Average cost: $18.95/each
Official URL: http://www.madebyoots.com
Rating:

I had given up on bibs. My toddler will not allow anyone to feed him and insists on feeding himself.  Most bibs, even if they kept the area just below my son’s chin clean, that still left his arms, his legs, his bottom, his hair, his face, his sleeves, etc.

Having given up on bibs, I had taken to feeding him naked in his high chair with just his diaper on, and then tossing him into the tub after for a hose-down. A practice that isn’t too practical while out and about, and which still left the high chair and straps coated in whatever it was my son was supposed to be eating.

The bbib (pronounced “buh-bib”) doesn’t cover his face, hair, or hands but it does an amazing job of keeping most other areas perfectly clean. The bbib’s textured terry material catches food that tends to roll off of other bibs (eggs, yogurt, etc.) and keeps the seat cleaner than it would otherwise be. AND since the bbib fits on over the straps, it keeps these clean as well.

AESTHETIC

The bbib comes in a variety designs and colors. The “Boy” design comes in blue or white terry, the “Girl” design comes in pink or white terry, the “Melon” design comes in purple or white terry, and the “Flying Egg” design comes in yellow or white terry. Each of the styles has a funky feeling to it that is fun and stylish at the same time. Depending on the style and color your design may be printed onto the bib (It looks like silk-screening and is a high quality print), or it may be embroidered.

SIZING

The bbib comes in sizes for 6 months “Just Small”, 12 months “Already Medium” and 24 months “Getting Big”. The bbib is held closed with three snaps at the back of the neck which allows it to grow with your child, and which allows you to get a good stretch of use out of each size before needing the next one up.  The sleeves are loose enough to fit a chunkier baby with  a thin to medium-weight sweater underneath. At the same time they’re not large enough to become unwieldy. The sizing coincides correctly with the sizing of most clothing, with the 24mo size working for a child that wears predominantly 24 month clothing and size 2T.

MATERIAL & CONSTRUCTION

The bbib is made of terry cloth that is soft against your little one’s skin but that has a slightly rougher and looser-knit feeling to the outside. This allows it to do an excellent job of absorbing spilled liquids and keeping them away from your toddler’s clothes, and it also holds onto pureed foods, yogurt and other foods that would otherwise form a slimy mess on the high chair seat.  The neck and arms are edged in contrasting poplin fabric. The arms are cut at a slight angle which extends further down the backs of your child’s hands while leaving the palm area open.  The neck area has three sets of snaps which can be used to adjust the fit of the bib.  The sleeves fully cover your child’s arms and the bbib extends to cover your child’s sides and some of your child’s back as well.

EASE OF CLEANING

We use the white “melon” design which is probably the most challenging style to keep clean. This bib washes clean with simple soap and cold water, and is amazingly resistant to stains that destroy every other piece of clothing that they have come in contact with. Spaghetti sauce? Cherries? Blueberries? Pureed carrots? Grape juice? No stains to be seen after a simple hand wash in cold water with some castile soap. Something did end up leaving a slightly yellow stain in a few spots, we think it was the cream from the top of our son’s whole milk yogurt. But even that, with a simple application of stain treater and a run through the wash, was easy enough to remove. That was the only time we’ve had to run the bbib through the washing machine, usually it’s kept clean with a simple rinse and dry. The bbib holds up well to laundering with only minimal shrinkage afer the first wash-and-dry. The printed design doesn’t seem to fade or wash out with laundering although it may occur after many washes.

BOTTOM LINE

These bibs are cute, convenient, comfortable and easy to use. They do a great job of keeping your little one clean and are a pleasure to use. The only slight change I’d want to see made would be the addition of a waterproof or water-resistant layer behind the terry for the truly catastrophic spills. I love how attractive these bibs are, and their ease of use and cleaning is absolutely wonderful.

I threw out all of the bibs that I own and have opted to just use bbibs. When child number two comes along, I’ll purchase them in smaller sizes and just stick with that.