Don’t play with your food was a house rule when you were growing up, but parents who favour baby-led weaning will recognise the sensory fun of introducing new foods to kids. And, as Unii Baby Nutrition Expert Dr. Venita Patel explains in an upcoming episode of Unii Babies, there may even be developmental benefits to letting little ones play with what is on their plate. “Generally, babies are not going to be tidy eaters because they're just learning how to actually move a spoon to their mouth. And also, they're learning about the different textures of food as well. And these are really important exposures for their nervous system,” the NHS community paediatrician and registered nutritional therapist told Unii Babies host Dr. Saranya Ravindran.

Dr. Patel, who leads Unii’s Baby Nutrition Journey, was quick to reassure parents not to stress about the mess. “And so what I say is to not worry as much as you can about the mess. And actually, the messier, the better. So if they can get both of their hands into the bowl, that's actually a good thing. So don't see it as ‘oh no, I'm going to have to clear up.’ Obviously we would have to clear up, but that's a good thing for them going forward.”

“So they're more likely to then eat a wide range of foods. They're more likely to accept different foods, particularly with finger foods in their hands. So it's kind of a form of play.”

Dr. Venita Patel leads Unii’s Baby Nutrition Journey video course.

Catch new episodes of the Unii Babies Podcast with Dr. Saranya Ravindran every Friday.

Unii Babies is created and owned by London-based family wellbeing educational platform Unii.com, which offers hundreds of episodes of expert-led video courses and a library of medically reviewed articles devoted to improving both baby and child health and your parenting journey. We can also have your parenting questions expertly answered. Contact us with what you want to know, and you may see one of our experts discuss it on our podcast or Unii.com: Because Family Matters.

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Dr. Venita Patel: "Don't worry about the mess, playing with food is good for your baby!"

Dr. Venita Patel: "Don't worry about the mess, playing with food is good for your baby!"