Life is a sensory experience – it's ok if you and your baby don't want to make cornflour gloop or lie in paint!

Sensory experiences are an important part of your baby’s development, and if you and your baby love a bit of gloop, go for it. But stimulating your baby’s senses doesn’t need to involve elaborate activities or undressing your baby and placing them in various mixtures or in a splodge of paint! Read on to find everyday things that give your baby all the sensory stimulation they need.  

Going outside 

Spending time outside provides lots of sensory stimulation. Your baby might feel a breeze against their face or watch the light changing as it moves through the leaves of a tree.  

If there are no sharp objects around, you could let them play barefoot so they can feel the grass or mud with their toes.  

Your baby might enjoy exploring different textures with their hands and feet, and if it is safe, let them do this as it's a great sensory experience. Just remember that they are still learning a lot about the world by putting things in their mouth, so watch them carefully as they play.  

Wondrous water 

Water might fascinate your baby; they will experience different temperatures as they notice the difference between drops of rain and their warm shower. They might enjoy splashing in the bath and noticing how far the water moves or pouring their drink on a tray and watching it flow. 

So, when your baby has a bath or shower simply allowing a bit of extra time so they can have a splash and a play will give them lots of opportunities to process information from their senses.  

Food 

Food can give your baby experience of different textures, and mealtimes can be a great opportunity for them to link information from what they see and feel together to learn more about the world.  

It might be tempting to wipe up every spill the moment it happens or to keep a cloth close by to wipe your baby’s chin. But putting their fingers in a bit of spilt sauce, or squeezing a piece of carrot or some mashed potato is great for processing information from their sense of touch, and linking this with what they see.  

Having time touching, squeezing and pushing food can also help your baby to feel more comfortable about trying a range of foods and textures. Try to resist the urge to clean up too quickly if you can!  

Think about your baby’s preferences and make sure they can choose 

We know that experiencing different textures and materials is an important part of your baby’s sensory development. But it’s also worth thinking about their developing autonomy – if you think your baby would love a bit of gloop or paint, see if they can choose how much they explore it. Rather than stripping them off and sitting them in the middle of a mixture – perhaps let them choose if they put their whole body in or just a finger at first.  

If they don’t have the physical skills to move into or out of a mixture, perhaps wait and do these activities when they can make that choice.  

If you prefer not to do a range of messy activities just now – be reassured that there are plenty of other ways to stimulate your baby’s senses.