Now that X is a bit older (he just turned a year old!), he's getting much better about not tasting paint. I still don't trust him with "real" paint, but I am worried less about using artificial dyes. If your little one is small enough that they're likely to be eating a bit of whatever paint you're using, I'd still recommend our Homemade Edible Paint made with Natural Dyes.
While natural dyes are pretty in their own right, I do enjoy the vibrancy of artificial coloring in paints.
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I'd had the idea to have X play in yogurt since it's so silky smooth - but then thought, hey, why not make it into paint? I know a lot of bloggers use Kool Aid
and for so long I'd resisted because I somehow thought it had sugar already in it? I hate that sticky sugar feeling. But I was totally wrong - Kool Aidpowder has no added sugar! And the smells - ohhhhh yum!!!
and for so long I'd resisted because I somehow thought it had sugar already in it? I hate that sticky sugar feeling. But I was totally wrong - Kool Aidpowder has no added sugar! And the smells - ohhhhh yum!!!
Because I did want to discourage X from tasting, and as I mentioned, I really dislike sticky sugar residue, I bought plain yogurt. Most brands of plain yogurt are unsweetened altogether, and are quite tart. Though edible, it was a great teaching paint since the flavor really was not one you'd like to taste more than once! I used small cups to measure out about two big spoonfuls of yogurt and I added 1/2 to a whole packet of Kool Aid,depending on the color (I needed very little red and orange, for instance).
depending on the color (I needed very little red and orange, for instance). 
For whatever reason our local Safeway didn't have any green Kool Aid, so I mixed half a packet of the yellow Lemonade and the blue Blue Raspberry and made my own green!
The paints were so pretty! The colors were nice and vibrant and the yogurt was so smooth and glossy. X was SUPER excited to dive right in!
I love this photo because it catches his "ooh!" face. Whenever he finds something new and exciting, he makes this face while exclaiming "ooh! ooh!" - it always makes me and S laugh!
Here he is feeling the texture of the paint between his fingers. Unfortunately, I'd made the mistake of using yogurt straight from the refrigerator, so it was quite cold! X was a little hesitant to really get in there because of the temperature. It wasn't the warmest day either. Whoops! Unless it's already summer-y where you are, I'd recommend letting the yogurt get a bit closer to room temperature before using it (you don't want to leave it out SO long that it spoils, but 10-15 minutes would have made it a bit less chilly for poor baby X!)
He really loved watching the paint drip off of his fingers on to the paper.
Since X loves to try to eat regular paper, when I paint with him I use poster board and tape the edges down. This helps him focus on painting instead of being distracted by the paper.
He also loved making finger tracks through the paints. This was definitely the most "painting" he's done yet! I can't wait until he's a bit older and it really clicks for him. :)
More finger dragging. It was really cool how the yogurt paint made tracks - and I loved watching the colors swirl as he mixed them with his hand.
One happy, messy little painter! As you might have guessed if you read my post on Managing Messy Play, there's a hidden splat mat under that sheet. :)
What a beautiful baby masterpiece!
After I finished taking pictures, I showed him how to use his feet to swirl and smear the paint further. We also painted his feet and legs a bit more and he experimented with his whole hand and made a handprint.
All in all, we were big fans of the scented yogurt paint! S happened to be at Take Your Child to Work Day with her Dada, but I can't wait for her to try these! The smells were such a fun addition to the vibrant colors and smooth texture of the paint - she'll be sure to enjoy them.
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Please always supervise your infant/child at play. Please stay within arms reach and never leave infants/children unattended.
This is such a cool idea!! My little one is only 3mo but as soon as he's able, I want him to play with colors like this!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, can you come over and take all my pictures for me? Yours always look beyond gorgeous! :) Secondly, this is an awesome idea! I've already pinned it to try with a baby and a toddler I watch after preschool. Even my kindergartner son would love it. Thanks for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteAh, you are too sweet, Mary Catherine. It is a combo of a wall of windows for natural light, adorable models (you've got this part covered), and the correct lens. The f 1.4/50mm lens cost as much as the camera (which is why it's my only lens!), but is so worth it for the pretty factor!!!!
DeleteAnd yes! Please do try it. The smells and colors were AMAZING. And not too expensive, either - so a total win all around. Feel free to post about it, too, I'm sure I'm not the first person to think up the combo! :)
This is awesome. We are so doing this. I was going to mix yogurt with food coloring but kook-aid sounds even better :) Thanks for sharing. Pinning!
ReplyDeleteYay! Thank you, Jennifer! I feel like I always manage to spill/stain with food coloring. Not that I didn't spill some of the Kool Aid powder on our counter (maybe I am just really clumsy?!), but I feel like it was easier than using food coloring. And the SMELL!!! So amazing! Feel free to post about it if you want! I am sure your photos would make it look even more lovely! :)
DeleteDoes Koolaid have aspartame in it?
ReplyDeleteHi Dee,
DeleteI just checked - and the packets we used (just regular Kool Aid, so far as I know) do not list aspartame as an ingredient. Hope that helps! :)
This is so much fun!! Kingston basically painted his entire high chair with yogurt yesterday which got me thinking! Such a fun coincidence. We will definitely have to try this! We generally use regular fingerpaint because he isn't much of a "paint-taster!" haha But i love this concept. Plus, the colors look great!
ReplyDeleteHi Blayne! Thanks! Yes, yogurt is a great medium and makes a super cool paint! I, for one, appreciated how lovely our house smelled afterwards. YUM! I love the smell of Kool Aid, hahaha!
DeleteDo these and the Homemade Edible Paints actually dry like real paint? Or is it just for them to play with?
ReplyDeleteGreat question, Helen! In my experience all edible paints do not dry/preserve as well as store bought paints. This one in particular I wouldn't even try to keep because of the milk product spoiling (the smell would be BAD I'm pretty sure). We did dry out our kids' art that was made with these edible paints:
Deletehttp://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/02/homemade-edible-paint-infant-s-started.html
and it dried really well, though it's still not as vibrant as store bought paint. Hope that helps! :)
Thank you. Looking forward to giving them a go!
DeleteThanks for sharing. Can I ask you, do these wash off the baby's skin?
ReplyDeleteYes, they do! We did notice some residual staining with the red - it was faint and washed off with a second bath that evening. Since we have had the same experience with reds/purples with storebought paint and fingerpaint it didn't worry me too much. It also washed out of all of the material it came in contact with - but we put everything in the wash immediately afterwards. Hope that helps! :)
DeleteGreat idea - this would be great for older kids, too. They could experiment with color mixing, adding materials for texture. To go over the top - add cookie crumbles, tiny pieces of fruit.
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth! Yes, my older daughter loves them because they smell so delicious! I love your ideas for mixing it up with color mixing and adding texture! :)
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