Baby bibs for BLW: Grabease all-over bib, Bumkins sleeved bib, or Tidy-tot bib?

Baby led weaning (BLW) could be so messy and frustrating, but BLW is totally worth the mess! So I choose to raise my baby with BLW method and I know I need to stocking up on a few great BLW bibs, it help me to feel so much happier while doing BLW. No constantly stress about the mess and instead I can enjoy eating with my daughter. I have 3 great bibs, Grabease, Bumkins, and Tidy-tot. I’ll let you know the pros and cons of each bibs.

My daughter always sat on her highchair during mealtime, so in this article, I will focus on the bibs that are designed for highchair user. Check out here for on-the-go bibs.

Contents:

| Why we need bibs when BLW

| Bumkins sleeved bibs pros and cons

| Grabeaase all over bibs pros and cons

| Tidy tot bibs pros and cons

| Conclusion

Why we need bibs when BLW

It is of course to minimize the mess. A good bib can catch food easily, some bibs offer full coverage over clothing including sleeves, others are made from soft muslin or high-tech neoprene and some are more rigid, made with pockets to collect any spills. Not all bibs are equal and it is important to look for fabrics that are comfortable, protective, durable and washable, along with a design suited to your child’s stage and that is easy to fasten.

I always look for a durable, easy to wash and the perfect size for protecting baby’s clothes but not getting in the way of self-feeding. I also love bibs with a handy pocket to catch falling food. With a fresh bib for each meal, I can recycle food that’s fallen into the pocket back on to baby’s plate or bowl, also helping to minimize food waste.

Read also: 3 Rules you must follow when giving first food to your children

But if you are one of those moms whose always let your child naked, then you might not need the bibs so much, haha.

Bumkins sleeved bibs pros and cons

The good:

• Lightweight but durable long-sleeved bibs featuring a catcher pocket.

• Bumkins sleeved bibs protect almost every inch of my daughter’s clothes from spills

• They machine wash

• Free from BPA, PVC, phthalates and lead

• I love the tie back, not only it gives plenty of room to grow, my daughter keep pulling off the bibs that have velcro

• Wrists have little cuffs so nothing can get up the sleeves

The not so good:

• One small criticism from me was that the bibs could get stained with time

• If I went to a restaurant without air conditioner, my daughter will be pretty cranky due to the long sleeves and she feel hot.. I recommend it for at-home-usage

Where to buy Bumkins sleeved bibs.

Grabease all-over bibs pros and cons

The good:

• Large size covers my daughter and it perfectly pairs with my high chair

• Lightweight - roll up the bib for easy storage or to bring it on-the-go!

• Washable - Because who has time to hand wash? Both machine and hand wash, remember to hang dry completely before storing

• Safe! It BPA-free, PVC-free, vinyl-free, phthalate-free and lead-free

• 100% polyester with TPU coating for waterproofing - it really keeps my baby dry from drool and spills

• I am impressed with Grabease all over bibs waterproof effectiveness

• I love its colors, especially the blush one!

• Grabease all-over bib has a short sleeves, but this what makes me even love it more, I live in Asia where the weather is quite hot here, my daughter couldn’t stand the heat if she wears a long sleeves bib

• You can even use it as cover while making your own baby’s hairstyle

Read also: Best baby self feeding spoon and fork set

The not so good:

• You need to have either booster chair or high chair to use it, some restaurant don’t have neither of them, so need to use more on-the-go bibs

• I am not a big fan of their stretchy neck and arm holes, my daughter doesn’t really enjoy it

• The price is very high comparing with other bibs’ brand

Where to buy Grabease bibs.

Tidy tot bibs pros and cons

I let my daughter use the iconic bib and tray kit

The good:

• The tray can be used for weaning and messy play, keeps food and toys off the floor

• Is hygienically clean – provides an antibacterial, food-safe, BPA and Phthalate free surface for your baby to eat from, wherever you are

• The tray is easy to assemble, folds away for easy storage

• Comes with a storage bag

The not so good:

• I rarely use Tidy tots iconic bibs, in my point of view this bibs is not that convenient, it contains bibs and the tray, which I need to clean 2 separate items.

• It is hard to find a big space to dry out the tray, since it is pretty big.

• My daughter feels left out when she use Tidy tot, because the tray is so big, although she usually sit in her highchair, but Tidy tot’s tray is so big, feels distance, haha, what a dramatic daughter.

• She lover drawing, but the tray is not steady enough for drawing purpose.

Where to buy Tidy Tot bib and tray.

Conclusion

Over all, if for home use, I like Grabease better than Bumkins. The Grabease bibs can protect my daughter from the mess better and catch the food better. Maybe some of you will concern about the Grabease bibs short sleeves, but this is the feature I like about. I am living in Asia, most of the time is hot here, I’ll let my daughter wear sleeveless clothes, so the short sleeve is not a problem for me. What I like most about Bumkins is the tie back feature. But both of them is not really for on-the-go, you will need to prepare one more bibs meal time outside home. Check out here for on-the-go bibs.

If you are interested in starting your own baby product business, we are welcoming you to be our distributors. Be part of BabyLux family, if you want to be baby products distributors but not sure where to start, drop us a message!

How to help my baby develop their pincer grasp?

It is thrilling to see your baby accomplish developmental milestones! While most parents look for common ones like ‘rolling over’ or ‘walking’, a multitude of them are cited by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Pincer grasp is one of them. According to Claire Lerner, “Getting the pincer grasp is one of the biggest keys to independence. Eventually, a child will use this grasp to do essential things like feed and dress herself and brush her teeth.”

Holding your finger also can shown your baby is developing pincer grasp.

What is the pincer grasp?

Basically, the pincer grasp is the coordination of the index finger and thumb to hold an item. It helps your little one understand how to pick up things. Once they learn to use pincer grasp or pincer grip, they can successfully feed theirselves with fingers and even can use a spoon. We use pincer grasp daily - when we're holding a pencil, buttoning a shirt, and picking up small objects.

Babies usually develop their pincer grasp between the ages of 9 to 12 months. As babies start to use the pincer grasp, it represents development of other fine motor skills that involve muscles in their hands, strength, and hand-eye coordination.

Source: Growing Kids

How can I help my babies when they developing pincer grasp?

We can help baby's progress by allowing them to play with (appropriate) small items and toys and letting them self-feed. Their pincer grasp can be developed as they play with toys that require them to squeezed, pushed together, pulled apart, picked up, etc. These actions later progress into ones such as painting, coloring, writing, tying their shoes, and other skills.

You might already know that Grabease's original ergonomic utensils are designed to develop children's independence. How exactly do they do that though? Well, one way is through their ergonomic handle, which is shaped and sized specifically to help develop your little one's pincer grasp.

Left side: stage 2 utensils for 6 months up ; right side: stage 1 utensils for 3 months up - made with 100% food grade silicone.

Pincer grasp activities for baby

• Play with blocks (read more about playing with blocks here)

• Turning pages of a book - start with board books and gradually introduce books with thinner pages

• Finger foods or you also known as BLW

• Any activity or toy that promotes squeezing or pinching movements

Pincer grasp activities for toddler

• Play board games (check more idea here)

• Play card games

• Playing with play dough

• Search and find sensory play activities (check more idea here)

• Peeling stickers

How is the pincer grasp and baby led weaning related? 

Good question - both involve hand eye coordination and babies can use the pincer grasp as they feed themselves when they pick up food and use their utensils. The pincer grasp does not need to be fully developed in order to start baby led weaning. Rather, baby led weaning is just another activity that can help your little one develop that skill!

Encouraging the pincer grasp skill simply means allowing the little explorer to investigate a lot with fingers. Let her enjoy touching and manipulating toys or household objects.

Read more: History of Grabease - What make Grabease so special?

Wondering which hand is the correct hand for baby to use?

Now is NOT the time for babies to develop a hand preference. Why? Because by learning to use either hand means baby is also using BOTH sides of her brain. Very young children often use both hands equally. Most children have a preference for using one hand or the other by the age of about 18 months, and are definitely right or left-handed by about the age of three.

We’re focusing on brain development (rather than developing hand dominance, typically seen closer to age three or even four) so parent proactively & encourage baby to learn to fork with both hands.

What happens after the pincer grasp development?

Once the pincer grasp is developed, grasping becomes precise. Babies explore more by shaking, moving, throwing, and rotating. Mouth is no longer their primary sensory preceptor. They use both the hands to determine the size, hardness, texture, weight, and other properties.

Pincer grasp helps in later activities such as writing, coloring with crayons, cutting with scissors, and so on. The child’s preference for using left or right hand emerges slowly, although it can completely develop by two or three years.

Read more: Baby essentials that is important for your children's development

Welcoming you to be part of BabyLux family, if you want to be baby products distributors but not sure where to start, drop us a message!

Modified from Grabease blog post.

3 Things you must know before buying Loulou silicone bibs

Everyone knows that babies need bibs. But it probably wasn’t until you actually reached of parenthood that you realized just how necessary bibs are. When it comes to BLW, you need keeping food off your baby or toddler’s adorable outfit, any bib is better than nothing. But options that are easy to wash and keep food from ending up in her lap or on her arms are your best bet.

Content:

| Are Loulou silicone bibs worth it?

| How many silicone bibs do you actually need to own?

| Why Loulou LOLLIPOP silicone bibs?

Are Loulou LOLLIPOP silicone bibs worth it?

A few months ago, I introduced solid foods to my daughter. I first fed him purées with a spoon, but after she started grabbing the bowl and reaching out for any food in sight, I incorporated baby-led feeding into the mix, giving her pieces of soft vegetables that she could pick up and feed herself. Thanks to countless videos on the social media, I knew that when babies feed themselves, food flies everywhere. A good bib—with a pocket to catch at least some of what didn't make it into my daughter’s mouth.

Silicone bibs are soft, flexible and waterproof. They can also be wiped clean after mealtime. Most have a lip or pocket at the bottom to catch food that your little one drops so it doesn’t end up on her lap.

I’ve used Loulou LOLLIPOP for 2 months now, I personally love the printed one better than the regular one. I feel that the printed bibs have a bigger and wider pocket, I can catch a lot of food that didn’t make it into my daughter’s mouth. So, for me it is totally worth it!

Read more: Loulou LOLLIPOP a strong chewable teether that your baby will LOVE!!

The printed silicone bibs.

How many silicone bibs do you actually need to own?

You could probably get by with just one, but it’s never a bad idea to have an extra bib or two around for backup. For newborns who only have some occasional drool or spit up, five bibs may be enough to last the week. For babies who really crank out the drool or spit up, though, you might go through five bibs a day.

So how many bibs do you actually need to own for those messy little eaters? The answer depends on your own family's needs. I have around 5 silicone bibs.

Read more: Grabease all-over bib review

Why Loulou LOLLIPOP silicone bibs?

If your older baby or toddler always tears off bibs with velcro closures, try this. The button closure is more likely to stay put, plus the adjustable buttons are designed to fit kids up to age 3. And if you’re not a fan of the typical baby colors, you’ll be psyched to hear that these bibs come in soothing earth tones like beige, olive and marble. They also have the printed one, which I very like.

A molded, catch-all pouch and easy, wipe-down surface makes for quick cleaning. With reinforced buttonholes for a durable, adjustable fit, this handy bib is available in an array of modern colors and fresh designs to complement baby’s wardrobe.

• 100% food grade silicone

• bib catch-all pouch to collect crumbs

• Free of BPA, PVC, phthalates, lead and cadmium

• Ages: 3-36 months

• Top rack dishwasher safe

Read more: Knowing more about Loulou LOLLIPOP teether, swaddle, blanket, bibs, and towel

At last, I had two main concerns with the material and make of the bib - Is it actually waterproof? And how easy is it to clean? We favored bibs that could easily be cleaned in the sink and that dried quickly.Tell me your story about your kids and your bibs.

Welcoming you to be part of BabyLux family, planning to start own business by being baby products distributors but not sure where to start, drop us a message!

4 Reason why I love Grabease silicone suction bowl

Silicone products are becoming increasingly popular and can be found in almost every kitchen, bathroom or nursery. Grabease stay-put bowl provides peace of mind to let littles explore self-feeding without the worry of them making a mess.

We love these Grabease silicone suction bowl since they are easy to clean, even with foods like tomato sauce that can stain other plastic plates. They’re also a safer material for heating in the microwave and washing in the dishwasher. They are very resistant to scratches and have been very durable in our experience, because scratches can break down the material.

Grabease silicone suction bowl come in 3 colors, Blush, Teal, and Gray. Bundle with the stage 1 spoons (spoon teether) which is gentle on teething gums, and stage 2 fork & spoon set for more food exploration. The bundle is the perfect companion for the whole BLW journey.

Read more: Grabease, best baby self feeding spoon and fork set

What I love about Grabease silicone bowl?

Portion, don’t separate

Sectioned to promote healthy portion sizes & satisfy picky eaters. Use sections as a way to portion, rather than separate, foods! The last thing we want is a child who's used to their foods not touching each other and falling apart when the rice touches the chicken or (god forbid!) the ketchup.

Read more: Tired of preparing a separate meal for your picky eater?

The suction is sturdy

This bowl knows how to stay-put with its sturdy suction feature. Be sure to adhere the bowl firmly to the table and allow yourself to go enjoy a cup of coffee without worrying it might end up on the floor. Deep sides for easy scooping. Strong suction base that will adhere to most surfaces.

For a perfect and sturdy suction, press the base of the suction bowl down (where the divider is located). For release, simply lift and pull the tab sticking out at the base of the suction bowl.

Read more: The importance to let your baby self-feeding, it's worth the mess

Keep bacteria away

Food grade silicone can be a safe and convenient alternative to plastic. Due to its flexibility, light weight, easy cleaning and hygienic and hypoallergenic properties (it has no open pores to harbor bacteria), it is especially convenient for snack containers, bibs, mats, protective sleeves and bath toys.

More than ever Grabease are doing are best of ward of harmful bacterias, and this bowl is ready to join the fight. Made of bacteria resistant, food grade silicone. Our food grade silicone is resistant to most bacterias, odors, and stains.

Can be both boiled sterilized

Be sure to wash and inspect bowl for any breakage before use. Discard at first sign of weakness or damage. Our food grade silicone bowl is dishwasher safe. It can be both boiled and sterilized.

Grabease suction divided bowls are designed to provide parents with a compact option optimized for young eaters - the perfect companion for you baby led weaning journey- without the worry about this bowl flying off the table onto the floor. Pairs perfectly with Grabease other items, like the ergonomic utensils.

I love how Grabease develop their product, they developing meaningful products. When I think about eating, I always have Grabease in my mind. They have develop a full kits to build an independent eater.

Read more: Grabease all-over bib review

Grabease full range of product.

Find a perfect Grabease bundle via your local distributor, or drop us a message if you can’t find one. They are available in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan and many other countries. Also welcoming you to be part of BabyLux family, planning to start own business by being baby products distributors but not sure where to start, drop us a message!

History of Grabease - What make Grabease so special?

It's exhausting for every brands to battle the knock offs, however, this is our obligation to our customers, to inform you because it involves the safety of your babies. Knock offs usually are made from factories that only want to make a quick buck. They have no respect for creativity, integrity and safety. 

BabyLux carried brands spent lots of money in safety testings and insurance, and these are all for your child's safety. Yes, you can probably get them cheaper elsewhere, but would you risk your child's life for it? As a parent, the most fulfilling thing is watching your child master a new skill on his or her own. There is no greater joy than watching each milestone take place. Teaching our children new skills is our pleasure but constantly having to practice them can get frustrating.

The history of Grabease

And please respect every brand’s effort and creativity.

From lawyer to product developer, Maya Shalev - founder of Grabease - loved problem-solving but didn't love the aggressiveness of litigation. She did mediation training at the Los Angeles Attorney's office before getting pregnant with her daughter, Alma.

As a stay at home mom for a few years, Maya was able to apply her problem-solving skills when she developed, with her dad, products that were missing in the market.  

In 2014, Maya found herself at a crossroads when her father passed away while she was three months pregnant. Finding herself in this new situation, Maya decided to take a break to cope with the loss of her father and focus her energy on the new life she was bringing into the world.

In 2015, Maya found herself with a new challenge when her six-month-old son, Amit, was learning how to self-feed. This obstacle reignited her passion for developing a product that would not only solve the need for her son but other moms going through similar scenarios.

Off the bat, she noticed that baby utensils aren't designed with babies in mind. The handles were too long and her son couldn't hold the utensil naturally. She decided to meltdown cheap forks to create a shorter, thicker handle. The first mold was created out of Playdough, a common medium in a house with kids.

The next phase was to create a set of utensils, the most expensive pair of fork and spoon she's ever invested in, a whopping $400 for a 3D printed set! Using her son as a guinea pig to test out the new utensils Maya noticed that the handle was on the thin side so she went back to the drawing board and designed a teardrop-shaped handle.

She took this prototype to a Pediatric Occupational Therapist for some feedback to make sure she was developing the right product. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The Occupational Therapist told Maya that the Grabease utensils "makes a great developmental product for children ages 4 months and up. Grabease supports fine motor skill development and independent feeding skills."

The inspiration to go back in business to not only create but give back was through the social initiative she saw the Toms brand spearhead. When Grabease was being packed and shipped Maya partnered with The Harvest Home, a non-profit organization that helps homeless pregnant women get back on their feet.

The Grabease design was immediately patented in 2016 and sent to production. A soft launch was introduced via Amazon to see if there was a need for the product. Maya designed the product with the intention that nine-month-old children and older would be using the product but to her surprise moms were excited to share photos and videos of their six-month-old babies self-feeding with the Grabease.

Grabease was tagged by tons of moms on social media, gushing with excitement that their kids were independently eating with the utensils.

The pivotal change for the brand was at the JPMA trade show. The last day of the show is open to consumers, the excitement and the crowd around the Grabease booth was proof that the brand was going to be high in demand. Shortly after, all products were sold out on Amazon as well. Before long, the Grabease website launched!

Read more: Grabease, best baby self feeding spoon and fork set

Not only was Grabease helping babies learn how to independently feed themselves, it was helpful for differently-abled children as well. Parents were sharing how Grabease utensils were helping their children with cerebral palsy or down syndrome. This was heartwarming and impactful for Maya.

Different organizations that helped children with different abilities were now reaching out to the brand for support. Without hesitation, Grabease donated products to help and promote the development of independent eaters. With the word spreading, Maya found herself getting emails and calls from Occupational Therapists that were interested in trying out the product in their clinics and then endorsing the product. Another win for Grabease!

In quarter 1 of 2017 Maya graduated from the kitchen to the garage. Soon after, Nordstroms and other independent retailed picked up the brand and Grabease moved into an office space in 2018.  

Grabease is now available in 300 stores and internationally, accessible in over 15 countries and expanding rapidly!

Maya didn't stop there. The Grabease toothbrush was the next product created. Thought of and designed by Maya's then 8-year-old daughter, Alma. The idea came to her when she saw the struggles her parents were having when trying to brush her little brothers' teeth, Amit. 

Alma sketched the design and 2 years later the design came to life. The toothbrush was a hit. So much so that most kids don’t want to put it down!

Read more: 2019 Grabease new product double sided toothbrush

Maya and the team of moms take pride in developing products that provide solutions for families around the world while helping children in need. Grabease is excited to continue launching innovative and helpful products for other parents because being a parent is a lot of work and we want to alleviate unnecessary stress so you can enjoy the best moments with your growing tot!

Article quoted from Grabease blog post.

The importance to let your baby self-feeding, it's worth the mess

As a new parents, you might being really protective of you kids. You are afraid of choking issue, so you may always feed your children. Of course I know every parents might have different perception about self-feeding for children, let we discuss the importance of allowing children to be in charge of their own feeding and learn how to listen to their bodies, it is also called BLW (baby-led weaning).

This article will let you know why you should stop feeding them and let your little one self-feeding, and yes, letting them self-feeding definitely worth the mess.

Why baby self-feeding is worth the mess?

Learning to eat alone (self-feeding) must be trained early so that the child is active in various things later. When a child is able to grasp something it's good to let them eat by themselves so that his fingers are stimulated.

Children who learn to grab food and put it in their mouths are expected to be more skilled in using their hands for other positive activities such as coloring or drawing.

The more they learns to hold, after a long time their fine motor muscles or small muscles become stronger. When they gets bigger, we stimulate him to self-feeding using a utensils according to his size, and then he gets more skilled, which means he gets stronger again.

What is a good age to start self-feeding and why?

Once you introduce solid food, your child might show signs of wanting to feed himself. Just wait until your child is able to pick up food and get it into their mouths successfully, whether using their hands or utensils, then it is the right time to begin the transition to self-feeding. It is an important stage of children to self-feeding. Self-feeding involves lots of feeling, squeezing and dropping food. It might seem messy, but it’s one of the ways your child develops fine motor skills like learning to hold a spoon.

Read also: 3 Rules you must follow when giving first food to your children

Start baby self-feeding with..

Finger foods

In BLW method there is mentioned about letting your children observe food by their own. Soft, bite-sized pieces of food that are easy for baby to pick up and mash between his gums or teeth. Like a small piece of soft fruit or soft and cooked vegetables like potato or pumpkin. You can add more if they’re finish their meal or if they’re drop it.

Start introduce solid food to them while they are 6 months old, the important thing is finger foods are not their main nutrition resource, by that time we encourage you to keep breastfeeding your baby, but, let them observe foods. You will find out that when they have interested in foods, then it would be easier to let them self-feeding.

Read more: Baby's first solid food

Using utensils

Technically there is no right or wrong about giving children use utensils to self-feeding, as long as utensils was made for children, like Grabease. The self-feeding journey with hands is very important as it helps a baby to experience texture and it is all important for the gag reflex. Utensils then bring to the table the next developmental step in learning about mealtime etiquette and motor development.

Why Grabease is the best fork and spoon to start with?

Let’s talk about traditional children’s cutlery. They look very much like adult cutlery, just scaled down to a small size. However, if you put a traditional child’s spoon next to a baby’s arm, you will see that a “child size” spoon is actually the same length as a 12-month old’s forearm! If adults used the same proportions in utensils when we ate we’d be eating with a serving spoon.  So, traditional children’s utensils are too big.

Read more: Self-feeding utensils, Grabease or Bumkins silicone chewtensils?

Then there is improper hand-hold in “child size” spoon. Due to the long handle, a child can’t use a proper vertical hand grasp to use them, so they hold these handles with a fist. This doesn’t encourage fine motor development.

There really is only one solution and that’s Grabease. They encourage vertical and horizontal hold because of the short ergonomic handle and have been endorsed by Occupational Therapists due to this revolutionary feature.

-The Real Nutritionist-

If you're interested in learning more about the transition to utensils for self-feeding baby, check out this.

Last but not least, messy eating and playing with food are normal parts of your baby’s development when they’re learning to eat independently. It’s normal for your baby to drop or throw food on the floor. If you react when they do this, he might think it’s the start of an exciting new game. One way to handle this is ignore it. Pick up the food calmly, without a fuss. Or you can leave the food on the floor until they finish their meal so you just have the one clean-up.

“Needless to say, teaching children self-feeding is often a long and messy journey. Just let the food fly!!”

— The Real Nutritionist