Do Newborns Need Bibs? Simple Question, Not So Simple Answer

  • By: The DIG for Kids
  • Time to read: 5 min.
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Read this article to learn whether newborns need bibs, even if you’re breastfeeding, and how many bibs you will need.

The newborns don’t necessarily need to wear bibs, but they can, especially if you want to keep them cleaner well feeding. This isn’t only limited to formulas and bottle feedings and while breastfeeding. Ensure that you are getting something that can easily be fastened and unfastened and doesn’t put any kind of stress on the neck muscles of the newborn. 

Feeding times can be a messy time for any new parent. Using a bib can be an excellent way to keep your baby relatively clean and ensure that you have an easy-to-reach towel to use to wipe off their face afterward. You don’t need to use a bed while feeding your newborn, but you’re able to, and it’s a tool most parents take advantage of. 

However, it’s essential to keep in mind what kind of bibs you purchased for your newborn and see how they take to wearing one. Some newborns don’t like having something like a bib on them, and it may not be worth fighting against them. You may also find that your baby is a relatively clean eater making using a bib unnecessary.

Do Newborns Need Bibs While Breastfeeding?

If your baby is messy while breastfeeding, you could also benefit from using a bib. Again, you don’t need to use one, but if you think it would be helpful, there’s nothing wrong with putting on a bib before breastfeeding. Just ensure that the bib fits comfortably and doesn’t have any restrictions around the neck.

Breastfeeding comes with its own sets of challenges, such as drooling and spit up that you would get with regular feedings and leaking milk and problems latching on, which can cause milk to drip down both the mother’s and the newborn’s clothes. Because of this, a bib can help minimize some of the mess of breastfeeding. 

A bib could be especially helpful if you were breastfeeding somewhere in public and can’t change your clothes or your newborn’s. A bib can help keep you as clean as possible so that you don’t have to try and clean up any kind of dripple that might happen. It’s beneficial for new mothers who might not have a ton of experience with breastfeeding yet. 

What Kind of Bibs Do Newborns Need?

Newborns usually need something simple and made with a fabric that can soak up drool, spit-up, and milk or formula that might spill. You can stick to something fundamental since you won’t have to worry about soaking up baby food. Find something that is soft and isn’t irritate their skin and something that you can adjust as they grow. 

Fabric or silicone are the materials common in bibs. You can choose whichever one you think works best for you, but generally, cloth bibs are easier to machine wash than silicone ones, whereas silicone bibs are easy to wash with some soap and water in the sink. Consider whether or not your baby has sensitive skin before choosing one material over the other. 

Another thing to remember is the different sizes that baby bibs come in. You all want something to adjust the size because newborns can grow very fast. If you can’t adjust the neck properly, it may become uncomfortable for your baby to wear it.

Bibs also come with other features such as adjustable snaps and food catchers. You can always go with a basic bib which is fine for newborns. The best extra feature to consider is the adjustable straps instead of velcro because it will allow you to adjust the size a lot more as your baby grows.

Some basic features to keep in mind are:

  • Something absorbent such as cotton or a bamboo backing
  • Layers
  • Soft
  • Pleating to capture excess drool
  • Adjustable straps
  • Made with sustainable materials
  • In a comfortable style
  • Size: Do you want the bib only to cover part of your baby or the majority of their body? This will dictate whether or not you want a larger bib. 

The brand Newborn Bibs is a great place to start for babies between 0 to 6 months old. They have a soft terry backing, and they have an absorbent fabric. It also has two Fasteners on either side of the neck so that you can quickly put on and take off bit him as well as a jest the sizing.

How Many Bibs Do Newborns Need?

The exact number of beds you will need will depend on your family and how messy of an eater your newborn is. Five bibs are probably enough to last for the week for those newborns who occasionally drool or spit-up. For those that tend to spit up more, you will probably want to get multiple bibs you can use per day, so you don’t have to wash them as often. 

Having the correct number of bibs is more of an issue for those babies that have progressed on two solid foods. It’s a lot harder to wash off solid foods and painter for using those bibs than for drool and spilled milk. You’re going to need more bibs eventually, but you should be okay with about 1 per day for now. 

If you have a particularly messy baby when it comes to eating or preparing for when you are eventually switching to solid foods, you may want to get more bibs. Just ensure that you can adjust their size, especially around the neck and that it has a fabric that isn’t going to irritate your baby’s skin. 

If you want to buy more bibs in a design you like to use once your baby is eating solid foods, then ensure that it is a larger size to fit correctly. 

Conclusion

Bibs are not a necessity for feeding a newborn. You may benefit if you have a particularly messy eater or were trying to feed in public and won’t be able to change their clothes or your clothes because of the public setting. Mostly you will lead a simple cloth bib that you can use once a day and easily wash at the end of the week.

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