What is the point of baby washcloths?

[audreywindsor]

I am just wondering. I see them all over the place, and wonder why particular washcloths would be needed for a baby. Are they softer than regular washcloths? Are they smaller? If so, what is the advantage of smaller washcloths?

Or, do people buy them because babies need a lot of washing and the washcloths they have are not sufficient?

I'm really perplexed and would love to hear your responses!

[amp]

We have baby washcloths and I am glad that we did. We don't always use them for bathing, but do sometimes. They are smaller, and in my opinion, thinner and slightly softer than our grown up washcloths. It makes it easier for me to wipe his face and the folds in his skins when I use it. Outside of the bath we've used them a lot too. In the early days, we used them throughout the day as spitup cloths, before we moved onto the larger cloth diapers as spitup cloths (which is what we use now). Now we use the washcloths to wipe his face and hands after eating solids, etc. You wouldn't really need a separate set of washcloths for this, but since we have them, we like to use them.

[houseof3boys]

They are much softer than regular washcloths. We used to use them for the bath but I find it easier now to bathe him without them. We used them when he had a flaky cradle cap scalp since they were so much softer and gentle than our regular ones. We also use them as wipe burp cloths everyday or to wipe his hands that are constantly in his mouth now!

[infomama]

Softer, smaller, more managable and IMO much better than full size washcloths for babies. We use them ALL the time from baths to diaper changes (we dont use wipes at home, just a wet and warm "baby" washcloth). I got three packs at my shower and returned two..wish I would have kept at least on more pack. A must have!

[s7714]

Ditto to pretty much everything already stated, but especially to using them as spit up rags!

I prefer them for bathing as well, because they are smaller and easier to handle. Lately each bath has been requiring two washclothes...one to actually wash DD and a separate one for her to play with and chew on so she won't steal the one I'm using! :)

Jennifer

Annalia 03/03/03

[alexsmommy]

I was just telling a pregnant friend not to return the tons of washcloths she will receive. I received so many I thought it was ridiculous, but thankfully I was too lazy/busy to return them. I actually use them more as DS gets older. I keep some downstairs for quick wipes of his hands and the rest get used every evening as part of his bedtime routine. I don't bathe him every night, but I do wash under his chin (where all that Apple Juice and dribbled food goes), his face, and a quick swipe of his arms and legs. Of course, they get used in the bath as well. We go through 7-12 a week.
Alaina - Mom to Alex 2-4-03 (born at 32 weeks)

[nitaghei]

What everyone else said. I still use them for baths - they are much more manageable than adult sized washcloths; and for cleaning up after meals. They're also nice to tuck into a diaper bag for quick clean ups on the go. I use cheap baby washcloths as cloth wipes (we cloth diaper part time) to augment my stash.

At this time, we probably have about 4 dozen, and use them all. But then, I do laundry once a week.

HTH

Nita
mom to Neel 01/05/03
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[esianoyam3]

The fact that they're so soft and small make them really nice for washing a baby's face... Especially when you're trying to get goopy stuff out of their eyes.

[jmofarrill]

I use them mainly for spit-up rags, nose-wipes, and face cleaners! At the start, I had about 35 washcloths, and I had to do laundry every three days b/c I was using them so much. They were great!