Please don't call me a slattern. Baby weaning, struggling to keep on top of laundy, mouldy clothes. Help!

[BumperliciousIsOneHotMother]

DD has recently started weaning. It's very messy and despite wearing bibs she seems to get it all over her clothes.

I am struggling to keep on top of all the laundry and as a result some of her clothes and bibs are getting mould on them, which apart from being completely gross, is also permanent so I have to throw them away.

Please don't call me a slattern but give me some constructive tips on how to avoid this without becoming a slave to the washing machine.

Thanks!

[hunkermunker]

Strip her to a vest before she eats.

DS1 was utterly clean when he ate (black cherries in a white top when he was 16mo springs to mind), but DS2 - well, he used to move to take his top off before meals because he knew I was going to do it to him!

Then a bib with sleeves.

When are you doing laundry atm? Does your machine have a time delay? Can you put a load in last thing at night, set the machine to come on in the wee small hours, then hang it up first thing? Then you can do another load during the day if you need to?

[Anna8888]

Buy two of those Baby Björn coverall aprons (with sleeves). Put them on your baby for all meals. Wash the aprons in the machine often.

[talktothebees]

asda also do long sleeved fabric bibs for about £2 each.

My laundry basket is also getting a bit smelly but I've taken to putting a wash on every day which sometimes means DD's bibs going in with my knickers but needs must.

The only other answer I can think of is soaking the bibs in a solution of napisan until you're ready to do a wash but that could still get smelly after a day or so I guess. I am suffering with you......

[cmotdibbler]

The SillyBillyz bibs with sleeves are brilliant as the fleece doesn't stain, and they go through the tumble dryer without melting.
A soak in NapiSan does remove mould stains ime.
I chuck washing in in the evening, and don't worry about it sitting in the machine overnight.

[BumperliciousIsOneHotMother]

Thanks for not judging me! I will have to invest in some long sleeved bibs. Di I have to give her food? Can't I just bf her until she is old enough to use a knife and fork?!

[Cappuccino]

oh a plastic bib without a doubt

one of those ones you can put in the dishwasher

or 3 of them that you can put in the dishwasher

[cmotdibbler]

Its so much more complicated than just stuffing a nappy in a pocket and going out. Tho' doing blw, just means that you need the ginormous bib, such utensils as they are currently demanding, and wipes and you can go eat anywhere without taking cool bags, little tubs of stuff etc etc.
At 20 months DS now demands a knife and fork and you would not believe the mess you can make with that if you are the sort of child who refuses to be helped with anything. And the food must be totally intact to start with.
My most slatternly moments have been discovering half eaten pears at the bottom of the rucksack wrapped in a bib. Which were last seen two weeks ago.

[Cappuccino]

these

I never went back; and I had a toddler with fine motor difficulties

there was often more weetabix on the bib than ever went into her mouth

[BumperliciousIsOneHotMother]

LOL comtdibbler! I keep pulling banana encrusted muslins out of my bag!

[discoverlife]

LO's are not the most disgusting. Wait till you have to turn the mattress of a teenager.

[IndigoMoon]

i have a big coverall for ds which works.

i do a load of laundry a day and i am keeping on top of it.

[stealthsquiggle]

My answers would be:

Bibs with sleeves, and/or the plastic bibs Cappuccino linked to

Large bucket(s) full of biotex (this does require somewhere out of reach of DC) - chuck clothes straight in as they come off DC. Yes it does smell a bit after a couple of days, but that is my prompt to put a wash on, and the clothes don't smell/go mouldy

And strong Napisan / Ace bleach for the things that you find in your car/bag/coat pockets

ATM my problem is way smellier than messy eating - explosive nappies resulting in at least one set of poo-covered clothes and/or bedding every day - all the "normal" laundry is piling up as a result and poor DS went to school in yesterday's socks this morning

[amazonianwoman]

One of the bib's from Cappucino's link on top of a plastic long sleeved bib - latter can be just rinsed in washing up bowl & dried hanging off the tap. 2 of each should be enough.

[laura032004]

I had three or so tommee tippee roll up bibs.

Strip down to a white vest before feeding.

Get a pack of 10 flannels for face / hand wiping etc.

Stick all white vests and flannels in with tea towels on a hot wash every two days.

[jeremyspants]

You can get disposable bibs from Tesco- 20 for £2. I use the SillyBillyz ones sometimes with a disposable on on top.
Ecover do a really good bleach and I soak the armless bibs in that overnight..things do go mouldy really quickly but the bleach shifts the wee black mildewy thingies.
Bibs get slung over anything warm and they dry really quickly.

[BettySpaghetti]

If you have trouble finding long-sleeved bibs look for arts and crafts aprons eg.Early Learning Centre

[BroccoliSpears]

When we were at the really messy stage, I used to remove anything bulky (cardigans, jumpers etc) or anything I quite liked her wearing, then put her either in a rubber Tommee Tippy bib with a baby dribble bib underneath to cover the gap between rubber and neck. Or, I would put her in a long sleeved bib. Also, I used to tuck a muslin over her knees like an oversized napkin to catch stuff.

Far from thinking you are a slattern, I applaud you for letting your child get revoltingly covered in food while she's learning to eat. I always feel rather sad for those children who were kept clean and wiped as they went along or not allowed to do it themselves because they might get yogurt on the floor.

My own used to get humus in her ears, juice in her curry, weetabox in her eyebrows. She's quite a tidy eater now at 20 months (when she feels like it!) and I often don't bother with a bib these days.

[BroccoliSpears]

And... and... I got all my bibs (Sillybillyz and Tommy Tippees) bargainously on ebay or in charity shops.

[MoosMa]

I use the Asda £2 each ones which she's just learnt to pull off but if I push the sleeves up to her elbpws she can't pull them down over her chubby arms.

Btw, how long does it take for clothes to go mouldy? I've never had that, am I just lucky?

[BabiesEverywhere]

If the food I was going to offer (we did BLW) was very messy. I stripped my DD and sat her naked in the middle of the living room on a terry nappy. When the meal was finished I would pick up DD using the terry nappy and pop her straight in a bath and rinse the terry though and put that in the nappy bin.

Otherwise bib with long selves also work very well

[jeremyspants]

Moosma, The used bib can 'turn' dodgy overnight in our kitchen as it is really hot with the Rayburn. And the house is damp.
I am going to openly blame dh as he never soaks the used bibs after they have been worn and of course they wash themselves...
Also, a plastic tablecloth on the ground catches the worst.
BroccoliSpears..am totally with you on the 'let them make a mess if they are ENJOYING their food'. Messes are easy to clean, food issues are far harder to resolve

[B1977]

I'm a slattern too! I take his bottoms off and let him splot all over his top and then just wash that, I tried different bibs and he always got food on his top too anyway so I thought having the bibs ended up increasing the washing / clearing up load and not reducing it! BTW his vest usually stays clean underneath it all.

[B1977]

erm, not that I am calling you a slattern. But I definitely am one in this respect!

[KatLou]

"The SillyBillyz bibs with sleeves are brilliant as the fleece doesn't stain"

I agree with this. My toddler is a messy eater, gets food all over the table then gets it all up his arms. The Silly Billyz long sleeve bib is great. It goes in the washing machine and drys really quickly. They are smart too. I did some searching and I think the best place selling these online is www.dribblebuster.co.uk as the postage price is the cheapest I could find online.