Are bib designers stupid?

[audreywindsor]

I've been looking at bibs, wondering what idiot designed pretty much every single one. Here's what I mean:

(1) MOST of them have a white, or pastel, background. Given that it's going to have food and drool all over it, I don't understand this choice, since it's pretty much GIVEN that they will be stained. Also, we don't know what the sex of the baby will be, and who wants a bunch of baby yellow bibs?

(2) It is true that white could be bleached, but almost all of them have some other pastel color, either as trim or embroidery, so you can't really bleach them, so they seem like they will be pretty much impossible to keep clean and stain free.

(3) I have seen a number of plastic/vinyl-type ones that you can wipe off, which is genius, but what is with the garish nursery colors and ridiculous prints that they seem to come in exclusively? They are practical, but really ugly. The baby is NOT going to notice the print, so why torture the parent with it?


What I would LIKE would be some terry-type or maybe some of the vinyl/plasticy bibs, either in primary colors (red, royal blue) that hide stains, or in BLACK or NAVY, which would be oh so practical. In addition, a couple of dark, non-cartoony/mushy prints would be nice, just in case one wants a print without having to choose yellow chicks and pink bunnies on white terry cloth and some "Grandma loves me" insigna.

Okay, I'm done venting.

[josephsmom]

Well, you're right! But you can get plain denim ones from OshKosh. They're quite a bit more expensive than the ones you're talking about, but you might be happier. You could also look into Bibsters, which are disposable bibs made by Pampers. You can usually find good coupons for them. They're nice for helping you avoid carrying dirty bibs around when you're away from home.

Helene
mommy to Joseph 12/29/01

[August Mom]

I hear you about the ugly designs and sayings. Most bibs are pretty ugly or stupid. I pretty much have resigned myself not to care anymore, especially when the bib is going to be trashed during a meal anyway. I do have a few bibs with darker backgrounds, though. I have a solid red Baby Bjorn plastic bib. I also have an Especially for Baby coverall bib (vinyl with long sleeves) with a royal blue background and sports equipment design. And, I have a couple of Hamco terry bibs that slip over the head rather than having a fastener behind the neck (my DS prefers this type) with medium blue and lime green backgrounds and Pooh designs. I'm not a big Pooh fan, either, but these bibs do have a darker background.

Surprisingly, I really haven't had too much trouble with staining. Most foods wash out, even after a few days with little or no treatment. The orange vegetables are the worst stainers.

[Ryansmom]

I have some Bumpkins bibs from One step Ahead. They are a soft plasticy type of material with a pocket. They come in a 3 pack of one each red, yellow and blue. They have a print, but it doesn't bug me. The best part is the bibs wipe clean pretty easily. I throw them in the laundry when they are very dirty and hang to dry. These work for us much better than the cloth bibs.

[brubeck]

The Baby Bjorn Bibs are awesome. They are a washable plastic, they have the 'trough' to catch fallen food AND they come in basic (bright, non-pastel) colors including black. I should say that I have them in red and blue and neither one has ever had stains I couldn't get out after 2+ years of use. There is a white one but I have heard bad things about getting tomato out of it (big surprise). They seem a little expensive but aren't if you consider that I got away with 2 (and I really could have gotten away with only 1 if I had wanted). If I were using cloth bibs I would have to wash them after EACH use so I'd have to have 20+ on hand with one child who eats 3 meals a day and a baby who is eating 1 (going on 2).

BTW, for the first few months when baby is only fed BM or formula, you can usually get away with the white/pastel terry bibs because the spitup is all white and the drool is clear. This is of course only if you want to use bibs instead of burp cloths.

I also use the Bibsters when I am out. The BB bib is nice, but it is hard to pack because of it's semi-rigid shape. The Bibsters fold up nicely into the diaper bag.

[August Mom]

After I posted the above, I got an e-mail from Posh Tots showing me their bibs. They have a number of them that are darker colors, but you are definitely going to pay more for them if you buy them at Posh Tots. http://www.totshop.com/shop/Tots/search/results.asp

[egoldber]

I love the Bumkins bibs. They are our absolute favorite.

[audreywindsor]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Great suggestions. I'll check those out!!!

[CherylT]

Just another thought, but I sometimes use the bibs backwards. That way you don't have any stupid sayings or pictures - just the solid terry with the trim (I clip off any tags). When searching for bibs you just need to look at the reverse side to make sure that this will work. Also, for the plastic type ones, I love the Dex ones that snap into a scoop front. They're pretty heavy duty, easy to clean, they snap so the little ones can't rip them off and they pack pretty easily into a diaper bag. HTH

Cheryl
SAHM to Lilli 9/20/00 & Alec 10/21/02

[BeverlyJ]

To echo Cheryl --- The DEX bibs (vinyl type with trough) are the BEST I have ever used. They don't stain and clean up is simple 3-second wip off over the sink. About twice a month, I throw them in the washing machine with towels and they come out good as new. The price is also good. I got a couple as a gift, but I think they are available at Wal-Mart.

BeverlyJ