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If you’ve ever changed your child’s outfit three times before lunch, you already know drooling and mealtime messes are no joke. Between teething dribbles, spit up, and starting solids, keeping your little one (and your floors) clean can feel like a full-time job. That’s where the right baby bib comes in.
The best baby bibs do more than just look cute—they protect clothes, save laundry loads, and make cleanup faster and less stressful. Whether you’re dealing with constant drool, starting solids, or navigating full-on toddler self-feeding adventures, choosing the right style and material can make a big difference! We’ve tried a lot, and not every bib is created equal.
In this post, we’ll break down the best bibs for babies and toddlers that help with everyday drooling and messy mealtimes, and what features stand out in each.
Top Bibs for Babies & Toddlers
Here’s our roundup of the best bibs for drooling, mealtimes, and traveling!
Best Baby Bibs for Drooling
Babies and young toddlers can drool a lot! Their mouths start producing more saliva around 2-3 months of age, but their muscles haven’t caught up to swallowing it efficiently. In addition, drooling can also increase during teething.
Price: 8 for $15.96 Material: 100% organic cotton Age recommendation: 0-2 years Cleaning: Machine wash cold, tumble dry low
If you’ve got a drooling baby, these bandana bibs are a great option. They’re super affordable and come in lots of colorways and patterns for boys and girls. There are gender-neutral options available as well. I love that they’re made with organic cotton which is gentle on the skin.
Price: 7 for $21.50 Material: 100% cotton Age recommendation: 0-18 months Cleaning: Machine washable
These teething bibs come highly recommended by an Eat Play Say mom who had a baby who drooled a lot! They’re bigger than the typical bandana bibs so they have more surface area to soak up the drool and keep outfits dry for longer.
They’re soft and comfortable for babies with a snap closure.
Price: 2 for $19.99 Material: 100% FDA grade silicone Age recommendation: 6 months-2 years Cleaning: Wipe clean, or top-rack dishwasher safe
Made from non-toxic silicone, these waterproof bibs have a food catcher at the bottom and clean up so easily. They come in neutral colors, are top-rack dishwasher safe, and roll up for easy storing.
Price: $13.99 Material: Food-grade silicone Age recommendation: 6 months-2 years Cleaning: Wipe clean, or top-rack dishwasher safe
The Mushie silicone bib is free from BPA, BPS, PVC and phthalates. It comes with a deep food catcher, adjustable neck, and holds its shape wash after wash. Mushie offers lots of color and pattern selections and offers other mealtime accessories to match like silicone placemats and more!
Smock Bibs
We love smock bibs for little ones who are just learning to eat because they cover most of their outfit from neck to wrist. That extra coverage gives babies and toddlers the freedom to explore their food, get messy, and build confidence at the table. And parents don’t have to stress about stained clothes (or that special heirloom outfit).
And smock bibs aren’t just for mealtimes. They’re also perfect for arts and crafts, sensory play, and any other creative activities. When mess is part of the fun, a good smock bib helps everyone relax and enjoy it.
We love the Lalo Smock bib for mealtimes and arts and crafts! It comes in two sizes – one for babies and young toddlers, another for littles ages 2-4.
They’re 100% waterproof and have a super comfortable fit. You can wipe it clean, or pop it in the washing machine for a deeper cleaning. It’s available in neutral shades as well as playful food-inspired patterns that add a little extra fun to messy moments.
Price: $12.95 and up depending on pattern Material: 100% polyester Sizing: 6-24 months Cleaning: Wipe clean, or machine washable
Bumkins Smock Bibs are another favorite in our family. They help contain the mess of mealtimes and let littles explore more! I love the elastic wrists that keep food from getting up into the sleeves.
The back ties around the neck for a more adjustable fit, and the small pocket near the waist helps catch crumbs and spills. These are made with a more lightweight material than Lalo’s smock bibs.
Not only do these smock bibs come in lots of fun patterns and colors, they also come with designs including Disney and Nintendo characters.
Price: $19.99 Material: 100% polyester Sizes: 6 months-3T; 3T-5T Cleaning: Wipe clean, or machine wash and dry
BapronBaby bibs come in the cutest patterns. I love the playful food-inspired designs and bright colors! Their design is more unique than most bibs – they cover your child almost fully in the front, then tie in the back across the body. These bibs are also made without pockets on purpose to decrease potential weight on baby’s neck.
I love these bibs for gifting because the patterns have such personality!
Price: 2 for $22.99 Material: Food-safe silicone pocket, polyester Age recommendation: 6 months-2 years Cleaning: Wipe clean, or machine washable
These roll-up bibs are the best for travel, I always have one on hand. You can roll them up tight and compact to fit in any diaper bag.
The Velcro neck closure fits securely and it’s harder for littles to pull off, too. In a pinch, I also use this baby bib as a plate. You can lay it on a table or high chair and use the silicone food catcher half to place snacks on.
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Most parenting resources come from a single expert's perspective, but development doesn't really work that way.
You can't fully understand feeding without input from both a dietitian and a feeding specialist. You can't properly address milestones without OT, PT, and SLP perspectives working together. That's why every Eat Play Say resource is created collaboratively by our entire team — giving you the most comprehensive guidance possible, all in one place.
MS, SLP
Founder of Eat Play Say, Speech-Language Pathologist, Feeding Specialist, Play Expert, Mom of 3
Jordyn Koveleski Gorman
SPECIALIZES IN: Infant and toddler speech-language, play, and feeding development, and curating a team that provides expert help that feels like a reassuring text from that one mom friend
EDUCATION: Jordyn received her BS in Speech-Language Pathology from Bloomsburg University and her MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Towson University
FAVE PARENTING FIRST: “The first true smile, it’s the sweetest!”
SPECIALIZES IN: Breast and bottle feeding, tongue ties, oral motor dysfunction, starting solids, infant and toddler speech, treating oral motor disorders
EDUCATION: Jessica received her BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Pennsylvania State University in 2015 and her MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Towson University in 2017
FAVE PARENTING FIRST: “Baby’s first wave! What a fun first communication gesture!”
SPECIALIZES IN: Breast and bottle feeding, tongue ties, starting solids, infant and toddler speech development
EDUCATION: She received her BS in Speech-Language Pathology from Ball State in 2014 and a MA in Speech-Language Pathology from Ball State in 2016.
FAVE PARENTING FIRST: “My favorite baby’s first is their first true smile that just warms your soul knowing they are smiling at you. My other favorite is their first word. I love watching their language explode!”
SPECIALIZES IN: Bilingual development (Spanish-English), supporting multilingual families, infant and toddler speech
EDUCATION: She received her BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders and in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014 and her MS in Speech-Language Pathology with an English-Spanish Specialization from Marquette University in 2016.
FAVE PARENTING FIRST: “It’s the first slobbery kisses for me!”
SPECIALIZES IN: Infant and pediatric nutrition including breastfeeding, formula feeding, and starting solids. She also specializes in prenatal and postpartum nutrition.
EDUCATION: She received her BSc in Biology in 2014 from Life University, and her BSc in Dietetics from Life University in 2019.
FAVE PARENTING FIRST: ”The first time they say ‘mama!’”
This checklist was created with input from a Speech-Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist and Physical Therapist and has been downloaded over 20,000 times by parents worldwide. Learn the important milestones to pay attention to, and keep it in your digital back pocket during the baby + toddler years!
Comprehensive Milestone Checklist for gross motor, fine motor, and speech-language milestones for 0-36 months,