Noodles and Goo All Over Baby

Why You Should Let Your Baby (or toddler) Get Messy Eating

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I would get him started in sensory bins, this will be very helpful. I have a post on how to set up sensory bins, what they are, and why they help see the article index in the menu bar, scroll down to sensory. I have another post called Sensory Processing and Picky Eating, I think that will be very helpful, too.

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If you have any other questions, please let me know! Our first child was born in September I happened upon this article as she was learning to feed herself and good thing! Of course, she may have inherited some of the cleaning OCD anyway — she learned to clean herself and cleanup after herself without prompting from me, but when eating those most favorite foods, she still throws caution to the wind and makes a mess. I recently had a friend confess she constantly wipes up after her baby, so I shared my story and this article and inspired her to set her son free, which made for a very happy mama and baby.

Oh Susie, thank you so much for taking the time to write that and to share it with a friend!!! That made my whole day! Many props to you Mama, you are doing great!!!! I found myself feeling so bad after reading that article! As a mom of three young boys, one being 10 months, who feeds himself a lot of food, I totally understand. The point of this article is not to guilt you into letting your child be messy, but to inform you of its importance.

This is a great article! He is really young and it sounds like you are doing an awesome job! He is right on track, as the lack of food actually getting into his mouth is very normal. Keep helping him and showing him. As he improves pull back and allow him to do more. After that he will walk around n pinch his messes food on floor. Our 2 boys loved to make a mess when they first started. Thankfully thanks to the HuggleBib http: My little boy is 18 months old and I doingvery well at feeding himself off a fork or spoOn.

The problem is he now is very fussy with exploring new things. I have no idea how to encourage him to get messy. He also refuses to wear a bib.. See my post on sensory bins- I explain how to overcome this in small steps. You can find it in the article index in the menu bar under the heading Sensory. The key is to try dry textures for play first and be encouraging and slow. It will take some time. Let me know if you need more help! Unfortunately, I did not let my daughter be messy and play with food. She is 3 years old now and does not want to feed herself.

She asks to clean up her hands as soon as she gets some food on them. I wish I could go back in time and implement your thoughts when she was little. I know it is my mistake and really hope it is not too late to fix this.

Give her a wet washcloth to wipe her own hands off- it is okay if she needs to do this. I would get her started in some sensory bins to break down any sensitivity she may have developed. See the article index in the menu bar for the link. My friend taught me a trick. Place a shower curtain under high chair. Let them eat and get messy then roll up curtain take and rinse. Instead I recently started using newspaper or those grocery store ads that come in the mail.

I put it under the high chair to catch all the mess and then wipe the mess from the high chair off the tray onto to paper and then throw it away! I was wondering if you have any suggestions for clean up. Also, do you put them in just their diaper? My issues is that she gets it all over her outfit and then I need to send her to day care etc. Also, any easy ways to get it out of the hair especially if it is during breakfast or lunch and you still have the rest of the day before bath time?

I think the diaper is great. Unfortunately is some clean up, but it is worth it. I just use a wet washcloth and wipe out as best I can. This really messy phase will pass before you know it. I just want to share about Adjustable Silicone Baby Bib — this BPA free rubber bib is very stylish and environmentally friendly and can safely be washed in the dishwasher. You can buy this kind of Silicone Baby Bib in this site http: I know it is hard, but go ahead and let her start to get messy!

See the Eating Basics tab too to help with her selective eating. I am one of those mums that tried to keep things clean and not get messy. Is it too late? You need to have a good bib with that messy eating. I use the silicone bibs because its really easy to clean. Have you tried this type of bib? Just found this blog a few weeks ago, so much great info! I am a first time mom and my son is turning 1 next month. I am so overwhelmed and confused about switching him off of baby food and formula and i never let him eat by himself or get messy, should i just give him baby food to eat with his hands?

I am trying to figure out how to get him to eat with a spoon by himself and I feel like I am way behind.

More on Messy Play And Baby Eating

Lynne M. Smelser is a freelance writer, educator, owner of the real life Noodles and Goo (whose names are really Tasha and Pearl) and a mom. She began. Not only is Baby Alive alive, well and starring in her own YouTube channel, but she's eating noodles in a toy store near you, like a big Gone are the days of red , yellow and green goo. . It all made so much sense at the time. In theory, the noodle passes through the doll's hollow torso and is pooped out.

I am sorry for such a long comment, I am just so overwhelmed and I am not sure what to do! Click on the the article index in the menu bar and scroll down to developmental milestones, you will find it all there. In the mean time the best thing you can do is relax, if you still have more questions let me know. See the article Help for Infants and Toddlers also in the article index.

Thank you so much for this post! It explains why my daughter keeps taking food out of her mouth and then back in, but only when she is not self feeding. Of course, that is your choice Elisa. I have bad ocd andcthe thought of mess makes me physically sick usually. I think it is great that you were even reading this article!

Take it slow, the fact that you are trying is really good: Oh my gosh i wish there is a chinese version of this! He was a great feeder, very self sufficient and early with utensils. BUT — just after 12 months he suddenly got really fussy and stopped eating most of the foods he used to love. But how do we get him to eat different foods? I have a ton of info on expanding variety- it can be a slow process.

See the article index in the top menu bar. Let me know if I can be of more help! Thank you so much for that article. I am a mom of special needs child who spent many first months in hospital and now home with a trach. He is now almost 3. It is hard to allow him to get messy, worry about trach care and cleanliness.

He also has had a lot of eating, chewing, swallowing issues and sensory issues, touching different things. I am so glad I found your blog. I understand about the trach, and it is a legitimate concern. But yes, letting him get messy is really important. I would think about sensory bins and finger paints, too! Let me know if I can help at all!

I definitely needed to hear this. My son loves to explore his food! Thanks so much for setting this straight. I hate the fact that I was depriving him of sensory play. I absolutely adore your blog, and teachings. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. My son loves to feed himself, and at 10 months he gets most of it into his mouth.. I do understand the sensory aspect of letting kids self feed just about anything, and I know plenty of parents who let their kids go nuts with food.

We made the choice not to go that route. That was also due to the fact that we rarely bothered with a regular bib, and used kitchen towels instead, to cover him from neck to toes! It worked, we had almost no food stains on clothes! I honestly think there is a balance to be struck here, when it comes to the sensory matter and there are many other ways to allow children to experience textures, to show kids that getting messy can be fun. Mealtime can be laid back and fun without wasting food, creating huge messes. Anyway, the un-messy style worked for us, but our son definitely knows how to have a good time in dirt, mud, slime, etc.

CRC, thanks for your constructive comment. You bring up some valid points.

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I by no means meant to imply that every child that had their face wiped would have sensory issues and be a poor eater. I am glad that you found the balance that worked for your family and that your little guy is such a good eater. My hope is that parents can go a little out of their comfort zone so that kids are free to explore a little at least - that is what they are designed to do.

THank you so much!!! I am a first time mommy and am constantly wiping his face to keep it clean. We will be getting messy from now on!!!! My son loves to eat and for some reason now, he fusses when we put him in his high chair. He seems not to like baby food, he wants what we are eating. So sorry Susan- missed this comments some months back now. I just love it! I agree about the messy eating.

My husband on the other hand is a neat freak. Our son is only 3. My only concern is the expression on my parents and in-laws when he starts putting the food all over his face. Really enjoy your blog. Mine were tidy if there was nothing behind their ears. They started self feeding at 7 or 8 months.

But the mess lead to skills. She insisted on a damp rag on her tray at every meal, and would even wipe the chocolate icing off the donut because it was too dirty. I let my baby 2nd child get messy too. If that is the root of the problem, it will surely help. Love this post, Alisha. I know the mess is really hard to for some people, but I hope this gives them encouragement to embrace it! Thanks for your great post. I know that program sounds crazy, but it is so true! In the long run it is so much better for them to just get messy! This is a wonderful post! Thank you so much for sharing. I have let all four of my boys feed themselves at a young age, and I ignore the mess.

Like you said, they are washable! Thank you for linking up to The Sunday Showcase. They learn so much and are so willing to try new foods if they can feed themselves.

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We get so many surprised praises from people because our children can use utensils so young. The playing with it, exploring using it and making a mess with it all helped them become adept at successfully using it to get food into their mouths. You are so right about the self feeding. My kids were able to use utensils really early, too!

My husband is an overly neat feeder He cleans the bottom of the spoon before putting it in her mouth and wipes her after every bite! I am sending him a link to this. Very good points made here! I believe you, I see it all the time! Your right I do feel like a bad mother when I let him get messy, but I cant take him a bath every time he eats. Plus I am a neat freak I always want to feed him the only food he eats on his own would be food that arent liquid at all.

So it wont be as messy. I see ur point of view by I wont be able to let him get messy. I dont want him to stay with does actions. Oh Ana, I know it can be really hard to tolerate the mess. Yes, you have to be careful with those eyes. Just try for a quick wipe and make as little fuss as you can manage. Great post — I think people have diffenent tolerances for mess. Good info… but I do have a question.

Is there a risk that allowing a baby to play with their food will teach bad habits that will be hard to break later on? Mainly, I want to encourage parents not to wipe faces until your baby or toddler is done eating. They can make such a mess just feeding themselves. As they approach months you can start to teach about table manners, and pull back on some of the more playful behaviors they may have with their food. Most of the time these behaviors fall away on their own, as they mature.

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You could also set up play time in sensory bins with food, away from the meal if you are worried about bad habits, but, again, I think it will be a minor issue, if one at all. I loved reading this article and would love to be the mom who can handle a messy kid. Since my toddler is already 18 months old, have I ruined him for life? Is it too late to lighten up and let him go at it? I still feed him when it comes to the messier meals, but I would like to let go and let him do it himself.

You said at this age they should be over the fun of it and should be starting to learn table manners. Should I still be doing that or let him have fun now since he missed out on so much of it? You have plenty of time to let him get messy! You can do it!!! Thanks for the response! Those age guidelines are helpful. Our little one is only 5 months old so no table food yet, but I love the ideas and appreciate your expertise.

All of my children learned to feed themselves this way, my older two are 4 and 6, and have wonderful table manners that most strangers comment on. And, again, this is not ignorance, perhaps a difference of opinion. I am an experienced licensed pediatric occupational therapist that has treated hundreds of children.

Your email address will not be published. Don't subscribe All Replies to my comments Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Free tips and strategies sent straight to your inbox! Taking the spoon and scraping the food that has dribbled out off your babies face. This can be so uncomfortable or irritating. Let the mess be! Wiping tray off frequently. If some mess slops on the tray let it go unless it is interfering with finger feeding.

Letting babies slop the mess around with their hands is wonderful sensory play! Wiping hands or face with a napkin throughout the meal. Wait to the end of the meal to clean up. Consider giving the baby their bath after a particularly messy meal. Most babies love bath time, and it is often the easiest way to get them clean. Was that a good sales pitch? If I can do it, so can you! Brandy on September 7, at 4: Oh my gosh, I love this comment, and your honesty!!

Ricky on August 14, at 1: Taina on June 13, at 6: MaxS on December 1, at 4: Leslie on May 7, at 1: Alisha on May 7, at 4: Dan on March 20, at Alisha on March 26, at 5: Monica on February 5, at 6: Alisha on February 9, at 8: Vero on September 25, at 8: Melissa on July 28, at 9: Alisha on August 1, at 9: Yilliang Peng on March 31, at Erika on March 20, at 2: Your post inspired me to think up a new plan: Alisha on March 24, at 4: Alisha on March 17, at Santiago on January 6, at 8: Subha on November 30, at Can you pl give some tips Reply.

Alisha on December 5, at 2: Eliska on November 9, at 8: Alisha on November 14, at 1: Jessica Dufresne on October 28, at 5: Alisha on October 31, at 1: JustJo on September 27, at Hilliyah on September 5, at 3: Alisha on September 6, at 3: Sigrid on March 24, at 8: Alisha on March 31, at 4: Olivia Douglass on March 1, at 9: Alisha on March 2, at 7: Olivia Douglass on March 2, at 7: Bini on November 12, at 9: I have just started to let him play with his food Reply.

Alisha on November 19, at 2: Susie on November 3, at 6: Thank you for the inspiration, that motivated me to put my unwarranted fears aside. Alisha on November 4, at Alisha on August 18, at Christine on June 7, at 7: Alisha on May 12, at Hi Magda, He is really young and it sounds like you are doing an awesome job! Leash on March 30, at 7: I have two messy eaters Reply.