I think it’s safe to assume that we all want the best for our children. This doesn’t stop the best diets and education we can give them, but also the little things that make a child’s life memorable. Like non-toxic child safe paint and all natural play dough.
They won’t know the difference between the safer home made versions and the mass produced store bought ones. All they’re going to carry about it is what they can create with it and that you’re playing along side them.
Lately, we’ve been dealing with an ‘eating everything we shouldn’t eat’ phase over here with my toddler. I’m talking full on eating, like chewing and swallowing playdoh. I know they market it as non-toxic but I still don’t like this new behavior.
I’ve tasted it to see what the attraction is and it’s just salty and not in a good way. For some reason he keeps doing it, when he never did before.
He plots and waits until either of us stop watching him for a second and then he takes his opportunity. He used to just smell it every chance he got… but to be fair I do the same
The same goes with paints. He NEVER tried to taste paint before, not even as a wee one. But now he tries to touch his tongue to the brush every time we sit down to paint.
It’s not constant the whole paint session but it is every time we do this activity. The paints say that they’re non-toxic as well, but I don’t have a clue what’s in them. Even if the paint itself is taste safe, the pigments they use most likely are not as safe as they could be. That’s why I decided to make the switch to child safe paint.
We love to do arts and crafts, so naturally we always have a collection of store bought paints in an array of colors. But since we’ve entered our current phase, I’ve been making our own paints.
This is a super fun activity for a toddler to help with and it’s very rewarding for you both when finished.
These paints will keep your toddler occupied and engaged throughout the whole process. From helping mix them to creating their very own masterpiece, they will have a blast from beginning to end.
Below I’ll be sharing my favorite paint recipes ranging from bath paint to sidewalk paint. Some of these recipes are taste-safe while others aren’t so much. To be honest, I would much rather my guy try to taste these homemade ones than the store bought… even if they’re not all taste safe.
All of these recipes obviously need a receptacle of some sort (jars, bowls or an ice cube tray) so I won’t bother adding those to what you’ll need. There is one exception though and that’s #5.
This paint does better when squeezed out of a bottle. Like those plastic ones restaurants and bars use. If you don’t have any on hand you can use bowls and brushes, but I would find some bottles at the dollar store or online.
Bathtub Paint #1
1 C Cup Castile Soap
1 C Corn Starch
3 TBS Water
Food Coloring
Mix all ingredients, except food coloring and add to different jars or an ice cube tray. Add food coloring and mix. Paint away!
Bathtub Paint #2
Shaving Cream
Food Coloring
Mix em up and start painting. This is probably THE easiest DIY paint recipe you can find. No measuring required!
Of all the paint recipes here, this is one is probably the least taste friendly, depending on what type of shaving cream you use. I make my own (when I actually use it) so I feel more comfortable with this one than I would a store bought cream. If you’re having the same troubles I am, keep a close eye on this one.
Flour Paint
1/2 C Flour
2 C Water
Food coloring
- Start by combining flour and water in a saucepan over med/low heat. Stir constantly until it reaches a thick gravy like consistency.
- Pour into jars and cool.
- Once the mixture has cooled add food coloring and let your child paint away.
This one makes a great finger paint!
DIY Chalk Paint
Colored Chalk
Water
Ziplock Bags
Hammer
- Start by crushing the chalk into a fine powder in the ziplock bags. This is a great step to enlist your child’s help with, they’ll have a blast pulverizing the chalks.
- Once that’s complete, add them to the jars and slowly mix in water until desired consistency is reached. Let those kids go to town painting EVERYTHING
*This is a great paint because once the water dries you’re left with what looks like regular sidewalk chalk. So no more worrying about difficult cleanup.
Puff Paint
This is probably the niftiest (is that even a word?) paint recipe I’ll be sharing with you. Not only are the colors vibrant but it’s dries 3 dimensional.
Unfortunately, it does not dry puffy like the name might suggest but I think it’s still pretty cool. I bet there’s a way to achieve a puffy texture after it dries but I haven’t figured out how yet.
For this paint recipe you’ll need:
1 Part Flour
1 Part Water
Food Coloring or Kid Safe Paints
Mixing Bowl
Whisk
Funnel
- Throughly whisk flour and water until all clumps have dissolved.
- Funnel into squeeze bottles and add food coloring or paint. Shake well. Have fun painting!
I’ve also seen people make this with an added 1 part of salt. I have not tried this variation yet but I fully intend to. When I do I’ll update this post to let you know if it’s worth the add.
Hopefully, you all have as much fun with these child safe paint recipes as we have. Let us know which one is your favorite!