The Comfy Cubs Muslin Burp Cloth is one such product for durability. Lower durability is probably acceptable for those looking for only a burp cloth, as any product in this review will likely last long enough to meet this need. However, if your budget is tighter and you need a cloth built to last, the Gerber Prefold earned an 8 of 10 for being one of the most durable and affordable options we tested, which means you don't have to compromise.
A burp cloth is a baby item that many consider absolutely essential for the first 6 months, and maybe even longer.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Conclusion
While any towel can work in a pinch for a spit-up-prone baby, we discovered that an excellent burp cloth works much better if you have the right one for the job. Considering how often you're feeding your baby, we think having a good stash of burp cloths on hand is a good idea. Mixing and matching burb cloth styles, you can find a solution that best suits your needs and lifestyle. Let our review with insider details help guide your search.
