March 16, 2008
Benefits of Messy Play
by Patricia Hughes
For adults, messy play can be a lot of work and feel stressful. However, there are many benefits to messy play. Early childhood education experts say that play is the work of the child. This is true for all kids, but especially for babies and toddlers. Don’t be afraid of the mess. Roll up your sleeves and enjoy some messy play time with your little one.
Messy play stimulates the senses. The tactile experience gained during messy play helps little ones experience a variety of textures. During messy play, babies and toddlers are developing eye hand coordination and fine motor skills. What looks like a mess on the surface is truly a learning experience for your child.
Fun and Messy Activities
A sand and water table is a great messy activity. In warm weather, this activity is perfect outside. When the weather is chilly, kids can still enjoy water play indoors. A small water table can be put on top of towels and filled with a small amount of water. The table can be filled with just water for younger infants and toddlers, if you are concerned about sand in the eyes.
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Babies are born with the grasping reflex. From birth, your baby can grasp an object, usually your finger. You will need to put your finger against the palm of the baby’s hand to get her to grasp at it. As your baby grows, she will develop the coordination to actually pick up things and hold them.
The milestones that your child meets in the first year or two of life are more obvious than the changes in the toddler and preschool years. This doesn’t mean that the changes aren’t happening nor does it mean that these changes are any less exciting than ones that happened earlier in life. Watching your baby grow into a child is an amazing experience. Seeing the changes that your child goes through and the speed that your child is going through these changes is equally as amazing. While some people tend to call these the terrible-twos there are so many other things going on in your child’s life to focus on. This is the time your child matures from a toddler to a preschooler. 
You may be wondering if you should join a playgroup with your baby. Will the baby really benefit from social interaction at such a young age? Do they really need to attend a regular playgroup? While babies do need social interaction, a playgroup isn’t absolutely necessary to meet that need. However, there are benefits for mom and baby in joining a group of other moms and children. 
During the first year of life you watched your baby start as a helpless infant to a budding toddler. The second year of life is even more exciting. This is when your baby starts to really show personality. Your baby learns eating skills, speech skills, walks and learns how to play during this year. Temper tantrums may begin during this year as your baby pushes to become independent. Every new discovery is greeted with enthusiasm and each month takes your baby a little closer to independence. 
Watching your baby grow is one of the most amazing and exciting experiences of parenthood. Each infant is individual and will learn and grow at their own pace. With this in mind, there are some milestones to watch for through baby's first year. The milestones are a general guideline and aren't going to be exact for all children. Below is baby's first year broken down by month.