Fingertip Towel Burp Cloths

If you were to open up a baby’s head – and I am not for a moment suggesting that you should – you would find nothing but an enormous drool gland. Dave Barry

Ferguson babies spit up and drool. A lot. Both of my children were so inclined and my grandbabies have continued the family tradition. Consequently,  I like to be prepared with about 3 dozen burp cloths when a new baby arrives. Neither my daughter-in-law nor my daughter feels that this number is excessive.

Long before my first grandchild was born, Callie, a young mother, told me that she and her friends agreed that a baby can never have too many bibs, booties or burp cloths. I’ve taken that to heart and often include a stack of burps with baby gifts.

There are many styles and patterns for these necessary items, but I prefer to begin with a fingertip towel. They launder beautifully and are quick and easy to make, requiring nothing more than a little embroidery and trim along the bottom. Of course, the embellishment is not for the amusement of the new arrival, but rather an effort to put a smile on the face of the weary clean-up crew.

A plain fingertip towel will clean up drool just as well as one decorated with embroidery and rick rack. But it is such a pleasure to use some of the darling designs available and fun to find designs that have some significance for the parents.   So I never send them plain and often, when I am between projects, stitch up a few to have on hand.

In years past, fingertip towels were available at discount stores in packages of 4 or 6, at a very reasonable price.  I haven’t seen any lately, but they have come and gone at least 4 times with as much as a year or two between availability.  Even though I have a plentiful supply, I check the household aisle every time I am in WalMart.  Recently, I found a large quantity at a linen outlet store.

Long after the need for burp cloths has passed, these useful little towels have a new life in the beach bag, a picnic basket, in the car for fast-food wipe ups and even, at the end of their usefulness, as scrub cloths or rags.

Callie was absolutely right. You can’t have too many burp cloths.