Bibb patterns for elderly
 

My mother is in assisted living and I need to supply some adult bibbs, preferably with a crumb catcher pocket. Has anyone made these before and what pattern have you used? TIA

Checkout the tutorial by Rob Appel / man sewing adult bib. I would use this next time I need to make bibs for my mom. They have those poly beads in the shoulders making it easy to put on and take off. Just fold the bottom up to make a pocket for crumbs or tissues. I read that those beads can go in the washer and dryer.

I was curious about this. I found various opinions online (isn't that always the case?). Some say that they're washable and dryable, others say don't wash in hot water or put in dryer, some say they break down in about 2 years. They claim to be environmentally friendly, but I wonder if that's true. I also wonder what happens in my washer or dryer, or elsewhere in the house, if there's a tear in the fabric and those beads go everywhere.

Mmmm, i hate beads. Do a search on here for elderly bibs and you should find some discussions on this here.

Dunster, I would do a topstitch before inserting the beads to give extra strength to the seams. If they would last 2 years I would be happy with that lifespan. I have made bibs that tie on and my mom was not happy with that. Too hard to tie behind her neck. Tried one that would slip over her head. She said it messed her hair 😏

I've heard various things about the beads.
What about sewing the beads in their on separate bag that you can insert into the bib & seal it with velcro? That way the "bead bag" could be easily removed when you washed & dried the bid & then just inserted again when it was ready for use. You might even double bag the beads if you are afraid of them somehow falling out.

Here's the link to Rob Appell's bib. It really looks simple & easy to make. Like cjsews said in her post above, you could just fold up the bottom for a pocket or just make a simple attached pocket to the front.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AykM4BGpnoA

P.S. Just another thought after watching Rob's video....you could make a separate bean bag for the pellets & put a piece of velcro on the back side of the bean bag & a piece of velcro on the tabs of the bib. That way you could just pull off the bean bags when you got ready to wash the bib. Hope this makes sense.

Just read some of the comments on Rob's site & someone said they didn't use poly pellets but just lengthened the shoulder tabs a bit & the bib stayed on well. One other person used flannel for the back side of the bib & it sort of "stuck" to the person wearing it. I guess it would work sort of like a flannel board or design board.

This is something that will be frequently laundered so I'd stay away from the pellets. Good idea but not real practical, in other words. I have a pattern that I got when RSVP was active several years ago. It is pretty much like Rob's but the neckline comes around to be fastened with velcro. The nursing home where I inquired about their need for these mentioned not to have the neck too snug. You might ask a local nursing home for a sample of what they are using and get more ideas for a pattern. Personally, I'd stay away from the pellets because of frequent laundering.
By the way, I've heard it is more acceptable to call these clothing covers, not bibs, because of the infant connotation.

My daughter in law is an RN and works in a care home. She said the bibs need ties, buttons, snaps or velcro because the residents will take them off and play with them. She also said everything is washed in hot water with bleach and dried on high heat.

I call them aprons. I've made several of Ron Appel's pattern for my sister-in-law who had sever Parkinson's. Both her and her husband/care giver loved them. I only made them for one person and made enough so they didn't have to be washed every day. it is a great pattern and open to all the modifications mentioned to make them more user friendly for nursing home residents.

I made the bib with beads years ago for my toddler grand. Easy to put on and long to cover his lap. He loved the fabric print of trucks so was happy to wear it. It has been washed in washer and dried every time he used it. I have used it on every grand since and made a few more. The beads are still the same as when I made it. No breakdown. I used quality fabric so no frays or rips with all the washing. I used the Fairfield Poly Pellets. I have some of the bibs in my car too. Grands and I sometimes have messy snacks in the car.

i have made a bunch of these with two different type of beads and they are great. The ones I made are over two years old and no one has complained. We use them and they get washed and dried a lot. My grown son’s friend just asked for one because he eats in his car during the day. He told me he loves it.

I put the beads in a mesh bag and then put the bag in the bib. That's common sense.

I've used the polybeads in weighted blanket--they are wash and dryable and if they come out they are a mess! with the weighted blanket I first sewed into a plain muslin bag and then blanket per the shop that I bought them at.