Mealtime Bib Solution

What to do about bibs as they get older?  They don't generally fit baby bibs any more and adult/special needs ones tend to be expensive. I put bibs into two categories, one is dribble bibs for going out, drinking and just wearing all day and larger bibs for main meals.

You can barely see this square one.

Dribble bibs.   Owen is tall but quite slender so at this stage I still get away with using "baby" or "toddler" bibs.   Over the years I have tried many a bib and found my favourite to be the "Cotton On" ones, Owen wears the "Jill and Jack" square ones backwards so the towelling is what you see rather than the "baby" print (although I love the super hero ones and have been known to put them the right way around).   I also love their Kerchief/Bandanna style dribble bibs. They look good and don't scream "special needs"  They are not the cheapest bibs but they last. I find them absorbent and easy to wash. The Toy R Us Kerchief ones fit too but are not quite as
absorbent.  

Main Meal bibs.  This was the toughest 
one. I have tried the plastic bibs, painting aprons etc but I just found them awkward to wash and use.  It also got quite expensive to keep buying them.  I have tried the custom made adult style but I didn't like the feel of them and they are expensive too.  I have seen many people convert towels by cutting them in half and making a t-shirt style neck hole but I hate pulling things over Owen's head (well it is mainly the taking off after he has dropped his dinner all over the bib).  Oh and I am not a fan of sewing either.  I did like the idea of the towelling, so I bought some inexpensive hand towels and a small bib holder clip (like they use at the dentist) from Independence Australia. I then hold the hand towel in place with the clips (see photos). I am sure there are heaps of versions of the clips, with differing lengths etc so  just make sure the length you get matches the size of your child.  When the bib has been used and abused too many times, it is cheap to replace. Easy to shake, rinse and wash.