Wednesday, 1 June 2011

Skibz Bibs review

When babies are tiny, they constantly need to wear a bib because they are either sicking up milk or permanently dribbling. After the first messy attempts at weaning, they go through a relatively clean period where you can forego the bib (if you're brave - or maybe foolhardy ?! - enough !) because they can manage to eat whatever you offer them on a spoon without covering their entire face and body with it. Then comes that period, which Pierre is in the middle of now, when they refuse to eat anything you offer them unless they can put it in their mouths themselves. The result often looks something like this :



Yes, that is sweetcorn and rice on top of his head. Thank goodness he thought to put his hood up before eating !! Well, needless to say, the bibs have come back out !

The trouble is, bibs are often too babyish for toddlers, either because they are too small or because they are covered in pastel pictures of cuddly animals and babies and your toddlers are turning into little fashionistas who are way too cool to wear baby bibs !! It's also a shame when a tiny baby wears a huge bib that covers almost all of that carefully coordinated outfit you put together for him to wear.

Well, Skibz (that's a cross between bibs and scarves, if you're wondering) to the rescue, with their ultra-funky but functional bandana-style bibs that are as much a fashion accessory as a piece of practical baby equipment. They explain on their website : "Skibz are the most functional product you’ll ever buy for your little dribbler – and we also insist that they look great too. Skibz work like a bib but look like a scarf, so whatever outfit your little one is wearing, Skibz adds the finishing touch that pulls it all together. A wide range of designs is always available, from cuddly cow print and traditional ginghams right through to funky florals and polka dots."



I think you'll agree that Pierre looks very cool in his green starry Skibz and it protected him very well from getting dribbly melting ice cream on his clothes, which has to be the ultimate test of messiness ! Sophie's friend said : "Ooooh he looks like a baby cowboy" !

I love the designs which are eye-catching and brightly coloured. I wondered if they would fade in the wash but so far so good. You can feel the high quality if you rub the material between your fingers and they must feel comfortable to wear because Pierre didn't try to take it off once, which is something he always does with normal bibs.

There are only two things that slightly bother me. Firstly, they remind me very much of Dribblebusters (which I reviewed here a long time ago) even down to the choice of fabrics but I don't know who came up with the idea first ! Secondly, they're designed for toddlers up to the age of 3 and, although Pierre is only coming up to 2, I can see them getting a bit tight before long so the press studs could do with being a bit more spaced out.

They're quite expensive (with a RRP of £9.99) but they are built to last and are also really absorbent, with a special double layer that draws moisture away from your child's delicate skin, avoiding the painful (not to mention unsightly !) dribble-rash that many babies suffer from.  They are machine washable and can withstand temperatures up to 60° which is great news when you need to get food stains out of them.

I've also found another huge advantage. Pierre is absolutely fascinated by the photo gallery of babies on the Skibz website and will stand there happily looking at them while I cut his nails, instead of struggling and crying "ow ow ow" as if I'm chopping his fingers off the whole time ! For that alone, I give a huge thumbs up to Skibz !

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £9.99

for more information : http://www.skibz.co.uk

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