Little one, oh little one. They love exploring, putting anything and everything they can get on their hands into their mouths—even unsavoury items. As parents, it is important to keep a close watch on them, for fear of choking and poisoning risks.
So it was definitely a win-win when a mum came up with a fun yet safe trick for her baby’s edible sensory play.
Edible Sensory Play: Sandpit Using Blended Cheerios
The TikTok video posted by the baby’s mum, Elleanna, features her blending a container full of Cheerios—a popular breakfast cereal—into edible sand.
Garnering over 2.5 million views as of writing, the mum’s brilliant idea won the hearts of many.
Photo: screengrab from elleannachristine/TikTok
The end product after blending, looks exactly like fine sand, with its beige-looking undertones.
The mum then proceeded to pour the edible ‘sand’ into a tray, and added a few beach-themed toys.
Photo: screengrab from elleannachristine/TikTok
Baby Played, and Ate the Sand
Once the set-up was done, Elle’s baby was seen happily playing with the toys.
Photo: screengrab from elleannachristine/TikTok
The little one even put one of the toys in her mouth, but thankfully, it is edible sand after all.
And above all else, sensory play involving sand is great for children’s development as it helps calm them down, develop their fine motor skills, and improve hand-eye coordination among other benefits.
According to The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), sand play also helps to develop the skills necessary for higher-level learning in the classroom.
Photo: screengrab from elleannachristine/TikTok
Photo: Screengrab from TikTok
Photo: Screengrab from TikTok
Even so, with this brilliant trick also came a couple of comments from concerned netizens.
“Would this teach them to eat real sand?”
The fact that the edible sand looks almost like the real deal has got netizens coming up with an honest question: would this teach them to eat real sand?
To which, mum Elleanna replied that she lives in Illinois where there is, unfortunately, no sand around.
However, babies or kids, being the young being that they are, do learn fairly quickly and will learn how to differentiate its taste and textures.
Would you try this trick for your little one?
You can watch the TikTok video here.
Other Ways to Keep Kids Entertained
If you’re looking for other fun ways to keep little ones entertained and help bond the family, consider these:
Lead image: screengrabs from elleannachristine/TikTok
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