Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We have been very happy owners of the Bumkins bibs for our daughter, starting with the baby version and then the "Superbib" (both are sleeveless). However, as she progressed to eating with her hands and then with a spoon, her messes outgrew the ability of both of those bibs to handle them. Especially when eating applesauce, yogurt, or similar foods, most of what didn't make it into her mouth would end up all over her arms or down around her thighs. This bib addresses 99% of that spillover. Here is what makes this such a great bib and why I find it superior to others: 1) Despite how large it is, it is soft, very lightweight, and completely waterproof. We tried several other large-pocket bibs were made of silicone-like material, and they were just too stiff to be comfortable, especially in the neck area. It made me uncomfortable just looking at her in those! 2) The sleeves provide full coverage of the arms, but better still, the sleeves have elastic at their ends which forms a little "seal" around your little one's wrists -- not tight, but snug enough to prevent even the most tenacious of applesauce globs from getting inside the sleeves. Major score here. 3) There is a large pocket that can catch a lot of dropped food... but see the tips below! 4) The bib secures behind the neck with ties, not velcro or snaps. We have some velcro bibs as well, and our daughter discovered that she could rip them off with gusto when she felt she was finished eating. Though I can't deny the dramatic effect the gesture had, it typically resulted in food being flung across the kitchen, which was not ideal. Better, we decided, for her bib to stay put until we could remove it in a controlled fashion, and the ties on this bib prevent such theatrics (and messes). So when do we use this bib? If our daughter is just having a snack in her high chair, like some Goldfish crackers and pieces of fruit, the sleeveless Bumkins Superbib does an admirable job. But if she is going to eat just about anything involving a spoon, or foods that can be messy like applesauce, this bib gets called into action. It's a workhorse of a bib, but there are definitely a few things you can do to maximize its effectiveness: 1) As I mentioned above, the bib's pocket is cavernous, but it is attached to the front of the bib at its center, which unfortunately means it does not stick out to catch food very well. We found that most of what dropped from the spoon bypassed the pocket and ended up in our daughter's lap. We fixed this problem by snipping the threads holding the pocket to the bib, allowing the pocket to billow forth in all its glory and trap those pesky food drippings. 2) When you secure the ties behind your little one's neck, make sure you draw the front of the bib up fairly high, so the front "collar" is beneath the chin; if you don't, the runnier foods can easily dribble right down beneath the bib. Note that I'm not saying to tie it tightly! You can pull the front of the bib up high but still have some slack in the ties. 3) When you go to remove the bib at the conclusion of a meal, take it off slowly and carefully! Remember that cavernous pocket I talked about? Turns out it can hold an enormous amount of food, and if you aren't careful when you remove the bib you may regret it. I'm embarrassed to say I made this mistake several times. Bottom line: We have been very impressed with the quality, functionality, and sturdiness of the Bumkins line of bibs, and this sleeved version is well worth its price.