Playing With Food

As kids, many of us were told not to ‘play with our food,’ but at Little Bellies, we believe in doing what’s natural, and as we all know, play is one thing that children do very naturally! It’s an important part of development. Where food is concerned, we believe it’s no different. In fact, play is effective and serious research for them, and children can learn so much from pressure-free playful interactions with food! By playing with their food, children learn about textures, temperatures, colours, sounds, smells and tastes and develop a more relaxed and positive association with a variety of different foods.

Little Bellies has been designed to encourage children to play and learn about new foods and promote the development of their motor skills at every feeding stage. Various shapes, exciting textures and new tastes ranged by age and stage ensures they are suitable for safe self-feeding as they grow. They can be eaten (and played with!)  on their own, but variety is important, so we suggest it’s best to incorporate them with other food groups at the same time.

Where to Get Ideas for Playing with Food

We’ve teamed up with Natural Feeding Advocate Simone Emery to develop a host of games, tips and hacks designed to get little fingers playing with all food groups.

Creations don’t have to be perfect or hard to prepare. In fact, they should be simple, interactive and messy! The value for your child is in the fun of the process, not the product.

You can find many games, tips and hacks on our Facebook and Instagram pages. You can also find an assortment of games for different age groups in the videos below.

Or scroll down to the bottom of the page to find out how other babies and toddlers play and learn with their favourite Bellies foods.