Bibs and burpers

In this week’s baby bargainista column, Jenny tells us what Toronto Girl Geek Dinners has to do with bibs and burps. Read on...

As a parent, I love sharing information with other moms and dads. Some of my best intel on bargains and useful items has come through the parenting grapevine, from chatting with other parents at playdates, birthday parties, and so on; and I enjoy passing along any tips that I can, through this blog for example! I’m also continually amazed at how solutions to parenting problems can find us in the least likely places.

I was chatting with Sarah Welsh of Nova Web Designs at a recent Toronto Girl Geek Dinner, and somehow we got on the topic of how difficult it can be to source exactly what you’re looking for when it comes to kids and babies. In particular I bemoaned my total inability to find either decent burp cloths (those handy pieces of fabric that go over your shoulder when burping baby, to save your clothing from the inevitable spit-up) or no-velcro bibs (the velcro scratches my baby’s neck, making her cranky and irritated).

Happily, Sarah had a solution! In her web design business she is working on a website for Stork Approved, a line of bibs, blankets and burp cloths currently available through Etsy. She offered me a couple of samples as the maker was looking for testers to put the product through its paces and report on quality and performance.

I used both a bib (pictured) and a burp cloth with our baby for several weeks, and fell in love with both of them! Both have a lovely fun pattern (helpful for masking stains) and a terrycloth backing for extra absorbency. After multiple uses, I can report that both the bib and burper are so solidly made as to be virtually impermeable – not once did any liquid, food, or spit-up stain baby’s clothes when using the bib, or mine when using the burp cloth. Both have become my new favorite items, especially the burp cloth, which is kept right by the nursing chair as I use it many times a day!

It all goes to show, you never know where you’ll come across a useful tip or connection that makes your parenting job easier!

What solutions or tips have you come across from unexpected sources?