Ewwww!!! Covered in spaghetti, baby food carrots, sauce and smiles, our babies are infectious! …and yet their mess is making us CRINGE!

Why would we let this mess happen??? How can we let this happen???

Here’s how! They are SO interested in the food that YOU are eating! They are able to sit in the high chair and can pick up fist-fulls of food…and if they do, you’re bound to have a mess to clean up! So, I am here to EMPOWER YOU to LET IT GO! Toss down a cover for your flooring….this could be anything from a fancy clean-up mat to a garbage bag cut open and laid flat. Both of these will work equally as well, and one is disposable. If it’s summer, eat on the deck and hose down the mess!

Break out the bibs! To make life easier, just take their shirt off! Toss on a bib, and let them go to town! This is more of a sensory experience than an etiquette session. They are exploring with hands, taste buds, scents, sounds, and sights! With your smile, they gain approval! And with your approval they gain confidence.

IT IS OKAY TO LET THEM GET MESSY! PLEASE LET THEM GET MESSY!

Why would we want this to happen? So that they begin to have self-confidence with feeding, and so that they see exploring with new foods is a wonderful and meaningful experience.

This will not make up the majority of their caloric intake, and much of it may end up on a chubby little belly, or on a high chair seat, and THAT’S OKAY! Follow up with the necessary dietary needs, but please allow them to have FUN!

As much as this may be uncomfortable for you!

Share your messy baby experiences with us! We, here at TEIS, LOVE messy babies!

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