Blackpool woman's award-winning dribble bib business was no rash move

Katie Glickman of Staining launched Bibbilyboo in 2019 after coming up with an eco-friendly design for bibs to help her daughter Penelope who was suffering from dribble rash.

The bibs keep babies’ clothing dry all day and do not bunch up in the baby’s face and have been in huge demand during lockdown.

Now Katie’s bibs have this month won three platinum awards in the national Loved By Parents awards beating major household name products.

Katie, 34, who attended Hodgson Academy, gave up her full time job as a research operations manager with the NHS, to concentrate on Bibbilyboo last September.

The business has seen its revenues grow by 623 per cent in less than two years and has picked up seven awards.

Katie, who has two children, Grayson, five and Penelope, three, said: “My daughter had trouble with dribble rash. I had about 60 normal bibs on rotation and it wasn’t really working, so I decided to design a better one and one that looked good. Within three days my daughter’s dribble rash had cleared up.”

Later, friends encouraged her to set the business up, which she runs from home.

She added: “I had my first sale within 20 minutes. The growth that I saw during lockdown was so huge that I made the decision to leave the NHS, going full time after only 18 months from starting my business. I have sold around 13,000 bibs so far and I make them all myself on my machines.

“I use a combination of specialist fabrics, triple layer, which has bamboo incorporated because it is slim and anti-bacterial, and with a shaped neck-line that has a gap between chest and chin for airflow to keep babies dry and avoid rashes.

"The business grew really fast and the online side has grown. Having my own children, running my business from home is great for flexibility.

"It's incredible to get the awards, because they are voted for by parents which is a great reassurance for having given up my career.

"I have branched out into other lines with co-ordinated clothing and accessories, from February this year. I do it all myself but I definitely intend to get a team together later this year."

"I have been working with UK designers over the past eight months on custom fabric designs and they are all eco-tech standard 100 fabric free from harmful dyes and chemicals and I will be just having my own exclusive ones."

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