Bibs that work

Imagine your ideal dinner time with your child.  They’re loving every spoonful of the nutritious meal you’ve offered them, even the ones that didn’t go in their mouths. You watch, fixated by the funny way they chew and swallow. There are giggles, there are spills, there are splats. You then wipe your child down, take off their bib and release them to toddle off and wreak havoc on your lounge. 

This isn’t quite how meal times used to go for us. No matter whether my seven-month-old daughter, Emily, enjoyed her food or not, I would be scrubbing cuffs and necklines at the end of the day. 

The purpose of a bib is to keep a baby’s clothes clean.  Yet despite trying an array of different bibs, none came close to delivering. The result was that I’d see strawberry juice dribbling down her sleeves and my teeth would grit knowing there would be more work for me later. After one bolognese stain too many, I decided to make a bib that actually worked. 

Drum roll....

Presenting the ‘Full Cover Long Bib’! I put adjustable tabs around the neck, wrist and ankles to completely cover Emily’s clothes. I managed to find a UK manufactured fabric, which is soft but water repellent. You can machine wash the bib but often all it needs is a quick wipe-down, and it dries really quickly, in just a couple of hours. Finally I could sit back and let Emily get as mucky as she liked and I could relax. I’ve tried it with food, paint and even water, nothing gets down necklines or sleeves.

Some of my friends saw the bib and asked me to make some for them, that’s when I knew I was onto something. Thus ‘Messy Little Thing’ was born. (Imagine angelic music and the bib rising up on a fluffy white cloud into the sunshine.) 

In the time it's taken to launch the Full Cover Long bib to the public, I've discovered as the messy missile grows, the need to handle the mess also needs to adapt. Check out the full range of bibs here.

Whether you’re a parent covered in squashed sweet potato and chewed cucumber sticks, an  entrepreneur on a mission yourself, or just interested in chatting about the joys and frustrations of having kids, join me on my journey to launch Messy Little Thing.