Homemade Baby Bibs for Your Child

Baby bibs are very handy when you have messy little kids. Most bibs you find in a store are of poor quality. Here is how to make homemade baby bibs without taking a lot of time.

Why Do Infants Need Bibs?

Many parents have the question of why babies should wear bibs and at what point of age, but the answer depends on what stages of development the baby is. They could start using bibs in just a couple of weeks. Why do they need bibs?

• Babies are quite messy even if they don’t start eating solid foods.
• They also tend to drool excessively which might dampen their clothes really fast.
• Bibs make it easier to take care of your baby’s clothes when they reach the age of spitting up, which is roughly around 0-3 months.
• Spitting is reflux that happens when they drink the milk a little faster.
• Bibs are very easy to wash too!

How to Make Baby Bibs at Home?

When you buy baby bibs from the store, it is always way too small. You can thus create your DIY baby bibs with patterns so that it is big enough for the baby and it will cover their bellies properly staying mess-free while they eat.

1. Choosing The Right Fabric

Making a bib can be fun because they are very easy and quick to make and it does not cost anything. You should first take 2 pieces of fabrics that measure 14 and 16 inches. They are inexpensive, or you could even use some fabric from any other leftover project.

For making a set of bibs, you could use organic cotton print for the front part of the bib. You will find a variety of organic cotton with many cute prints made using natural dyes, which are low-impact.

You could use PUL (polyurethane laminate) for backing. This is the same material used in the production of cloth diaper covers. You can use PUL for extra protection for the clothing of the baby but note that PUL is not always needed.

For the backing, you could also use terry cloth fabric, but this is not advisable as it does not offer the same protection as PUL. In case you are planning for an entire cotton option, then this is your best choice. For this, you could take an old towel.

For the back layer, you could simply use cotton muslin. This material is very inexpensive and is always available. You might also be able to find the organic version of this material.

2. Making a Baby Bib Pattern

All around the web you will find a wide variety of baby bib patterns. If you are planning to use a bib you already have with you then all the way around the bib you will need to add an extra ½ inches for the seam allowance when you create your pattern in proper order.

Take a piece of butcher paper or a newspaper and then lay the bib on them. The snap or the Velcro should be undone so that the bib is flat on the paper. Starting from ½ inches from the edge, trace around the entire bib on the paper. You could work your way around using a small sewing gauge ruler. After you are done, cut along the lines you drew. Now, this piece you made is to be used as your pattern.

For the pattern, if you cannot access the bib, then you could always use a free printable one from the internet. You could also draw your own design if you are very crafty.

You should also decide whether you are going to use a snap press or a hook and loop to fasten the bib. This can be based on what you have access to and is just a matter of choice. You could also choose Velcro.

3. Supplies You Will Need

• Fabric
• Matching thread
• Pins
• A sewing machine
• Velcro or snaps (or any other option you have on mind)
• Baby bib pattern

4. Sewing Baby Bibs Instructions

Preparing to Sew:

• The fabric you are going to use must be pre-washed.
• Place your pattern down face-up and keep it on the right side of a single thickness of the front fabric you use. If you had decided on fabric with designs, then ensure that you keep it the correct way concerning your pattern.
• Cut around the pattern after pinning it to your fabric.
• Pin it, the wrong side up, after flipping the pattern over. This should be done to your backing fabric to a single thickness of the right side. You should then cut around the material.
• The two bib pieces should be pinned together right sides.

Sewing Instructions:

• Though the pattern has a seam allowance of ½ inches, you could stitch the full allowance which is ½ inch through the inside curve of the neck. You do this so that the neck opening is spacious around the neck of the baby. Outside the bib and around the top sew the ¼ inch allowance.
• Along the bottom edge, please leave an opening of about 3 inches wide. Sew all the way around the cube starting from one of the bottom corners and stop 3 inches before you reach the starting point of the bib.
• Along the inside curve of the neck, clip the seams and cut the notches anywhere else the bib curves outward. You do this so that the bib will be allowed to lay flat when it is flipped right side out.
• Turn the bib through the 3 inches opening so that it turns right side out.
• Focusing on the edges of the bib, press it down so that the seam is placed flat.
• You should also make sure that you press the 3 inches opening under so that the bib is even with the seams on both the sides.
• Starting from the top edge, stitch 1/8 inches all the way around.
• If you had decided to use snap-press, then add the snaps at the end of the wings that meet at the back of your baby’s neck.
• Or if you had decided to use a hook and loop, then you will need to decide on the width which should be of the right size for the pattern of the bib. About 1 inch long cut a piece and sew each of these sides to the ends of the wings which meet at the back of the baby’s neck.

Making your baby bibs is a really simple and fun project you could do by reusing old material!

As you can see, baby bibs are very important and easy to make. But do not forget to remove the bib when your baby falls asleep. This can be dangerous, and you need to be careful especially when they sleep soon after they eat. It is best to remove it after feeding them.

Also Read:

How to Take Care of Baby in Winter
How to Remove Tough Stains from Your Babies Clothes
How to Make Cloth Diapers for Your Baby