Let your baby explore colours, textures, and artistic expression safely while having a blast. From edible paint recipes to mess-free and sensory-rich activities, there's something here for every budding artist!
With these benefits in mind, let's dive into our list of taste-safe paint recipes and baby-friendly painting activities.
Worried about letting your baby work with paint? Try one of these taste-safe paint recipes instead. While you still need to closely supervise all of your baby's activities, you can safely let them explore colours and textures with these baby paint recipes.
Now to the fun part — actual art your baby can make! From no-mess painting with Ziploc bags and bubble art to painting with toy cars, your little one is going to LOVE all the color and fun involved in these baby painting activities.
Benefits of Letting Your Baby Paint
This collection of baby painting ideas offers several benefits that go beyond putting paint on the canvas. Here is a list of the benefits of painting with babies:
- Develops fine motor skills
- Enhances hand-eye coordination
- Encourages sensory exploration
- Stimulates creativity and imagination
- Fosters self-expression and emotional development
- Introduces the concept of cause and effect
- Provides a fun and engaging bonding experience for parents and babies
You might also be interested in our mess free painting, painting ideas for toddlers or painting ideas for kids.
Check out our ultimate guide to painting with kids for painting supply suggestions, more painting ideas and our painting top tips.
Related - Sensory play for babies
Baby Safe Paint Recipes
2-Ingredient Edible Paint Recipe for Babies
Unleash your baby's inner artist with this safe and tasty 2-ingredient edible paint! Made with yogurt and food colouring, this vibrant paint allows your little one to explore colours and textures, and you don't have to worry about fingers going into the mouth. Perfect for curious taste-testers and tiny hands ready to create their first masterpiece.
Baby Safe Paint Recipe - Milk Paint
You'll love our easy-to-make, baby-safe milk paint. With just milk and food colouring, you can create a palette of colours that are perfect for little artists to paint with using a brush or their fingers. We used it to paint on toast, but you can also paint a piece of paper with it.
Whipped Cream Paint Recipe for Babies
Whipped cream paint is a fun sensory experience for babies, combining the fluffy texture of whipped cream with vibrant gel food colouring. This easy paint recipe from Happy Toddler Playtime is perfect for encouraging creative play while providing a tasty and easy-to-clean sweet treat for curious little fingers.
Taste Safe Kool-Aid Yogurt Paint
Add a fruity twist to your baby's painting session with Kool-Aid and yogurt paint from Growing a Jewelled Rose. Combine the incredible scent and pretty colours of Kool-Aid with creamy yogurt, for a squishy, yummy-smelling paint that's loads of fun to play with. Watch as your little one creates vibrant, fruity art they can safely taste.
Baby Safe Edible Chocolate Paint
Any baby will love painting with this edible chocolate paint from Sugar Spice and Glitter. Made with corn syrup and cocoa powder, this chocolatey paint is easy to whip up, and you can store it in a mason jar in the refrigerator and only give your baby a tablespoon or so at a time to work with.
Shiny and Edible Finger Paint for Babies
Add a touch of sheen to your baby's artwork with this shiny and edible finger paint from Laughing Kids Learn. Mix condensed milk and food colouring to make a few batches for your little Picasso!
Flour Paint Recipe for Babies
Get back to basics with this easy flour paint from Simple Fun for Kids. Combining flour, water, and food colouring, you'll create a thick, vibrant paint that's perfect for little hands to explore.
Marshmallow Edible Paint Recipe
Let those little hands create a masterpiece with this fluffy marshmallow edible paint from Crafts by Amanda. Made with marshmallows, water, corn syrup, and food colouring, this paint offers a unique, somewhat sticky texture and sweet taste for your baby to enjoy.
Neon Edible Finger Paints for Babies
Brighten up your baby's art with this eye-catching neon paint from I Heart Arts n Crafts made with neon food colouring and yogurt. You'll get bright and bold colours that your baby will love exploring.
Baby Painting Ideas
Rainbow No-Mess Baby Painting
To make this no-mess baby painting, place a piece of paper in a plastic bag, add paint in rainbow colours, and let your baby get to work squishing and smooshing it around. The colours may blend together a little, but that's okay! When the paper is covered with colour, remove it, let it dry, and cut it into a fun shape like a heart to use on a lovely card for a friend of family member.
Tummy Time Painting for Babies
This tummy time painting activity is such a fun idea from Mama, Papa, and Bubba. Let baby get in some tummy time while creating a unique piece of art. The bright colours and fun activity may help babies who don't particularly enjoy spending time on their tummies. It doesn't have to be completed in one session, either. Just leave the paper sealed in the bag and put it in place whenever you're doing a few minutes of tummy time.
Taste Safe Ice Painting for Babies
Chill out with this cool ice painting activity! Freeze coloured water made with food dye into ice cubes and let your baby use move them around on a piece of paper. As the ice melts, it creates beautiful, watery art. This sensory-rich activity is perfect for hot days and offers a unique, hands-on painting experience for your little one.
Shake It Up No Mess Baby Painting
For babies who love to shake things up, this 'shake it up' painting activity from Sunny Day Family is perfect! Grab a small plastic jar or bottle, and add a piece of paper and some paint inside. Let baby shake the container to their heart's content, and then remove the paper to reveal the work of art inside.
Baby Painting with Toy Cars
Rev up your baby's creativity with this playful toy car painting activity. Dip the wheels of toy cars in paint and let your baby drive them across the canvas, creating colourful tracks and patterns. This engaging activity combines their love for vehicles with artistic expression, making it a fun and memorable experience.
Baby Bubble Wrap Painting
You have to try this bubble wrap art idea from Hello Wonderful. Tape a piece of bubble wrap over a piece of paper with plenty of paint drips on it, and let your baby get to work pushing and squishing down on the bubble wrap. It creates a fun pattern on the paper, and you can use this colourful art to make homemade cards.
Freezer Bag No Mess Painting for Babies
Keep the fun going and the mess at bay with this freezer bag painting activity. Add paint and a piece of paper to a plastic bag, seal it, and let your baby squish and mix the colours. This sensory-rich, no-mess activity is entertaining while nurturing your baby's curiosity and creativity.
Cling Film Art
Who knew cling film art could be so much fun? Simply apply paint to a canvas or another surface, cover it with cling film (plastic wrap), tape to secure it, and let your little one explore textures and colours by pressing and swirling the film. This mess-free, tactile activity encourages creative expression while keeping things tidy.
Rainbow Sponge Painting
Brighten your baby's day with this rainbow sponge painting activity. Load a sponge with all the colours of the rainbow and let your little one drag it across the paper, creating stunning, colourful streaks.
Painting with Water
Introduce your baby to the world of painting in the simplest way possible: with water painting! Just provide a container of water and a brush, and let them create "invisible" masterpieces on a chalk-covered board, sidewalk, or patio. You could even do this with a piece of cardboard if you're painting indoors.
Cardboard Box Painting
Hello Wonderful has a great idea for containing the mess: painting in a cardboard box. If your baby can sit up independently, go for it! However, instead of dot markers, you may want to use one of the taste-safe paint options listed above for babies.
Muddy Pig Sensory Art for Babies
Do this muddy pig art idea from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds with your baby. The paint and shaving cream is contained within the freezer bag for mess-free squishy fun. However, if you're worried some may leak out of the bag, you can always use whipped cream and the chocolate paint mentioned above instead of tempera paint and shaving cream.
Window Painting - No Mess baby Painting
For another paint-in-a-bag idea, try this window painting activity from Laughing Kids Learn. Instead of slipping a paper inside, just add paint, seal the bag, and tape it to a window. Your baby gets a chance to move around more as he or she reaches for the bag and squishes the paint around.
Sponge Painting for Babies
Grab a sponge with a handle like the one shown here for baby to paint with. The sponge is soft, fluffy, and lots of fun to play with and the handle makes it easy for baby to hold. It'll create fun patterns on the paper, too. This sponge painting is such a fun idea from No Time for Flashcards!
Swatter Mural Art for Babies and Toddlers
The great thing about this swatter mural art idea from Playground Park Bench is that it's scalable! Use a small swatter or spatula and a piece of paper for a baby or a large sheet of craft paper and a fly swatter for toddlers who can move and reach more.
There you have it — loads of baby safe paint recipes as well as some fun baby painting activities to go along with them. Remember to always supervise your baby during these activities and have fun watching their delighted faces.
Don't forget to pin this post of baby painting ideas and baby safe paint recipes to come back to when you need an engaging activity for your little one!
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