So you’ve probably heard great things about sensory bins. But what is your baby/toddler is still putting things in their mouth? Here’s a list of taste-safe sensory play ideas that will allow baby to play with the big kids!
What is Sensory Play?
Sensory play simply refers to any kind of play that engages your child’s senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, movement and balance). Commonly, it refers specifically to activities that stimulate the sense of touch and often included messy activities.
At What Age Should You Start Using Sensory Play?
Sensory play can be started whenever you and your child are ready for it. Indeed, when babies start touching their first baby toys, especially those toys with different textures and crinkly parts, they are engaging in sensory play. And your baby’s first experiences with food (especially if you choose baby-led weaning)? You guessed it. Sensory play!
However, you may be wondering when baby is ready for sensory bins, those fun bins you see on Pinterest and Instagram full of rice, beans and other enticing materials.
You may be especially concerned about your baby putting things in their mouths. You may be anxious to begin sensory bin play, but hesitant to start due to chocking hazards.
Actually, you can start sensory bin activities with babies far sooner than you might expect. By the time babies are 8-10 months old, they will be ready for some adapted sensory bin play! Keep reading to learn how.
How to Do Sensory Play for Babies
The first consideration you’ll need to keep in mind is to be sure your baby can sit up safely. This milestone varies for each baby. You’ll want a sturdy sitter before you begin sensory play.
You may think that your baby can’t begin sensory play until they stop trying to put things in their mouths. Actually, there’s a simple solution that can allow younger babies to partake in sensory play.
Making sensory bins taste-safe is the best way to allow younger children and babies to take part in sensory play.
Taste-safe sensory bins mean filling your sensory bins with food materials that are safe to taste. Of course, you probably won’t want your baby to ingest a great deal of these items, so you will certainly need to supervise them carefully throughout all sensory play.
Quick and Easy taste-Safe Sensory Play Ideas
So without further ado, here is my big list of taste-safe sensory activities for babies!
Classic Sensory Bin Activities that Can be Made Taste-Safe
- Baby-safe mud: mix cocoa powder and oil to make a baby-safe mud. Add trucks, farm animals or anything you’d like! (Extension activity: a washing station to clean the toys after they’ve gotten messy!).
- Citrus Bin: Add slices of oranges, lemons, limes, etc. to water for a fun and yummy smelling sensory experience.
- Oobleck-a classic sensory experience that is safe for babies! Just mix equal parts water and cornstarch to form the oobleck (you can also add some food colouring to the water BEFORE mixing if you want a more colourful experience). This seems like a very messy activity, but it cleans up super easily!
- Ice Cream Dough: Just combine frosting and cornstarch for a deliciously scented dough.
- Rice Cereal: Need to use up some old rice cereal (maybe all the samples you received at the pediatrician?), dump it in a bin and let baby explore til their heart’s content.
- Baby-safe play dough: Substitute flour for rice cereal and cut salt in half.
- Jello: Follow the instructions on packet. For unsweetened jello, purchase plain gelatin instead of Jello brand name.
- Edible Slime (pysillium husk, water and food colouring)
Fillers that are Taste-safe
You can also simply fill a bin with a taste-safe food that won’t hurt babies to ingest. You’ll of course want to supervise and cut any food that may be choking hazard-sized.
- Flour (you can bake your flour to eliminate risk of bacteria)
- Water
- Ice
- Tapioca Pods
- Chickpeas
- Jello
- Milk
- Cranberries
- Sprinkles
- Lentils
- Yogurt
- Quinoa
- Pudding
- Whipped Cream
- Carrot Peelings
- Pumpkin Guts
- Sunflower Seeds
- Spices
- Frozen Veggies
- Potato Flakes
- Garden Herbs (parsley is a good one)
- Powdered Milk
- Dried Fruit
- Graham Crackers (chopped in food processor)
- Cereal
- Chia Seeds (soaked in water)
- Cooked beans
As you can see, there are so many different options for taste-safe sensory bins that are just fine for babies! Sensory play is a great way to engage baby and so easy too!
I hope you and your little ones enjoy these taste-safe sensory bins as much as my family did!
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Author: Cindy
Cindy is an kindergarten teacher and former district Literacy Lead who feels passionately about play-based learning. Cindy has a Master's Degree in Education, with a focus on Curriculum Studies. She is the mom of two sweet girls and a big old doggy. In between playtimes, she enjoys chai tea and a good book.View all posts by Cindy
FAQs
Short answer: yes. Creating sensory bins for toddlers allows them to build skills and understanding through play-based, hands-on learning. Sensory bins are easy, in-expensive, and effective for supporting toddler in their growth and development – but (spoiler alert) they don't have to be messy to be fun.
What are the learning outcomes of sensory bins? ›
A sensory bin aids math skills development as children play with different filler materials. For example, they can practice counting by adding things like marbles to a bin. They can also learn about sorting and volume by separating similarly shaped objects and filling or emptying a sensory bin.
Which is an unsafe ingredient to avoid in sensory activities for children? ›
For example, sensory bin beans are unsafe because raw or undercooked beans are toxic, while the benefits of rice sensory play are numerous! Messy Play Kits strives to be the place to offer the best and safest sensory play ideas.
What age should you start sensory bins? ›
At the toddler stage, from ages 2 to 3, kids are typically ready to engage with more toys. A great place to start are sensory bins—literally, a bin or box filled with various materials meant to stimulate the senses.
Is it OK for babies to watch baby sensory videos? ›
All in all, sensory videos are beneficial to infants, but as with all screen time it should really be kept to a minimum. Why not stick to 5 minutes once or twice a day, or several times a week to be on the safe side? Baby Sensory videos are an excellent method to teach your child some new colours, shapes, and songs.
What toys are not appropriate for toddlers? ›
Watch for Toy Dangers
- Sharp edges and sharp points. Toys for older children may have sharp points or edges that can hurt a small child. ...
- Small toys and toys with small parts. ...
- Loud noises. ...
- Cords and strings. ...
- Toys that fly or shoot objects. ...
- Electric toys. ...
- Toys with magnets.
Sensory bins support your child's development in several ways: Improve fine motor skills. Digging, pouring, stirring, and scooping can strengthen your child's hand muscles and improve their fine motor skills.
What are the benefits of sensory bin play? ›
Sensory bins can boost your child's motor skills. Additionally, adding toy tools such as shovels, spoons, and tweezers can help develop coordination as well. Actions like scooping, digging, and pouring toys and materials will all help improve motor skills. Sensory bins can be a great tool to help your child learn!
How does sensory help with learning? ›
Sensory play encourages learning through exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. It helps to build nerve connections in the brain and encourages the development of language and motor skills.
What are sensory safe foods? ›
Snacks for the Sensory Seeker
- Nuts.
- Thick or hard granola bars.
- Apples, pears, carrot sticks, cucumbers.
- Pretzels.
- Crackers.
- Ice chips.
- Rice cakes.
- Bagel or pita chips.
Just because it's taste safe doesn't mean it should be eaten. It means you don't need to call poison control if it ends up in their mouth at some point. With diligent supervision and boundary setting, babies as young as a year old can play with sensory bins full of rice.
What age can babies play with rice? ›
First, for younger crowds like 12 month to 2 years old, doing a rice sensory bin in a large bin like this 100 L bin can really help. Let them sit in the bin with the rice, and put enough clothes on them that they feel comfortable.
What are the rules for the sensory bins? ›
Use visual supports to help your learners remember the rules for the sensory bins (use hands only, put on lid when finished, complete seek and find, raise hand if you need help, keep the materials in the box.) Use a visual timer to help your students transition when the time comes.
How do you make a sensory bin for a 2 year old? ›
Remember that you can use things you already have around the house as sensory items for kids to create easy sensory bins!
- Dry rice, beans, and/or pasta.
- Unpopped popcorn.
- Sand.
- Cotton balls.
- Shredded paper.
- Raffia/crinkle grass.
- Corn Meal.
- Craft feathers for a feather sensory bin.
Sensory bins are a great way to allow children to explore multiple senses at the same time in a fun way. This includes touch, smell, sight, and even sound. Learning to engage with and stimulate several senses at once in a healthy way is incredibly beneficial and loads of fun!
Are sensory toys good for toddlers? ›
"Sensory toys are beneficial to all ages and abilities and not limited in use," Dr. Dry says. "They may be used to activate or to calm, to encourage engagement and hand-eye coordination, and to increase participation and turn-taking.
Are sensory bins good for autism? ›
Sensory bins are growing in popularity—and for good reason! Parents are realizing sensory play is crucial toward enhancing child development. Sensory play is great for neurotypical children and children with sensory processing disorder and autism.
When should babies stop watching sensory videos? ›
Interestingly, American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines recommend a zero screen time rule (except for video calls) for children under 18 months . For toddlers aged 18 to 24 months, they suggest a limited amount of screen time.
