Some of the funniest and most memorable moments in our family have taken place at the dinner table. And having a baby who’s eating solid foods just adds to the merriment. We’ve had some good laughs after watching our baby lick a lemon or pickle, or get caught quietly sneaking unwanted food over the side of the highchair and into the dog’s mouth.
But you pay a price for fun with food: a big huge mess! In fact, a recent survey showed that 80 percent of mothers end up throwing away clothes because they feel it’s just not worth tackling the mess.
This where Dreft comes in, because it’s a detergent that is able to handle the damage your little one can do to all those cute bibs, burp cloths and outfits. This hypoallergenic detergent, with its signature baby fresh scent, has been trusted by pediatricians and parents for over 80 years. And in case you’re curious, it IS safe and effective for laundering cloth diapers as well. I can attest to that from personal experience. My thanks to Dreft for sponsoring today’s post and two giveaways (details below)!
I have a few tips I wanted to share with you after feeding (and cleaning up) 8 babies so far:
- Don’t expect perfection. You are less likely to get frustrated if you realize that it takes time and maturity to learn table manners. Babies will go through different phases as they learn. And if you are more aware of what’s coming, you are more likely to put measures in place that will minimize clean-up (a large enough tray, bibs, small portions, etc.)
- Choose foods carefully. Dry cereal is a popular first finger food not just because babies like them. The fact is, it’s fairly easy to clean up as compared to warm, wet baby cereal, which is very starchy and sticky. If your baby is eager to self-feed, opt for things like mashed potatoes and avocado (that hold together) instead of applesauce (which is runny). Put foods in front of your baby in small amounts. The typical response to a big plate of food is to eat very little of it and then play with the rest!
- Set realistic boundaries. Expecting your toddler to have a squeaky clean face throughout the meal is not reasonable. Expecting him to not throw food at the wall is. Expecting him to not to ever spit things out, or smash them or rub them between his hands is not reasonable. Expecting him to refrain from kicking and screaming is. Discipline and teach just as you would in any other circumstances when your baby or toddler exhibits a behavior that’s rude or obnoxious.
- Offer alternatives. Much of what we do as parents is to teach our children “a better way” of doing things – as opposed to what comes naturally. For example, some of our babies would yell or beat the high chair loudly when they wanted seconds. While it’s fine to want more food, even a young child can be taught a better way to “ask.” One strategy that worked for us was to demonstrate an appropriate behavior and wait for the child to mimic that before offering more food. It would obviously be age-appropriate, so for a baby, instead of asking him to say “please” we could make a pleasant sound that he could imitate or show him how to hold out his hand.
- Know when to call the game. There’s no point in keeping your child at the table if he isn’t hungry, or is tired or bored. If you do, mischief will invariably follow like night follows day. Letting your baby get down as soon as he’s done will not just make him happier, it will keep messes at a minimum.
Dreft sent a few complimentary items for our cleaning toolkit:
- Dreft detergent and Dreft Blissfuls scent booster
- Black & Decker Cordless Hand Vaccuum
- Dreft bib
- Set of Babie B suction cup bowls with lids
Giveaway #1 – My blog is hosting a giveaway for Dreft detergent and a $50 American Express gift card. Enter using the form below! (CLOSED)
Giveaway #2 – I bet you have a photo or video that captures some of your child’s messiest moments. And Dreft wants to see them! That’s why they are hosting the Messiest Baby Contest (you can follow on social media using the hashtag #MessiestBabyContest). Click here to enter. One of the prizes is having your baby featured on the May cover of Parenting Magazine. (CLOSED)
Giveaway #3 – The Dreft #MessiestBabyContest Twitter Party will take place on Monday, November 14th from 9PM-10Pm EST. You can RSVP for the party using this link: http://bit.ly/2f1Djbj. There are some really great prizes including an iRobot Roomba!
For more information, visit www.dreft.com or check in on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
This post and giveaway were made possible by iConnect and Dreft.
I was compensated for my participation in this campaign.