Clothes Tips & Hacks

How Many Baby Bibs Do You Really Need?

Although using a baby bib is a personal choice, there’s a high chance you will want to use them because they make feeding time just that little bit less messy.

Given their importance, you may be wondering how many baby you need.

The main considerations are the material and how often you do laundry.

If you don’t have easy access and a lot of time for laundry, then you may need up to 30 bibs.

But if you do laundry often, then you might only need as few as 10 in total.

How Many Baby Bibs Do You Need?

The number you need to buy will depend largely on your laundry schedule and if you have a dryer.

If you own a washing machine, or have access to a laundromat near your home, you should find that between 10 – 20 baby is fine.

However, if you can only do your laundry once or twice per week, then you may need up to 30 or more.

The material will also be a factor in how many you need.

If it can be wiped clean by hand after use and dries quickly (for example rubber feeding bibs), then you could use the same one or two for all meals.

Cotton drool bibs, on the other hand, will need to be soaked when cleaned or put through the laundry and will take some time to dry, so you’ll need more of these.

Types of Bibs

Drool / Dribbler Bibs

Drool bibs are great for newborn babies.

This is because they catch drool, puke and spilt milk during feeding time.

They are also useful for wiping a baby’s mouth during a feed.

Young babies tend to dribble a lot, so the beauty of these is they are comfortable enough to be worn for long periods in order to catch all that drool.

Using a drool or dribbler bib should keep your baby’s clothes cleaner for longer, so they are an essential part of your baby’s wardrobe.

But how many do you need?

If you have easy access to a washing machine, then around 10 should be enough.

Parents that do laundry less often might need more though, perhaps as may as 20 or more.

Feeding Bibs

Once your baby moves on to eating baby food, you will probably want to start using feeding bibs.

These have a clever pocket at the bottom to catch stray food.

These are usually made out of rubber or plastic, so they are easy to wipe clean by hand after use and dry off quickly.

For this reason you may only need 2 to 4 feeding in total.

Long-Sleeved Bibs

Long-sleeved bibs offer more protection for your baby’s clothing.

They are longer in length, cover your baby’s arms and are worn like a shirt.

If you want to take extra care to protect your baby’s clothing – for example when you are at a restaurant and your baby is wearing a nice outfit – then you will find the long-sleeved variety a lifesaver.

Apart from your laundry schedule, the number you need will depend on whether your baby feeds itself and the type of food they eat (how messy it is).

As a rough guide, 6 to 10 should be ok, but given their effectiveness you may want more!

Disposable Bibs

As their name suggests, disposable bibs are designed for one-time use only.

They are a great option for a vacation when you don’t want to carry around something dirty with you after your meal has ended.

One thing to note about these is that if you use them frequently, then the cost might quickly add up,

Do Newborns Need Them?

Many parents ask whether their newborn baby needs to wear a bib.

The general consensus is yes, newborns do need bibs to protect against drool, milk spit up and at times when your baby may be teething.

Related: The Complete Guide To Buying & Caring For Baby Clothes

Are Bibs Safe For Newborns?

Yes, as long as you keep an eye on your baby when using one, a bib is safe for a newborn.

For extra precaution you may want to avoid anything with ribbons or string on a newborn to avoid the risk of suffocation.

How Long Do They Last?

To wrap up, you should now have a much better idea of how many bibs you need, but you may have one final question regarding how long they will last.

There are a few factors that come into play, but on average most parents find that reusable bibs can last for a very long time if you look after them well.

The exception is of course disposable ones, which are designed to be thrown away after use.

Tori is mama to 3 year old Isabella and co-founder of Rockinbaby. She has a BSc in Psychology, is a certified yoga teacher and is a working mom. In her free time Tori loves cooking delicious foods and baked treats, entertaining and working out. Learn more about Tori here.

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