Messy Eating for Babies: Why Playing with Food Supports Development
Learning to eat is messssssy. But did you know that making a mess when learning to eat is actually a GOOD thing?!
It’s important to encourage your little human to explore their food with all their senses and let them try to feed themselves (even if they squish, squeeze or drop more food than they manage to eat).
Here’s why:
- Touching & squishing food exposes them to different textures
- Reduces the likelihood of picky eating
- Advances fine & gross motor skills
- Teaches them to self-feed and self-regulate their own appetite
- Develops hand-eye coordination & vocabulary
- Keeps mealtimes fun, explorative and pressure-free, setting them up for a positive relationship with food and eating.
Mess can be stressful, but if you prepare for the mental hurdle of cleaning up, it’s a once and done. Understanding that mess won’t hurt them, and it’s all part of the process of learning that food is safe, fun and all kind of textures- they’ll be better off in the long run.
