Let your baby get dirty when he eats

Food all over the place, the baby totally stained and mom or dad thinking that food is being wasted.....

For some the very idea causes terror and they consider that it should not be done, for others it can be a cause for laughter and fun, and many others consider that it is a sensory experience that helps the baby's development by tasting textures and flavors.

Regardless of the position, specialists recommend that when babies reach the age when they are interested in holding food in their hands, it is the right time for them to experiment with food, perceiving the diversity of flavors and textures of food, which will result in a positive attachment to food and the enjoyment of food.

Importance of allowing the baby to experiment with food.

First of all, we must understand that our babies are not robots that we feed mechanically, pursuing the goal of keeping them clean, avoiding them to get dirty and not having even a crumb of food on their clothes. On the contrary, it is not positive to maintain that position, it is necessary to allow the baby to be in contact with the food.

It is important to establish an effective link between the child and its food, as this will result in promoting their autonomy when eating, will reduce the selection and rejection of some foods, and will promote good eating behavior where the baby can consume proteins, fats, carbohydrates and all the nutrients necessary for its development.

Benefits of allowing the baby to soil himself with food.

1.     Independence. We must understand that children in their exploratory phase seek to demonstrate their independence and ability to take care of themselves, doing things without anyone's help. Therefore, it is important to allow them to feed themselves, even if they get dirty while doing so, as it will be of great benefit in the emotional development of the little ones.

2.     The baby will learn to regulate the speed at which he eats.

3.     They will learn to eat safely.

4.     He will become familiar with food by discovering and experiencing the variety of textures and flavors.

5.     Motor skills such as psychomotor development, acquisition of fine and gross motor skills and eye-motor coordination will be developed.

6.     They will be more aware of their body, knowing how much force to use to bring food to their mouth and will know where their mouth is.

7.     Mealtime will become a time of enjoyment for both parents and baby, even if everything needs to be cleaned up at the end.

What is needed?

Ideally, you should have a highchair or baby feeding chair, which allows the baby to be at your height and the food to be within baby's reach. You can make the time your baby spends in the highchair more comfortable with an adaptable cover that is easy to remove and put on and washable. We also recommend that you can count on different waterproof bibs to avoid staining the baby's clothes.

Finally we recommend that you arm yourself with patience and enjoy this experimental stage of babies, although in the end you have to clean everything, will bring great benefits in the development of your little one, and remember that it is only a stage that will not last forever.