Almost as harrowing as the struggle for more sleep is the search for the perfect bib. We’ve tried several with Zayden, one of which I reviewed here. Our extensive “research” has shown us that fabric bibs should be avoided most of the time because they stain easily and exponentially increase the amount of baby-related laundry. We do like the Kushies washable bib with sleeves, but found the sleeves were making Zayden too hot during the ever-warmer summer weather, so on a whim, I picked up a J. J. Cole bib because I liked the design and believe I may have found the perfect bib.
It’s washable and cleans up very well. The pocket is a generous size and catches 90% of the food that falls out of his mouth. But the snap closures are my favourite part. Zayden cannot remove this bib no matter how hard he tugs, and with three different settings, he’ll be able to wear it for quite a while before it becomes too tight. And did I mention, I think the design is super cute?
Purchased at Jack and Lola.
Jessica & I have talked a lot about bibs on Active Mama. I reviewed the Baby Bjorn Soft Bib, which works well but isn’t loved by Aiden, and Jessica reviewed the Mally Leather Bib, which cleans up well but doesn’t catch all spills.
In my pursuit for the perfect bib, I moved onto two from Kushies.
Dinner: green beans, mashed potatoes, broccoli, salmon, pears
First I tried the Cotton Terry Bib, thinking it would wipe up ok. Not really – just ended up being another cloth bib to wash each time. Next up was the one pictured above, the Waterproof bib. This is a very lightweight waterproof bib that scrunches up to a very small size, making it a great bib to cart around.
The bib has a catch-all pocket, which does its job well. The material, though wipeable, does need the occasional laundering. And, if you do rinse the bib vs just wiping it, you’ll find it may not be dry by the next mealtime. The edges, in particular, take a while to dry and tend to get caked with food.
So far, this is the best and easiest bib I’ve come across. It was also the cheapest and most widely available.
Purchased from Superstore
Zayden is less than thrilled with his first taste of beef, but seems to like his bib.
When we first started solids with Zayden, it quickly became apparent that we were going to go through a lot of fabric bibs everyday if we didn’t find an easy-to-clean alternative. So off we went to Jack and Lola in search of a new bib. We decided on the Mally leather bib, which just happens to be made by hand right here in Vancouver. Zayden really seems to like it as, for him, it doubles as a chew toy. I don’t know why, but he likes to chew on this bib, but not on his fabric ones. When he decides to chew on it while there is food in his mouth, it can get very messy though that’s not really the bib’s fault. Here are the results of our extensive “product-testing”:
Pros:
- Easy-to-clean/hard to stain: just wipe it with a damp cloth to clean it.
- Hard to lose: the magnetic closures mean that it can hang on the fridge between feedings.
- Very cute: it was hard to narrow it down to just one design (we ended up with the rocket ship).
- Reversible: cute design on one side, useful food-catching pocket on the back.
Cons:
- Not absorbent: during really messy meal sessions, the drips sometimes run right off it and into Z’s lap, dirtying his pants.
- Easy to remove: this is a pro for me most of the time, but not on the days with Z manages to pull it off himself.
- Wide neck: sure he won’t outgrow the bib too soon, but there is a pretty generous gap between bib and neck right now where food can easily get on his clothes.
- A little pricey.
Overall, my feelings towards the bib are somewhat ambivalent. It definitely saves on laundry on a good day, but on a messy day, it has some clear limitations.
One of the first bibs I purchased for Aiden’s eating was the BabyBjorn Soft Bib. I’d always thought it a great idea with a huge pocket to catch spills and easy-to-clean design.
In practicality, it does what it says it will. But Aiden hates it. Sometimes he’ll tolerate it, but he often scrunches his neck because he dislikes the feel of the bib. The large pocket also keeps him pushed back from the high chair tray, which annoys him considerably. If you tuck it under, sometimes it gets stuck.
Perhaps if you are feeding your child in a booster seat, or your child is large enough to have the entire bib above the table or tray (as their website shows), it would be ok. We will re-evaluate as Aiden grows larger.
