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Whether you’re a first-time mom or if you’ve already had a few kids and you are taking care of a young infant in your home now, there are several baby clothing items that you absolutely cannot do without. One example is a baby bib.

Basically, this is a type of garment worn hanging from the neck to the chest, whose purpose is to protect clothing from spillage. Aside from babies, adults and young children also wear bibs when they’re going to the dentist, eating messy foods in restaurants like lobster houses, or undergoing certain medical procedures like lead bibs which are worn when taking an X-ray.

However, we will focus our attentions here on what every mom or mom-to-be needs to know when purchasing baby bibs. Also, what are the fun ways that you can personalize these infant garments? Read on to find out.

Top Tips to Remember when Purchasing Baby Bibs

As a responsible parent, it is your job to ensure that the clothes and other garments that you are putting on your baby are 100% safe, clean and comfortable. What about when it comes to baby bibs?  For this, there are a few things that you need to take into consideration:

The material that the bibs are made of.

There are several types of materials used in making baby bibs. There’s the traditional bibs made form cotton. Or, you can opt for non-traditional materials like leather, eco-friendly organic cotton or the same material used to make wetsuits to keep your baby ultra-dry during feeding.

The fit of the baby bibs.

What most parents do not know is that there are actually baby bibs which can be used for newborns. Instead of having to clean up the mess after the fact with the use of a burp cloth, you can prevent messy accidents from happening in the first place with the help of newborn baby bibs.  Just make sure that it’s the right fit and design for your baby. For older babies, the generic-sized baby bibs will do.   The ultimate solution would be to use a Scrunch Bottle Bib for bottle-feeding because it attaches to the bottle instead of the baby and catches spills at the chin.  That way you don’t have to worry about a bib fitting too tight and it catches every drop of spill before it gets a chance to get into the neck area.

The design and style of the baby bib.

Naturally, you can choose the design, color, print and style of the baby bib depending on the sex of your baby. If you’re buying baby supplies before the birth and you want to be surprised if it’s a boy or a girl, you can choose neutral shades and designs.

Fun Ways to Personalize Baby Bibs

It would be even better if you can find ways to personalize your baby bibs. Aside from using baby bibs for your own kids, you can give out personalized bibs as gifts or party favors for baby showers and similar occasions.

So what are the best ways for you to put a personal stamp on baby bibs? Whether you’re using it yourself or giving it out as a gift, here are a few personalization suggestions that you can keep in mind:

-          Purchase baby bibs by the dozen, and decorate them yourself.

If you are distributing baby bibs as party favors to other moms or giving it out as a gift for baby showers, what you can do is purchase ready made, plain white baby bibs by the dozen.  Depending on the design of your choice, there are plenty of ways that you can decorate the baby bibs. This trend in personalizing baby bibs has become so popular that they have become a staple theme during baby showers.

-          Personalize bibs using the fabric stamping technique.

Go to a crafts store and purchase a permanent fabric ink which can be used for fabric stamping.  Simply follow the instructions on the kit after choosing which design you like.

-          Sew on a fabric-embossed design on the baby bibs.

If you know how to operate a sewing machine or if you know how to work the needle, you can either embroider letters or designs onto the baby bibs. Another personalization idea is for you to sew on a design that will be embossed on the baby bib. For example, cut out a piece of fabric designed with the shape of a tiger’s head. Add a cotton filling inside the cloth to make the design pop out, and sew it onto to the baby bib.

-          Use iron-on transfers for the baby bibs.

Iron-on transfers are also available in crafts stores. The instructions on how to iron on the design from the template onto the fabric should be indicated in the kit, so you simply have to follow them.

Know a baby who has a birthday coming up? You undoubtedly want to get him or her something special. The ideal baby gift will please not only the baby, but at least as importantly the whole family.

In fact, if you are shopping for a gift for a newborn or a one-year-old, what goes inside the gift should definitely take mom and dad’s needs into account, as well. If you are looking for baby birthday gift basket ideas, here are 3 ideas:

1. Dinner food basket for mom and dad:

You moms and stay-at-home dads out there will relate to this: after a super-busy day watching baby, doing a bit of cleaning, and maybe some shopping, the last thing you want to do is to make dinner.

For the baby and his or her family, why not give them a dinner food basket? A good one will have all of the fixings for 1-2 complete dinners. Pasta dinners are a great choice, but anything that will not perish after a week or more will be well-received; you never know when the family will want to partake in the delicious food in your basket.

Wait, you say: this gift is no fun for the baby! Well, think about this: with a happier, more rested mom and dad at home, baby gets a more patient, happy parent. And that could be the best gift of all.

2. Baby care basket:

Another way to help out mom and dad is with a baby care basket. You can include items like diapers, baby powder, rash ointment, bibs, a blanket, a pacifier and a rattle. Worried they already have all of this stuff? If you have ever been a parent, you know how quickly all of these items can be soiled, used up, or lost. It is always good to have more on standby.

3. Baby learns basket:

For the 1-3 year old, how about a baby learns basket? You can put age-appropriate books, CDs, toys and DVDs into the basket. If you choose to include CDs and DVDs, make sure that the family owns players. At least with a CD, if nothing else the family can play it while in the car.

Consider these 3 baby birthday gift basket ideas.

You have been invited to a baby shower and because there’s a tradition to follow, you need to bring a present for the mom-to-be. A baby shower is a great time where you can show your love and care to the expectant parents, as well as to their upcoming baby through gifts. But if you are on a tight budget and you found out that the most beautiful gift ideas in the market are beyond your price range, this should not make you disappointed though because there are still possible ways to give wonderful baby shower gifts without spending a fortune.

The old saying, “It’s the thought that counts” is definitely true, which you can also apply to your inexpensive baby shower present. However, not because a present is inexpensive doesn’t mean it has low quality. It depends on you, the giver, to put effort into an inexpensive item to make it pleasing and memorable to your recipient.

One of the most inexpensive gifts that you can offer to the mom-to-be is a gift that is made by yourself. DIY baby shower gifts are popular nowadays. More and more people are into DIY because it is not only inexpensive, but also gives opportunity to gift-givers to put their own personal touches on the gifts. There are lots of baby shower gift ideas that are easy to make, such as personalized CD, picture frames, photo albums, scrapbooks and the like. You can also be poetic. For example, making a short poem and hand-write it on a special paper and frame it. You don’t have to be as poetic as Shakespeare, as long as every word in the poem comes from your heart. This makes a priceless gift that can also make a nice décor in the baby’s nursery.

There are plenty of inexpensive ideas that to choose from. Why not consider novelty items that you can find at a local dollar store? Baby shower gifts don’t necessarily have to be newborn clothes, blankets, or other baby items. Consider scented candles for example. A pregnant mom would really appreciate it if you will give her a present that can help her relax. Choose candles that have a mild scent for the pregnant mom, and let her enjoy bathing with aroma.

Books are also among the inexpensive choices that you can bring to a baby shower. Books of nursery rhymes or children stories are something that the new mom and dad would really appreciate. Although an infant will not be able to read and understand a book, but it poses no problem. Studies show that the earlier a child is exposed to educational books, the better.

Go online to search for more inexpensive baby gift ideas. By simply surfing the net, you can definitely find wonderful gift options that don’t cost a fortune. Other economical ideas that you may consider are homemade baby gift baskets, baby diaper cakes, handmade quilts, plush toys, nursery wall décor, and gift certificates. If you opt to personalize a present, all you have to do is to have it engraved or embroidered with the child’s name or initials.