Bibs are essential in the arsenal that makes up your baby’s bag. While bottles, blankets, and bodysuits are all essentials, a bib is what keeps any item of clothing from going into the wash more often than required. While most parents know that these are essentials, many do not realize the number of bibs they may need.
How many bibs do a baby actually need?
Bibs come in different materials and designs. This can be further divided into drool bibs and feeding bibs. Ideally, your baby would need more drool bibs than the feeding ones.
The number of bibs you need will depend on your baby, feeding routines, and laundry routines. There is no set number of bibs that you should have for your baby. Depending on the age and how independently they eat, you could have between 6 and 10 bibs for your baby at a given time.
When your baby is less than 6 months of age and most of the feeding time constitutes breastfeeding, 6-8 dribble bibs are necessary. After your baby starts eating semi-solid or solid food, add a few feeding bibs to this- 2 to 3 would be ideal.
While many people are comfortable using a piece of soft cloth as a bib and a towel during breastfeeding, bibs make avoiding a mess easier. So bib manufacturers have upped their game to a whole new level. There are different kinds of bibs available for specific purposes, and buying the right kind can mean buying less.
Bib requirements depend on your baby
Babies drool, and how much drool depends from baby to baby. Once you have a bib on your drooling baby, it is easier to change the bib rather than change the whole outfit your baby is wearing. Although it may seem excessive to put a bib on a baby about two weeks old, considering they are not even eating solid foods yet, you may be surprised at how much laundry you save during the week. And the drooling seems to increase once the first teeth come in.
Soft, made of organic cotton, and safe for your baby’s sensitive skin, Niniobaby’s bibs are ideal as drool bibs and as feeding ones. In addition, the colorful pattern on the bib keeps your baby interested and entertained.
Feeding Schedule and Process
Feeding routines for babies is another factor you should consider before buying bibs. If you have a frequent feeding routine for your baby consider buying two more bibs extra.
Young babies also have a common occurrence – referred to as spit-up. This is when a baby’s stomach contents flow back up through the mouth. A burp accompanies the spit-up. This happens when the muscle between the baby’s esophagus and stomach is not mature. Dealing with the mess caused by the spit-up is definitely easier when you are using a stack of bibs.
You can remove the bib and clean it, along with whatever is on your baby’s skin. You do not have to change the baby’s clothes and wipe down the spit-up that has soaked through the soft material of the dress they are wearing.
Laundry Schedule
Your laundry schedule is the final factor that comes into play when deciding the number of bibs that you may need for your baby. Calculate the number of bibs you need based on how often you feed and how often you do laundry. A simple way to calculate this is as follows: if you go through three bibs a day and do laundry every three days, you need nine bibs.
Remember that this number can change depending on your laundry schedule, and take into account the fact that there might be days on which you can’t do your laundry. It is always advisable to get more than you need if something like this happens.
Another factor that comes into play is traveling or going to a place where you may not have access to laundry. It is always better to have some extra bibs handy in this case. You may even consider having a separate travel kit of about five bibs that you keep aside only for travel that is taken out in addition to your regular baby bag.
The Bib Material
The material of the bib is also a vital factor. We would recommend using cloth bibs for your babies. However, there are plastic or silicone feeding bibs available in the market. These need only a wipe-down after each feed. However, we would not recommend these dribble bibs for very young babies.
Considering all the factors listed above, a suggested number is about 10 drool bibs and five feeding time bibs if you do not do your laundry every day. These numbers change depending on the age of your baby. For example, your newborn will not need feeding time bibs, so you should look at getting drool bibs first and then get feeding time bibs as your baby grows older.
The numbers will also vary from baby to baby. Newborns with only occasional drool or spit up may need only 5 bibs for the week, while others may go through five in a single day. It is up to you to figure out the number of bibs you need based on the amount your baby drools or how messy your baby is during feeding.
The time when babies really need bibs is when they’re around six months of age, the average age when they are introduced to solid food. They’re learning how to eat, and a mess is inevitable in most cases. During this time, especially if your baby drools a lot and spits up quite a bit as well, it is not unheard of to have a stash of about 25 to 30 bibs that you can use. This is especially true for working mothers or those who like to travel even within the city.
Do you need bibs for breastfeeding?
You need a bib while breastfeeding your newborn. Using a bib ensures you and your baby stay clean during breastfeeding. While leaking milk and drooling may be the main culprits here, your newborn is still learning how to latch onto your breast, and this can also cause milk to drip down onto the baby’s clothes and even yours. The use of the right bib can prevent this from happening.
Breastfeeding is the most important developmental stage in your newborn’s life. The benefits of breastfeeding include your baby getting the right nutrients needed for quick growth, strengthening your baby’s immune system, and assisting in robust organ growth. However, a formula can never replace breastfeeding.
For newborns who are only breastfeeding, the ideal type of bib to be used would be drool or dribble bibs. Drool bibs are designed to be extra absorbent. Your child will only be breastfeeding until about six months, and this is an ideal time to stick to drool bibs. Up to the age of six months, your baby will not be taking solid food. Niniobaby’s organic cotton bibs are ideal for this. The soft material does not irritate your baby’s sensitive skin. It does not cause rashes either. With two buttons, the bib is adjustable and can be used for a while.
Drool bibs may look the same on the surface, but there are various factors that you must take into consideration when choosing one. For example, the right drool bib makes it a lot easier for you to breastfeed without worrying about whether it will protect your baby’s clothes in the right way.
The first thing that comes into play is the material that the bib is made of. Most drool bibs are made of cotton. This makes them super absorbent. This works perfectly well for most mothers unless your baby has sensitive skin. In this case, you can consider drool bibs made of muslin or hypoallergenic bamboo.
The second is how the bib is fastened. A newborn may only need a bib that has a tie fastener and works well until they are a little bit older. As babies grow older, you may need to consider something more robust like a snap-on closure that your baby may not be able to remove on its own.
Look for bibs that are soft and feel good to the touch. While most of them are made this way, some bibs can end up being a little rough or itchy. Some may also have a border or stitching that may cause your baby to feel uncomfortable. If your baby feels that the bib is uncomfortable or is irritated by the bib in any way, there is a high probability that they may try to take it off or throw a tantrum.
The style of the bib is another factor that you have to take into consideration. The traditional shape of the bib will make sense if your baby is going to only wear the bib during mealtimes. On the other hand, consider getting the bandana style if your baby is wearing it for a good bit of the day. The bandana style is more outfit friendly and ensures your baby looks good.
Bibs come in various styles and designs that you can choose for your baby. Some bibs are explicitly designed for boys or girls, matching messages. Some bibs come with cute quotes and ones with personality quotes. If you cannot resist taking pictures of your baby and they will be wearing bibs most of the time, you might as well choose some that will look good in the pictures and match with the outfits that your baby is wearing. Unisex bibs are also a great option, as they can be kept aside when your baby outgrows them and used when you have another baby, or even given to someone who needs them.
Tips for Using Bibs for newborns
A part of the popularity of using bibs is how easy they are to use. Bibs usually come with a string tied around the baby’s neck at the back. Some bibs also come with other fasteners. When you are ready to breastfeed your baby, just tie the bib around the neck and start feeding them. Ensure that your baby’s clothes are fully covered, or some drool or milk may find its way onto them. This makes the whole exercise pointless.
Ensure that the bib is tied loosely around your baby’s neck. Your baby can move around during feeding, and a tight bib around your baby’s neck might lead to choking. After you finish feeding, remove the bib and wash it before using the bib for feeding again. In case you are using silicone bibs, rinse them off. Always ensure that you are using a clean bib during a feeding.
New-borns should not be put to sleep with anything in their crib, as this poses a significant amount of risk. You may have heard of not putting items like stuffed toys, pillows, bumper pads, loose blankets, quilts, hats, headbands, or pacifiers in the crib when putting the baby to sleep. This is the same for bibs as well. Bibs should be removed from the baby before putting them to sleep in the crib.
To sum up, drool bibs are best for newborns, as the bib only has to soak up drool and milk that is spilled during breastfeeding. As your baby grows older and switches to solid food, you will need feeding time bibs. You should figure out how many you need based on how much your baby is drooling and how adept they are getting at breastfeeding in terms of latching on and sucking right.
Spit-ups are usually not constant and can occasionally happen after feeding. Start with a number that is comfortable for you to keep your laundry minimal, like once in three days. If more is required, you can always purchase more as per your need.