The Benefits and Joys of Messy Feeding
Starting the ‘solids’ journey with your baby is such an exciting and memorable milestone. You’re fresh out of the trenches, you’ve nurtured and loved this little bundle through the fourth trimester, and now they are smiling and giggling back at you as you play peek-a-boo, all while ready to take their first steps towards one of life’s greatest pleasures - food!
Not only can messy feeding be delightfully rewarding from a parents’ perspective, watching them chuckle away as they explore the texture and form of food, it can also be beneficial to their development. In particular, your child’s fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. As they pick up, squeeze, and bring food to their mouth (and often throw it!), they practice and refine these skills, improving bit-by-bit so that soon, around about the time their independent streak kicks in, they can confidently feed themselves.
As your child takes time to explore the shapes, colours, and textures of food, they unintentionally familiarise themselves with an array of fruit and vegetables, and begin establishing the foundations of healthy eating habits. Giving your child time and space to independently play and explore new and unfamiliar foods fosters curiosity, initiative, focus and persistence. These micro-lessons are handy developmental building blocks for our little ones.
And not to forget, messy feeding is fun! It’s fun for you and your baby, as you watch them play and learn whilst engaging in messy feeding. Here at KYND Baby, we believe in having fun, and our Messy Bibs are made exactly for that. They are a fabulous tool to help combat the untidiness of messy feeding and limit destruction to your baby’s clothes. Made from 100% recycled polyester, our Messy Bibs are perfect for food exploration and messy play at home, or on the go.
So if you are up to it, let your little one have a play at mealtimes, and know we have you covered when it comes to cleaning up all the joyous mess. Take comfort in the fact that this fun activity is also helping your baby continue to develop, learn and grow.
See our gorgeous collection of Messy Bibs here.
