A Savvy Guide To Mess-Free Baby Feedings

Baby feeding always comes with a mess. While your baby may be starting an exciting culinary adventure where new textures, tastes, and smells abound, parents like you, on the other hand, must deal with the aftermath of such exploration.

Fortunately, there are several ways to help minimize baby feeding mess and help you save your sanity every feeding time. Keep on reading to learn more. 

• Get A Lot Of Bibs And Burp Cloths

Whether you’re holding the spoon or your little one loves to grab everything, a cloth bib with wide coverage can help control the mess of feeding. You can use it to wipe away pureed mess from all over your baby’s face and hands. And you may last the whole meal without needing a change of outfit. 

Aside from bibs, you should also buy a burp cloth for your baby. During your newborn’s first months, a burp cloth can take the brunt of accidental spit-ups. Not only that, burp clothes are beneficial for mess-free feeding too as they grow. They can be used as a place mat to help control spills or as an oversized bib that keeps your baby’s clothes clean while eating. 

• Get A Floor Mat

Even the best bib and burp cloth won’t save your floor from occasional throwing and knocking food off their table. 

As such, you want to protect your flooring with the right mat. Splash mats are meant to be laid on your floor under your baby’s seat to catch all food pieces that fall to the ground. 

Experts suggest getting a PVC or plastic play mat that allows you to easily wipe away the food scraps off the mat for faster cleaning. 

• Get The Right Baby Feeding Equipment 

Aside from the bibs and floormats, there are a lot of mess-reducing feeding accessories out there. For instance, baby bowls and plates with suction rings on the bottom can stop your little one from knocking things over their table during feeding. There’s even the so-called magic bowl that can rotate 360 degrees to keep food inside and avoid spilling. 

Meanwhile, sippy cups with easy-to-hold handles and spill-free lids can help keep water and their favorite fruit juices off your floor. To boot, the best feeding spoons have molded groover for their little fingers to easily grasp for easier feeding. 

• Try Out Naked Feeding

If you want to reduce the mess of baby feeding, consider stripping your baby down to the diaper and letting them eat like that. Without clothes that can get stained or dirty, this can make cleaning your baby a lot easier. 

That said, don’t do this if the weather is too cold. And ensure that there aren’t any mosquitoes and bugs around that can bite your precious babe’s sensitive skin. 

• Choose Mess-Free Foods

The food you offer to your little one contributes to how messy meal times will be. While most foods turn messy when toddlers get their hands on them, some are generally less messy than others. 

For instance, thickened sauces will be easier for your little ones to scoop and prevent spills than liquid ones. Further, solid foods like macaroni without sauce, beans, scrambled eggs, and mixed veggies create less mess than pureed baby food. 

• Give Smaller Portions And Avoid Constant Cleaning

If your little one loves to throw food on the floor, consider putting small amounts on their plate at a time. This gives your baby fewer items to make a mess with. 

Resist the urge to clean up after your baby constantly. Unless the mess becomes a safety hazard or makes it difficult for your baby to eat, wait until they finish their meal to clean up the mess. This prevents getting into the game of retrieving everything they throw on the floor. 

• Have Mealtimes Outside

If you want to spare your kitchen or dining room from all the baby mess, consider alfresco dining, especially if the weather is nice outside. Your youngling will love looking at the great outdoors and you won’t have to worry about a massive cleanup after finishing their meal. In fact, you can just quickly sweep the scraps or crumbs off into the garden for little critters to enjoy. 

• Call Your Four-Legged Family Member

If all else fails, you can let the furry member of the family lose. Your pup will love the food scraps all over the floor, helping you clean up in no time. Just keep an eye out that your little one doesn’t purposefully dump over their bowls to feed their canine buddy. 

Takeaway

Although mess is a part of raising a baby, you wouldn’t want to spend hours every day cleaning everything from the floor and walls to your baby’s clothes and, of course, your baby. Follow the abovementioned tips to keep the mess under control while your little one goes through the learning curve, from happily throwing their food to curiously spooning it over their plate and everything in between.