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Cradle Score
Burp cloths

Gerber Prefold Gauze Cloth Diapers (as burp cloths)

About $15 for 10Checked Nov 1, 20262 sources

Our take

The parent hack that keeps coming up: plain six-layer cotton gauze prefolds are among the most absorbent, durable burp cloths tested, and they're cheap. They aren't cute, and they shrink a little.

6-layer cotton gauze17 x 13 inBest value in testing

Consider instead: Burt's Bees burp cloths if you want softer, prettier ones.

Before you buy

Do you need it?Must-have Spit-up is normal for months, and parents say you can never have too many. Plan on 10 or more.
Cost per monthAbout $2.5 a month over a typical 6 months of use. Our estimate; your use may be shorter or longer.
Cheaper optionHudson Baby Flannel Burp Cloths: About $10 for a set, scored 74 (Good).
Secondhand?Fine secondhand. Fine secondhand. Wash in hot water first.
TipPlain cotton prefold diapers make cheap, very absorbent burp cloths.

What parents and testers say

Recurring praise

  • Extremely absorbent
  • Durable
  • Cheap
  • Double as changing pads and cloth diapers

Recurring complaints

  • Plain looking
  • Shrink in the wash

Our summary of patterns across the reviews and threads linked below, not quotes.

Materials & safety check

2 of 2 checks clear.

FabricCotton gauze
RecallsNone found in CPSC burp cloth recalls since 2015

When to buy it

Registry

Ask for 10 or more

Before birth

Wash them once

First 6 months

Keep one in every room you feed in

Other burp cloths we scored

See all burp cloths →
82-4 pts

Burt's Bees Baby Organic Burp Cloths

About $27 for a set · Good

80-6 pts

aden + anais Burpy Bibs

About $25 for 2 · Good

78-8 pts

Copper Pearl Burp Cloths

About $22 for 2 · Good

Own this? Tell us how it's going

Reports from parents who've used a product for months are the hardest thing to find. Yours goes only to our team and helps keep this score honest. It isn't published.

How do you feel about it?

Common questions

Is the Gerber Prefold Gauze Cloth Diapers (as burp cloths) non-toxic?

There's no legal definition of "non-toxic" for baby products, so here's what we checked. Fabric: Cotton gauze. Recalls: None found in CPSC burp cloth recalls since 2015. It scores 84 out of 100 on materials and safety, and 86 overall.

Not sure what a label means? See baby product labels, explained.

Sources

  1. BabyGearLab: The Best Burp Cloths (May 2024)babygearlab.com
  2. CPSC recall database: "burp" recalls since 2015saferproducts.gov
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