DIY: How to Make Baby Burp Cloths

When Mackenzie was teeny, we were blessed with an entire stack of receiving blankets. They were useful for do many things – swaddling, an extra layer of warmth, and cleaning up small spills.

Mackenzie was an excessive spitter-upper, though, and I realized quickly that I needed something a little more heavy duty. These simple, DIY burp cloths were perfect for the job.

Supplies Needed:

• Birdseye 6-ply cloth diaper (Such as Gerber’s Organic — don’t use anything nicer for this project), pre-washed
• Cotton flannel – pre-washed and ironed, cut to 14″ x 20″ rectangle
• Coordinating thread
• Scissors
• Point turner
• Sewing machine

First, center your cloth diaper on top of the flannel, with the right side of the flannel facing up. The cloth diaper isn’t a perfect rectangle and will stretch as you sew, so the idea is to give yourself enough room to be flexible.

Match up the two top right corners, leaving a margin of flannel at the top.

Holding the corner in place under the presser foot of your machine, let the presser foot down and smooth out the cloth diaper from right to left. You will need to do this often as you sew to keep it as smooth and straight as possible.

Sew all the way around the right edges, leaving a 1/4″ seam of cloth diaper, being sure to back stitch at the beginning and end. Leave a 2 1/2″ gap unsewn.

Trim any excess flannel from around the edges. Clip the corners. Then turn the burp cloth inside out. Use your pint turner to make clean corners.

 

Turn the fabric of the open gap in to make an even seam with the rest of that edge, and sew it closed.

With the white side of the burp cloth facing up, stitch in the ditch of the two pre-existing seams of the cloth diaper. This reinforces the burp cloth and makes it easy to fold.

You can embellish these in all kinds of adorable ways with ribbon, appliqué, and other notions. The options are as limitless as your imagination!

And there you have it — a simple, adorable, functional DIY baby burp cloth, perfect for your own little one or as a gift for a special mom-to-be.

If you would rather not sew your own, I have a limited selection of these available in my Etsy shop. I have several fabric options, as well as an organic cotton style that is perfect for babies and/or mamas with sensitive skin. Check them out!