Having a 1-year-old and also having a baby class once a week, I always need taste-safe, baby-friendly ideas for sensory play. Of course, sensory play also includes exploring the environment inside and out as well as engaging with resources on their own (which we do the majority of the time), but I do think it is important to consciously set out a sensory bin once a week where I have thought about introducing a new experience that ignites one or more senses. It is always so much fun for them and a place to get messy (that isn't their own home for once). Please remember that taste-safe doesn't mean that you should encourage eating the materials! We still try to teach the babies that it is not a meal, but a playing experience.

1. Taste-safe slime

To make this slime I placed 1 tablespoon of chia seeds into a bowl. I then cover the seeds with water and add one drop of the desired colour food colouring. I then mix them all and if making more than one colour, will repeat the recipe for a few different bowls.

The bowls then need to go in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.

When ready, the texture should feel slimy and super fun for the babies to play with. Add some toys, scoops, spoons- whatever you would like and let them get messy! Be warned- it can be hard to clean so definitely change your baby into old clothes or just a nappy for ease. ease.

Check out my IG reel on how to make the slime here!

2. Taste-safe foam (Alternative to shaving foam)

Foam is such a fantastic sensory material however using shaving foam is unsafe for babies who are still mouthing. A fantastic alternative is this taste-safe version.

The recipe I used has one ingredient- chickpea liquid (AKA Aquafaba)!! So all you need to do is drain your cans of chickpeas to get the liquid out. Once all the liquid is in a bowl (about 3 cans) you'll need to blitz the mixture. I used a coffee frother as I don't have an electric mixer. I think a hand-held electric mixer will be quicker. I haven't tried using a Nutribullet yet, but I will one day. The trick is not to give up on the blitzing, and this could take over 5 minutes. It is so worth it though as the foam that comes out is wonderful to play with and provides a new sensory experience for your baby. You can add food colouring and any tools or toys that you'd like.

Check out my IG reel on how to make Aquafaba!

3. Citrus Water Play

Water play is such an easy setup and so beneficial for the babies. Scooping and pouring helps to enhance fine motor skills, and is the beginning stage of understanding measurement. It is also just plain fun!

Citrus water play is such a great activity as it uses 4 out of the 5 senses. Watching them use their sense of taste for this one is quite hilarious too!

4. Oobleck

Oobleck is my all-time favourite sensory base for babies. I love playing with it myself! Not quite sure if its a liquid or a solid, but Oobleck is such a wonderful material to use for playing.

The recipe I used to make it uses 2 cups of cornstarch, and 1 cup of water. If you are using a bigger bin or tray, then you will need to add more corn starch or water as needed.

You then need to mix it all together until you get the consistency of feeling hard when you hold it, but then turns to liquid in your hands. If this happens, then you have it right. Tailor your oobleck according to different themes, or change the colour by adding food colouring. There are so many different ways to play with oobleck. I have even made a chocolate one before by adding cocoa and that was a HUGE hit.

Check out my IG reel on how to make chocolate oobleck

5. Taste- safe sand

If you are looking for a taste-safe sand alternative for your baby, then this one is for you. For this recipe you will need to use a low-sugar cereal like All Bran Flakes or (in this case I used Weetbix).

I used about 8 pieces of Weetbix and put them in a food processor. I then blitzed it until it was the consistency I wanted. Super easy!!

Add buckets and beach toys or sea animals and scoops and you have a lovely 'sand' sensory bin. Some may worry that this will encourage your baby to eat sand at the beach- I haven't found that this has happened (well at least more than her usual sand-eating endeavours) so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Hope that this post is helpful to your! Drop me a message if you have any questions.