Author: Gauri Kshirsagar

Feeding a single baby is in itself a  herculean task no doubt and when it comes to feeding twins, we  are at our wits end to find the most practical and easy way to feed them. Not long time back, I had written an article on my blog “Weaning & Feeding in Twin Babies: My personal experience” in which I had mentioned some ideas which can be tried to have a hassle free meal. One of the important part of the meal is a “baby bib”. The bibs which are available in the Indian market are either very small or impractical in a way that they do not help in  keeping food off your little ones clothes (and everywhere else) during meal time. 

Why is a baby bib necessary?

If there is one thing baby’s love to do at meal time, it’s make a mess. That baby food may taste yummy but it is much more fun to smear it all over the high chair, clothes and floor. Even though you are yourself feeding the baby, there is a lot of dripping, regurgitation, spitting involved. Chances are that your washing cycle has become much more frequent now you have a baby in the house. While bibs won’t prevent a mess, a bib does provide a layer of protection between your baby’s meal and the clothes which they are wearing. Rather than constantly washing baby food coated clothes, you simply clean the bib instead. Moreover if the bib is made up of water proof material it becomes more easy to clean.

Let me first summarize different types of bibs which are available in the markets and their inadequacies, which made me design a baby bib of my own:

1. Feeding Bibs :As the name suggests, feeding bibs are placed around your baby’s neck during feeding time. Since feeding a baby can be a messy process, these feeding bibs are not quite large to protect as much of your infants clothes from food as possible.
2. Drool Bibs : Drool bibs are much smaller than feeding bibs hence cannot be used during feeding
3. Long Sleeved Bib (smock): Another option for feeding time is a long sleeved bib. Rather than simply hang of your baby’s neck, a long sleeved bib also covers the arms and majority of the body, making it incredibly difficult for a baby to become covered in food. This is a very good and practical bib, but the ones available in India are quite short and can be used till the baby is about 1 year of age. Also they are a bit expensive if you are planning to buy a larger quantity in case of twins. Long sleeved baby bibs can also double as a smock for arts and crafts time. The difference between a smock and long sleeved baby bib is an open back, allowing you to easily remove a messy bib from your baby without spilling it everywhere.
4. Soft Plastic Baby Bib: I found them to be quite uncomfortable for a baby.
5. Disposable Baby Bibs: These cost around the same as that of diapers, but are quite short and don’t cover the whole area.

Having said that lets see How to make a Baby Bib at home

I used a very thick variety of water proof material to make this bib. Thinner materials tend to tear on pull, hence should be avoided. This  Bib is large enough to cover a wide area and helps to keep spilled food from spreading everywhere. You can download the measurements for the bib from this pdf file here: DIY Baby Bib

The advantages of this Bib include:

1. The ability to fold up: Bibs are a very handy baby item that are not only useful around the house but when you and baby are out and about in the big outdoors as well. A bib is a common addition to many mothers diaper bags. This bib can be neatly folded up. Space in a diaper bag is already limited, you don’t want a chunky bib taking up a large portion of it.
2. Ease of cleaning :A commonly overlooked feature when buying baby bibs is the ease of which it can be cleaned. Baby bibs are designed to be coated in whatever your baby can throw at it, there is no ifs or buts about it, your baby’s bib will get messy and require cleaning. This Bib can be easily wiped with a damp cloth or cleaned using running water and soap. It also dries very easily. If you have a pair for each twin, then its quite adequate
3. The Fit: This Bib forms a nice snug fit. There are two benefits to a tight fitting baby bib.
   1. Difficult to remove – A tight fitting baby bib is much harder for your baby to wiggle and squirm out of.
   2. Makes less mess – Feeding time is already messy, loose fitting bibs can actually be dragged through your baby’s food; making a bigger mess than if your little one went bibless.
4. Comfort: If your baby is uncomfortable then I have bad news for you; Feed time is going to be more of a drama than usual. Your baby will be so focused on trying to remove the bib that food will be a second thought.There are three main causes for your baby’s discomfort when wearing a bib:
   1. Too tight: This Bib has two buttons which makes wearing and removing the bib very easy, and also is not too tight. The large size also ensures that the baby doesnt out grow the bib
   2. Irritating neckline: Coarse ties or Velcro that hold the bib in place can irritate the neckline. My preference is for buttons over Velcro (which can easily scratch at your infants neck).
   3. Brushes against the skin: If your baby’s bib is a little coarse and brushes against exposed skin then your baby may fidget with discomfort. I have chosen a soft bib material as shown in the photograph..
5. Style: You can even buy printed bibs, plain bibs and decorate them with fabric markers or embroidery yourself. Just because a bib is functional doesn’t mean it has to be ugly.
6. Cost: The total cost of the Bib is Rs 350. (Rs. 250 for the material and Rs.100 for stitching). Two bibs for a child are more than enough. The cost is still less compared to the bibs available in the market.

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