Fabric for baby bibs really depends upon the type of bib that you are trying to make. We’ve got some suggestions for you, to help make choosing the right fabric even easier.
Dribble bibs
Many babies dribble a lot, especially when teething. Clothing quickly becomes wet and a dribble bib is an ideal way to stop this from happening. A cotton, merino or minky topped bib is ideal for this kind of bib. All of these fabrics work better with an absorbent backing fabric. There are a couple of options for this. Cotton terry fabric is particularly popular. Easy to wash and absorbent, it is a great choice for backing bibs. It can be a little thick, but usually not so much to cause a problem. Another option is bamboo fleece. This is highly absorbent and very soft. The softness is an added bonus. Some children end up with rashes on their necks from dribbling. This soft bamboo fleece fabric is unlikely to irritate delicate skin. Slightly less absorbent, but lovely and soft and able to give a less bulky finish to the bib is bamboo velour. It is slightly more difficult to work with, but looks lovely once finished.
Baby feeders
When it comes to bibs for feeding babies, then often the key thing is to avoid a mess. An absorbent backing such as those mentioned above can work well. Another option is a slightly thinner bib. Lots of people find that microfleece works really well. It is soft against the babies skin and gives a comfortable finish. Although it is not absorbent in itself, it will stop clothing underneath the bib from becoming marked or damaged. If you are concerned about liquid leaking onto the clothing, then PUL is a good option. It creates a waterproof barrier and is the same fabric used in cloth nappies.
Other fabric for baby bibs
With my own children, I particularly liked long sleeved bibs which covered all of their clothing. These are really good for babies who are learning to feed themselves and are very handy for arts and crafts as they get older. Although many fabrics can be used to cover up and protect clothing, PUL fabric works really well. This can be used with another fabric over the top, to make a more attractive finish. PUL can be wiped clean between uses when used on it’s own.
In a few weeks we are going to be sharing a tutorial and free pattern for making dribble bibs. If you are interested in learning more about when this is available, please follow our facebook page and sign up to our newsletter by clicking here.
