Playing with Pudding - Baby Sensory Activity

I Pinterest-failed.  Hard.  Some of it had to do with the fact that I failed to actually read any instructions on the Pinterest activity I was about to try out.  And some of it was a silly substitution I made.  Silly, silly me.

You've probably seen pudding painting around the interwebs for a while.  Basically, you dye vanilla pudding in different colours using food colouring, and then let your baby fingerpaint with it.  It's non-toxic because it's edible, and stimulates your baby's sense of touch, smell, and sight.  Oh, haha, and taste, because they're all about putting things into their mouths, am I right?

It started off well...

It sounds easy, right?  I had visions of super-cute fingerpainting in my head, and maybe an adorable handprint or two.  Instead, I ended up with a pudding-covered baby and torn paper pieces floating in pudding.  But who cares, really, because you call it sensory play instead of painting, and it's a Pinterest success!  I also consulted my sister, who actually owns a piece of beautiful pudding artwork now, and she gave me some tips for actual Pinterest success which I've incorporated below.

I know it seems messy, but it's worth it!  This type of sensory play is great for your baby's development!  It's good for:

• improving fine motor skills 
• neural development
• encouraging your baby to experiment
• language acquisition - asking questions and dialoguing with your child while you do the activity (ex. "How does the pudding feel?  Ohhh, the pudding feels cold and slimy!")
• discovering the world and how it works
• creativity

Materials:

• vanilla pudding (plus milk if using a mix)
• food colouring
• bowls
• paper (regular printer paper is fine)
• plastic tablecloth (to contain the mess, but it's optional...just be prepared for lots of wiping up after)

Tip!  Use ready-made vanilla pudding in the small snack-size containers and dye each cup a different colour.

Method:

1. Prepare vanilla pudding according to package directions, but reduce the amount of liquid slightly for a thicker pudding.  I recommend adding the liquid a little at a time until your desired consistency is reached.  I just followed the package instructions and my pudding ended up being too runny.  I also substituted water for the milk, so I had a more transparent "paint".
2. Divide your vanilla pudding into bowls.
3. Put in a few drops of your desired food colouring into each.  Follow the instructions on the package for secondary colours.  You can see the photo below for how I mixed my colours.
   
   
   
   
4. Lay a tablecloth or some scrap paper on your work surface, if you want to contain the mess a bit.
5. Put a bit of pudding into the centre of a piece of paper and let your baby go wild!

He really loved it!

My little guy (8 months) leaped for the bowls of pudding the instant I put him down on the tablecloth.  I thought he'd "paint" with the pudding on the paper for a bit, but it went downhill fast, and he ended up with pudding all over his clothes.  He really enjoyed spilling and smearing it everywhere, and we could have done without the paper.  There was a delightful vanilla smell to him after and he ended up playing with it for a while.

Tip!  Try this activity in the tub, right before bathtime for easy cleanup!

Tip!  You can also try dyeing the pudding with jello powder, for a different smell and slightly grainy texture.

After he decided he was done, I just scooped him up, stripped him at the sink and rinsed his pudding-covered appendages.  I used a damp rag to wipe down the tablecloth, and voila, it's like pudding painting never happened!  Oh, wait, that's because it didn't.  But pudding playing did, and it was lots of fun!

The aftermath!  But cleanup was done in less than 5 minutes!

I might try this activity outside next time, so I can just hose the kids off after.  I'm a little bit concerned about bugs, though?  Have you ever tried this?  Let us know how your pudding paintings turn out!

Pin me for later!

Chocolate Pudding Series | Chia Chocolate Pudding

What's a girl (or guy!) to do when she has a chocolate craving?  We're kicking off our healthy chocolate pudding series with a recipe for chia pudding!  Chia seeds are packed with fibre, omega-3s, protein, and are a great alternative to gelatin in pudding, especially if you're going vegan.

You can find chia seeds at Bulk Barn, Whole Foods, and other grocery stores.  I found ground chia at my local Loblaws!  Would you believe I used to have my husband grind up chia seeds with a mortar and pestle (I know, am I a pioneer?!)?  He was reaaaaally happy I found already ground ones, haha!

Chia seeds are really neat because they form a kind of gel when you put them in liquid.  You can put them in smoothies, juices, and other drinks to thicken them and add nutritional value.  I haven't tried it, but you can apparently use gelled chia seeds as an alternative to egg in some recipes.  Admittedly, you might find the texture of chia a little bit slimy when you first try it.

Toddler-approved!  Chocolate pudding you don't feel guilty about giving to your kids!

Tip!  If you're afraid of committing to a whole pack of chia seeds, buy just a bit at the bulk food store and put it in some juice to try it out!  Look, you've just made your own Mamma Chia drink for a fraction of the cost!

This dessert is basically choose your own adventure, because it's so customizable!  You can decide what type of milk you want, what type of sweetener to use, and how much you want of each.  You can even switch out the cocoa for vanilla, or steep tea in your milk for a milk tea flavour.  Or maybe even matcha?  Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup chia seeds (ground or whole) - I like ground chia because it makes for a slightly smoother pudding. Whole chia seeds make the pudding slightly crunchy.
• 1.5 cups milk (coconut, almond, soy...your choice!)
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 2 tbsp honey, maple syrup, or other sweetener (you can adjust the amount according to the demanding needs of your sweet tooth)

Method (this is so easy...you basically just mix everything together in a bowl!):

1. Mix honey and cocoa with milk.  I took about a 1/2 cup of milk, warmed it, and mixed my honey and cocoa into it.  This dissolves the honey faster, and it's easier to get the cocoa lumps out!
   
   

   

   Mmm...tasty Argentinian honey!

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Stir in chia seeds and whisk until well combined.
   
3. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow chia seeds to absorb the liquid.
4. Garnish, serve and enjoy!
   

Tip! If you want a thicker pudding, add more chia seeds.  Want to make it more of a thick chocolate shake?  Add fewer chia seeds.

Pin me for later!

Have you tried chia seeds before?  Try making this decadent dessert this weekend.  Your kids will never know how healthy it is!  And let us know how it turned out!