I had one weekend with my baby kind of all by myself and I had some free time. Well, I feed the baby, cleaned up and then there was a moment where baby was done with the toys and looked at me. ‘Now what?’
Guest what, I did not know what to do. For the first time I felt lost. When babies are younger (within first 1 year), things would just move so fast with so much work to do around the house and baby would mostly eat or sleep or cry or crawl. However that is the not the case anymore when they become toddlers, they are awake more than they are asleep and need to be entertained. I ready several blogs and tips about coloring activities and other fun activities, but I did not have any supplies with me at that moment.
I racked my brains, and then remembered that I had a box of old rice powder that I had put away to throw out (since it was possibly expired and could be inedible to cook). I set in to action and we both had such fun for next 20-30 mins. That is a lot of time in baby time 🙂
Here are quick steps on how you can enjoy the time with your baby without breaking the bank:
Things you need
- A mat to protect the floor from the lovely mess
- a container
- spoon or ladle
- a canvas for painting
- rice powder – or any powder that can be mixed with water
- water
- B-a-b-y
- Y-o-u
Things I actually used:
Remember to be creative and try to use the items you already have instead of trying to get them new:
- I used a recyclable bag and cut it open – it severed as both painting canvas and for protecting the floor.
- a small wok – stainless steel – this was a very small one and very light weight, you can also use Tupperware or rubbermaid boxes for this.
- a stainless steel spoon
- rice powder or any kind of powered food item – wheat flour, all purpose flour etc.
- water
What we did:
- I added few drops of water at a time to the wok and mixed it with a spoon. Picked a scoop and drew a line on the canvas (recyclable bag).
- Handed over another spoon to the baby and let the little Picasso have fun, while I kept modeling on how to paint and how to mix.
- Baby was old enough to let me know when more painting supplies was required – namely more powder or more water – by pointing at it and grunting at it 🙂
- I had to keep redirecting when the painter moved on to other canvases like cabinets, my pant leg, fridge and what not.
Skills that baby demonstrated:
Any activity that the baby does with real life objects is a learning opportunity for the baby. The real life experience is always so much better than the experience an expensive toys can provide. During this experience the baby tried to learn
- scooping with a spoon
- mixing liquid and powder
- painting on a paper
Suitable age and safety:
I introduced this game at around 15months +, but this may be suitable for any baby who is able to sit on their own and hold objects.
- Once activity is done, make sure to wipe up floors if it got wet before baby moves around. My baby and me slipped on wet floor once. Better to lay down towels to avoid floors getting wet and causing accidents.
- However for younger babies you may need to put them in high chair or hold them on your laps so that they do not crawl away with the sticky liquid on their hands.
- Another thing to watch out for is whether the item that you are playing with is safe for the baby especially if the baby is still mouthing – edible or not, safe to be ingested or not, is it a choking hazard or not (e.g. peanut butter is mentioned as choking hazard due to its sticky nature). Whatever item you are using, ensure that it is non-toxic.
- Avoid using sharp or heavy utensils (I used super small versions of everything for safety).
- Finally, watch the baby closely to make sure it is safe. Never leave a baby unattended.