Baby Bib Tutorial (0-3 Months)

I feel like there's a "newborn" version readily available in just about EVERYTHING... but I've noticed that it's really hard to find bibs that are made for smaller babies.  With both of my children, I would put a "one size" bib to contain their "spit up" and they'd end up with a ring of dampness around the neck line of their clothing before anything even touched the bib... Annoying.

My solution?  Make my own bibs!  While I will definitely NOT claim to be an expert seamstress (very far from it, actually),  bibs are super easy to put together, even for a novice.  You can "upcycle" bibs using materials already in your home (ecofriendly!), and nothing but a simple straight stitch on the most basic of sewing machines will do!

You'll need a few things to put this together, so we'll start there:

• Sewing Machine, threaded and ready to go
• Scissors (preferably fabric scissors)
• Paper & Washable marker or fabric pen
• Cotton fabric & Water resistant or absorbent fabric
• Pins or clamps to hold your fabric together
• 0-3 Month Bib Pattern

Pattern 

I've uploaded my 0-3 Month Bib Pattern in PDF format.  You can access it at the link below.  I recommend testing the pattern by holding it up to your child before cutting your fabric.  Remember that this is a scaled down bib - if you have older children, they'll need something a little larger.

• 0-3 Month Bib Pattern, PDF

Fabric Choices

Bibs serve a simple purpose for infants of this age - Keeping your baby's clothing clear of spit up and drool.  But they can also be a fashion statement!  For the top layer, or "topper," see if you have anything laying around that's bright and fun for your baby - I used an adorable 100% cotton woodland animal fabric. You can also use old flannel receiving blankets.

The bottom layer, or "backer," needs to be more functional though - This means you'll need fabric that will either resist/absorb the wet stuff, or block it all together.  I picked fleece, which is water resistant, and added an inner "hidden" layer of PUL, a synthetic material that is waterproof - but that's optional and not everyone will have PUL laying around.  You can use old towels and washcloths as backers and it will work just fine.

Stacking & Pinning

Once you've got your fabric together, use the pattern to create your template for the bib and cut out your topper and backer.  Stack them up with the "right sides" facing.  We'll be sewing this together inside-out, so whatever your want showing once you're done should be on the inside of this fabric sandwich.

Once you've lined up your fabric, pin it into place.  I used fabric pins, but you can even use paperclips if you need too - just something to hold the pieces in line while you sew.  Use as many pins/clips as you need to hold everything together.  You want to make sure that the fabric is even and that nothing is bunched up.  It should look something like this:

Sew it Together

Now it's time to get sewing!  Use a quarter inch seam allowance and sew around the shape of the bib as evenly as you can - go slow if you're new at this!  Because we are turning and top stitching the bib, remember to leave a space or "hole" of at least one inch so that you can turn the bib.  Note for you newbies: As you reach any of your pins/clips, remove them so that the needle doesn't go over them (that could break the needle and is dangerous!)

Turning

This is where it can be a struggle if you aren't careful.  Because you are making the fabric "right side out" again, you need to pull the entire bib through that tiny little gap you left open.  The first hint I have for you is to "miter" your corners - Use your fabric scissors to trim down the quarter inch seam along your curves, without cutting your stitches - trust me, this is a life saver!  

The second hint for turning your bib is be sure to pull fabric from the opposite side of the bib FIRST.  It makes things a lot easier.  Try to be as gentle as you can with the fabric.  Once you've got things right side out, use a pencil or stick to gently poke at the inside of the fabric to make sure that everything has been fully turned.  It should look something like this when you're done:

Top Stitching & Closure

Now that you've got your bib fully turned, we want to top stitch the entire thing.  This will seal the one inch hole you used for your turn space, and it will make your bib retain it's shape through use and washing.  I pin the turn space during this process - make sure that you fully close that up with your top stitch!  The goal of your seam allowance on this one should be 1/8 of an inch.  Even mine was a little off in places, so take your time and go as slow as you need too!

Once your top stitch is done, the last step is your closure.  This really depends on you - I used snaps which are so easy to do that I didn't even bother taking a photo - But you can sew on a button, or sew on velcro.  Test the bib around your baby's neck first to make sure that you don't make it too snug - remember, this pattern is already scaled down for smaller babies!

You're Done!

Once the top stitching and closure are done, you're ready to use your bib!  If you're interested in my patterns for bibs made for larger babies and toddlers, let me know.  My little girl is about to grow out of this size, so I'll be retiring my collection - But they were fun and inexpensive to make!

Grocery Shopping, Made Fun!

One of the hardest things to do when grocery shopping with your kids is keeping them entertained.  One section of the store that I've always found particularly challenging is the produce section.  Why?  Well, if you were a six year-old watching your parent load up on nasty tasting vegetables, you probably wouldn't be having a great time.

So what can we do?  While some parents might not have the patience to deal with it, I think it's a good idea to make things fun for your child.  Here's an idea that kept my six year-old son happy while I was looking around for the ingredients I'm trying in a "detox" green juice.  It has a few things in it that I don't typically purchase, so I was wandering around in circles trying to find things - My son was patient for about... two minutes.  Then the whining started.

"Are you done yet?"

"Can I get fruit snacks?"

"Can we go home?"

"Ew, that's gross!  Don't buy that!"

I was far from done with my shopping, so I put him on a project.  Looking around the produce section, my favorite thing has always been the color.  Raw vegetables and fruits are actually quite beautiful. Basing my idea around that, I decided to have my son focus on color and create me a rainbow.

I gave him a few ground rules to get him started: 

• First, he had to hold on to the shopping cart and stay with me while he looked (safety first, right?).  
• Second, we used the "normal" rainbow - no black, pink etc.  
• Third, he had to find the colors in order.  Red first, orange second, etc.

With the rules decided, he got started.  The store was running a bell pepper sale so red was easy - those things were EVERYWHERE.  Orange was another easy one - oranges!  As the rainbow went on, though, it got a bit more challenging.  Here's what my little guy ended up with:

• Red: Bell Pepper
• Orange: Navel Orange
• Yellow: Lemon
• Green: Avocado
• Blue: Blueberries
• Purple: Red Onion

As you can see, my boy did a good job!  It kept him occupied for about ten minutes, while I gathered everything I was looking for.  Getting him involved and excited in the produce section made our trip to the grocery store seem a lot quicker.  Plus, he was in a good mood and felt like he accomplished something.

I'm a huge believer in empowering kids.  Give them the occasional challenge or fun project and see what they can do!  I'm looking forward to challenging myself more as my son gets older.  The more he learns, the harder it is for me to keep him on his toes!

Inspiring Creativity in our Children

In today's society, it's so easy to fall into the trap of sitting your child in front of a TV and letting the television act an an almost "baby sitter" while you get the laundry and dishes done, cook dinner, etc.  I'll admit that the TV has helped me out at times, even though I try my best to limit the amount of time my son spends watching it.

 But why should we limit TV or video game time?  My thought process behind that is keeping my child's mind active - not letting him just sit and watch a screen.  I want his mind, hands, and voice engaged in activities that will help him grow - I want to inspire his creativity.  But what activities can do that, and why is it so important?

 

Creativity, by definition, is the use of the imagination or original ideas.  One can imply from that, in a way, that any person requires a certain amount of creativity to "think outside of the box," be unique, and push the envelope.  These are the cornerstones of successful ADULTS in every business and industry in the world.  Because of that, I feel it's a parent's responsibility to foster creative thinking in their children. 

When our children are young, they're sponges - they take in everything and absorb it as they form their personalities, values, and opinions.  As parents, we can cultivate creativity through play and interaction - This doesn't require fancy classes at special academies or going to parenting workshops.  It's all about being present in your child's life and giving them exposure to games, toys, and experiences that will help them grow into creative thinkers.

In the Cozy household, we've been on a budget since the moment our son was born.  It's not that we weren't financially ready, it's just that kids can be and generally ARE expensive to raise.  We also live in California, so things tend to be pretty pricey anyway.

When thinking of ways to keep our son occupied and engaged in the world around him we, through trial and error, found a few really cheap ways to not only keep our son laughing and smiling, but also to inspire him to think and behave creatively.

Get Your Child Outside With a Magnifying Glass: A magnifying glass is a wonderful thing.  For only a few bucks, my son and I can enjoy outdoor adventures while we walk our dog.  We examine rocks, leaves, bugs - you name it.  My son comes up with all sorts of stories about who planted the trees around our house, what the birds might be talking about, and he's convinced the the snails we see are like Turbo from the movie.

Become An Artist: Crayons are my preference for this, but colored pencils and paints serve the same purpose.  My son LOVES colors - he even has a detailed list of his ten favorites.  He likes to draw our family, our dog, wild animals, roller coasters, and has recently started making greeting cards for us.  My favorites are the ones with "I Love Mom" written on the front.

Problem Solve with Puzzles: When he was little, we bought those big 10-piece puzzles for toddlers and our son wasn't at all impressed.  However, now that he's six years-old, the more challenging 100-piece puzzles keep him interested.  We turn these puzzles into family events, getting all of us at the table, helping him to piece together a puzzle about his favorite story, movie, and even maps of the world.

Adventure in a Book: Think beyond bedtime stories and include books throughout your child's day.  It helps with their development of reading skills and also allows them to explore the joy of reading about fairy tale princesses, dashing pirates, super heroes, and even outer-space travel.  For my son, the longer the book the better.  This process has encouraged his spirit of "make believe" and has made him more interested in the world around him.

Sculpt in 3D Color: Play Doh can be bought just about everywhere and I don't think I've met a child that didn't love the stuff.  We've amassed a relatively inexpensive box filled with different colors, shapes & cutters for our son to experiment with.  This has helped with his fine motor skills and is developing his ability for artistic expression... even if he always mixes the colors up.