Magical Mealtimes with the Coverall: Weaning’s Secret Weapon Uncovered!

Weaning is, without doubt, one of the most exciting stages of early childhood development, but the associated mess that comes with it can often lead parents to abject despair. It’s the main reason we launched the Bibado Coverall Weaning Bib in the first place, but as we used it with our own babies and toddlers, we began to notice some considerable parenting wins that make the Bibado Coverall so much more than a time-saving, mess-managing weaning essential. Join us to discover why the Coverall Weaning Bib really is a magical ingredient in mealtime adventures.

Feed, Clean, Change, Repeat!
First, let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of those early monstrous mealtimes. Forget explosive nappies. If you thought that was bad, the incessant feed, clean, change, repeat cycle is next level when you consider the post-meal clean-up, endless washing machine cycles and their penchant for wearing, not eating, the lovingly prepared food. And that’s without food refusal, plate-tossing, and the ability to discern between gagging and choking.  

Making Parents’ Lives Easier
Yes, those early days were very testing, so we set about creating a catch-all, cover-everything cloak that would minimise the mess and make cleaning up quicker and easier. Essentially, at this point, the focus was all on the parent. How could we make mealtimes more enjoyable and less daunting for them? How could we help them win back much-needed time and make their lives easier? The goal was to calm their nerves and reduce stress and anxiety. Even if we helped move them just out of that red zone, we knew we were onto something. After all, we were right in the thick of it ourselves at this point and frequently hovering between simmer and boiling point

The Eureka Moment!
In no time at all, it was evident that we’d hit the goal of making parents’ lives easier. The signature ‘well’ of the Coverall - (the expanse of fabric that forms a pouch between the highchair and the baby) caught almost all of the spills and dropped food, containing the mess in one easy-to-handle place. Lifting a clean baby out of the highchair after their meal was a positive revelation, but we weren’t really prepared for what we observed next. 

As our fight and flight levels dropped and we became more present in our weaning adventures, we started to notice more profound, long-term benefits of the Coverall. Our children were becoming so much more engaged in their mealtimes and were getting seriously stuck into the food on their plates and highchair trays. We were more relaxed and we were looking forward to, not dreading, mealtimes.

We’d removed a vital and potentially harmful barrier and enabled parents to come to the dining table with a more relaxed and positive approach.

Lizzie & The Giant Peach 
The discoveries came thick and fast. We witnessed first-hand our children’s delight in handling and exploring new foods and textures, and this willed us to become more adventurous in our food prep and the meals we put in front of them. Pre-Coverall, we ditched foods like peaches and committed them to a no-go zone that Julia Roberts would label ‘Slippery Little Suckers’. If you’ve ever peeled the skin of a peach and handed it whole to a developing toddler, you’ll know exactly what we mean! We watched with frustration as our eldest, Lizzie, struggled to negotiate the grasp required for her favourite food, constantly dropping it on the floor where it would gather muck and fluff, rendering it not fit for consumption. And then there would be the struggle and tears as we tried to explain that there was no more peach!  

We tried the giant peach again, this time with the Coverall, and the results were staggering. Lizzie continued to drop the slippery peach, but because the Coverall caught it each time, it was within easy reach, and she could practise retrieving it herself. Right before our eyes, we watched her as her motor development and cognitive skills were put to the test. We could almost see the cogs turning as she began to problem-solve in her mission to get the peach from her tray to her mouth. Her curiosity was ignited. The Coverall had given Lizzie the confidence and ability to engage in an intense period of trial and error. In the space of just a couple of days, she was able to pick up the peach one-handed and manage it with ease.

Love Curiosity
It wasn’t just Lizzie’s curiosity that had been piqued. We could see the extent of the Coverall’s developmental benefits and began to speak to paediatric occupational therapists, nutritionists, dieticians and specialists in the early childhood years development space. Our initial experiences were confirmed and reinforced by one research study after another and supported by experts globally. 

We began to discover the importance of exposing growing babies to as many different tastes and textures as possible and how our Coverall could support that journey. Did you know that this is particularly important before they are 10-12 months old and that it can really help to avoid picking eating? Read more here 

Bibado was on a path to make parents’ lives easier, but we’d also discovered the true magic of our invention and how instrumental it could be in a child’s development. This led to our own love of curiosity and an ethos of developing products that maximise feeding independence and childhood development as much as possible.    

A Bib Fit For a King!
Fast forward back to today, we’re proud to have sold more than a million Coverall bibs and supported more than 750,000 families in their weaning journeys. We’ve received the endorsement of a raft of experts, and our awards cabinet is bursting at the seams. We’ve even won the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation. We’re on a mission to bring families back to the table to enjoy mealtimes together and to unite in taste and texture adventures that will set them up for feeding success.  With that in mind, we’ll remind you why messy mealtimes are a parenting win and how the Bibado Coverall can help. 

Yay for Messy Mealtimes!
Messy mealtimes are a fundamental part of the learning process and essential to development. Research shows that playing with food can help overcome a fear of new flavours and textures and help your little one become more adventurous. In fact, the roadmap on our 50 First Foods Exploration Chart counts an exposure to food as touching, smelling, holding, chewing or swallowing it. 

Mess on your little one’s face, hands and even in their hair can help them get familiar with food. Put simply; mess is unavoidable if your mealtime adventurer is going to get the most out of their weaning journey. We can’t remove the mess, but we can help you make the mess more manageable, leaving you stress-free and prepped to enjoy mealtimes and model positive, encouraging behaviour. 

Bibado to the Rescue!
Here are just a few of the ways the Coverall Weaning Bib helps transform weaning journeys, keeping parents out of the red zone and kids in the discovery zone!

Calms parents - the way a parent behaves at mealtimes is as essential as the food put in front of the little one. Messy mealtimes can be anxiety-inducing for many parents, but because of the full coverage, the Coverall will ease parents' nerves and let them relax and accept the mess - safe in the knowledge the clean-up is quick and manageable.

Provides a mealtime cue - after a few wears, the Coverall becomes something they associate as part of their feeding routine, helping to set structure and mark out mealtime fun.

Sets little ones free to enjoy mealtimes without limits. Keeps them clean, dry and comfortable so they can focus on exploration and discovery

Deters constant face and hand wiping during mealtimes, which can interrupt discovery and sensitise developing babies.

Protects clothes - minimises and removes the need to change clothes after every mealtime, preserving clothes, saving money and lessening the impact of discarded clothes on landfill.

Catches food - allowing little ones to retrieve it hygienically and try it again after squishing, handling and feeling - all normal parts of the sensory process

Saves time - makes mealtimes more manageable for parents and helps them magic the mess away in no time - saving 30 minutes a day on the clean-up operation.

Supports & enhances development - the combined effects of all of the above support motor development, dexterity, problem-solving and a healthy attitude to feeding.

Thank you for joining us on our trip down memory lane. We hope you’ve enjoyed it. If your Coverall Bib wardrobe needs a refresh, browse our latest designs here, or maybe share your weaning secret weapon with a family who needs it.