The Importance of Getting Messy During Meals

By: Morgan Berliner, MS, CCC-SLP

Exploring food through all our senses is a vital part of eating and trying new foods. So much occurs before food is ultimately chewed and swallowed. Babies that aren’t given the chance to explore food on their hands, fingers, and face can be less likely to try new foods. Let’s dig in why it is so important to allow babies to get messy during meals.

First off, feeding should be a reciprocal action. It should not only be mom spoon-feeding baby food or placing bites of solids on the chewing surface. It should be a two-way street where baby can practice self-feeding with a utensil or with hands, while also having help from the “feeder.” Practicing feeding with some puree in a bowl, on the tray, or a loaded spoon helps baby to feel like an active participant in this new developmental stage.

Allowing baby to feel the texture on his or her hands or face provides important input to the brain for sensory experiences. Our hands and fingers are full of nerve endings that help us understand food all before entering the mouth. Exploring with our senses allows for learning smell, texture, and temperature, which are all important pieces of information being stored with each new experience. Every positive association of feeding helps your child to be an adventurous eater.

Getting messy during meals also helps to build vocabulary at the table. Feeding should be a fun experience as meals are often a social event in our culture. When baby is exploring food through touch, smell, and sight, we can introduce new words such as “sticky,” “wet,” “smooth,” “bumpy,” and “slippery.” If we are constantly wiping hands and scraping food off the chin with the spoon, baby is missing out on a whole learning experience for sensory and language input.

Does my child need to get messy every single meal? Not necessarily. There are times when life gets in the way, and we need to eat and quickly change for daycare, or we are at a friend’s house and having dinner. Not every meal needs to be an orchestra of purees and soft solids on hands and face, but look at meals as a whole. If majority of the time you can let your child explore textures, then I would consider that a win. Also remember this is just a phase, eventually your child will be eating dinner and minimal wiping needed until then let them explore!

Wondering what exactly getting messy during meals looks like? When feeding baby put a portion or all their meal on the tray, in a bowl, or on a cleaned table. Demonstrate getting messy! Put your hands in puree or squeeze the soft solid and hand it to baby. Also talk about the texture, “this carrot is squishy, your turn!” When feeding, leave puree or food on lips and cheek throughout the meal instead of constant wiping. If your child is having a hard time getting and staying messy, it’s okay to listen to their cues. Do not force it and instead work slowly up to getting messy or do lots of sensory play outside of mealtime. When you allow your baby to get messy and have fun learning, they are more likely to try new foods - a skill they will have for a lifetime!

Morgan Berliner, MS, CCC-SLP is the speech-language pathologist and owner of Eat Talk Grow based out of Raleigh, NC. Morgan specializes in educating families on speech and feeding milestones through 1:1 consults, workshops, and PDFs. Learn more on her website: www.eattalkgrow.com.

Last medically reviewed on July 11, 2022