Messy Play Day: The key to Toddler Happiness?

<center><a <span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">href</span>=" http://<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">littlecharlieandus</span>.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">blogspot</span>.com/"><<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">img</span> <span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">src</span>="http://s918.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">photobucket</span>.com/albums/ad27/<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">chasingsunshine</span>_photos/?action=view&%3Bcurrent=MessyPlayDayBlogBadge2.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">jpg</span>" target="_blank" /><<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">img</span> <span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">src</span>="http://i918.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">photobucket</span>.com/albums/ad27/<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">chasingsunshine</span>_photos/MessyPlayDayBlogBadge2.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">jpg</span>" border="0" alt="<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">Photobucket</span>" /></a></center>   Charlie is now 22 months old. Someone came to my house today to pick something up and brought along their baby who could crawl but not walk. I grabbed him trying to prevent him trying to pull himself on my hot oven.
I lifted him away and automatically put him on his feet for some reason expecting him to walk off! Which of course he didn't he fell on his bum!
    I am so much into the toddler parenting roll now that I have forgotten what to do with a baby who cannot do things that I now take for granted with Charlie like him understanding to pass me something or take off his own trousers ready for his bath. But it has got me wondering some things. Like whether we do enough toddler activities. We joined a mummy and baby playgroup two weeks ago. They are free to play with water and sand and smash 'hills' made out of jelly with a plastic fork and no one gets into trouble for making a mess. Charlie loves it.
     Today Charlie is with his grandparents who have lots of homegrown apples to use up and are using them to make pie's and cakes. I have just received on my facebook page several pictures of my little boy covered head to toe in flour but the smile on his face says it all.
     Messy play is obviously Charlie's thing. And we simply do not do enough of it at home! I never involve him with cooking because I'm always paranoid he'll hurt himself- or me!
   So I am making a vow that from now on we will have a Messy Play Day a week. I will also make sure to involve him more in things like baking and cooking rather than leaving him in the living room playing by himself. It's time I let go a little bit me thinks.

Whether you have a Messy Play Day once a week or Once a Month please feel free to join in our messy play day fun and pop the badge above in your blog post. I can't wait to see what everyone's ideas are for Messy Play!

Making Apple Pie with Nanna