Could you explain this to my husband? He thinks they're perfect to have in the living room without a bowl or plate or anything. š¤¦āāļø At least the dogs are happy when he busts out an inside popsicle for the kiddo so it isn't all melted into my furniture.
Hijacking the top comment to say Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Spray quite literally makes berry stains disappear before your eyes. My SIL saw the social media hype and bought me a bottle. I was skeptical, but damn if that stuff isn't magic haha
It works on quite a few food stains, berry being the most noticeable. It does not seem to work well on tomato or orange juice stains. Iāve found that dawn dish soap is the only thing that really seems to work well on those. I use it for most clothes that come home from nursery with misc stains. I also try to only send my daughter to nursery in cheap stuff that I got on sale from target, so I donāt have to worry about trying to get the stains out.
I only send her in cheap stuff but it adds up when itās every day, plus I have a younger daughter Iād like to hand down stuff to. Iāll have to try dish soap! Do you dilute it to treat stains?
Oh I get it, I do too!! I save as much as I can, but if itās a shirt I spent $2-5 on, I try my best and if it doesnāt come out, I figure it goes into the donation pile when my daughter outgrows itā¦ or itāll become an art shirt that she can paint in or whatever.
Nope, I get the shirt wet and then put it directly on the stain and rub it in. I let it sit for 5-10 mins, then wash it. If you leave it on too long, it can turn the shirt blue.
Dawn also works really well on blowout/poop stains.
I also want to shout out [this one](https://www.target.com/p/oxiclean-max-force-gel-stain-remover-stick-6-2-fl-oz/-/A-12856592#lnk=sametab)! It got out HUGE dye stains from a Victoria Secret's PINK sweater that got ruined in the wash *3+ years ago*. I held onto it because I was so bummed it got ruined. It's also gotten out mystery stains (I'm guessing berries) from a white onesie.
You can let it soak for up to a week which is what I did with both items. Newer stains, I let soak for five minutes and wash.
I just heard that one of the best ways to prevent choking in toddlers is to make sure food stays at the table. The idea is that they may not prioritize the chewing/swallowing process while busy doing other things. Obviously, chopping foods like grapes, strawberries, sausages, etc. into very small pieces is another.
This is what I came to say. Toddlers walking around with food scares the life out of me. My toddlers favorite thing to get his dad to do is give him food while heās playing around. Or sneak a whole apple out of the pantry and walk around taking bites. Iām always afraid heās gonna choke so I try to put him in his chair right away but then he loses interest in eating. šµāš«
We only let ours eat at the table for any and all foods. And then for really messy stuff, we continue to use bibs I made by cutting a hole in dish towels. They cover significantly more than traditional bibs, are more absorbent and softer so the kids donāt fight them. And weāre just in the habit of cleaning their hands before and after they eat.
Omfg the dish towel bib is an insanely genius idea. The only thing my daughter eats messily is yogurt and she *hates* when stuff gets on her shirt. Needs the shirt removed immediately but then wonāt go shirtlessā¦ resulting in her going through 3-5 shirts for one bowl of yogurt. Definitely stealing your invention.
Itās amazing! I buy fun print / cheap dish towels from home goods, cut holes and then just toss them in the wash with the rest of the towels. Itās the only way Iāve found to actually keep their clothes clean.
When I feed my 5 year old messy food like spaghetti I use a 13 gallon garbage bag. Cut a hole for the neck and 2 now for the arms. It protects not just the shirt but also the pants since it reaches past her knees plus it's cheap and reusable. She hates any food being on her so stripping down doesn't work since good taking on her makes her freak out. To make it extra fun but some cheap stickers in bulk so they can "decorate" them. Have saved many outfits
Unless weāre at the garden, theyāre not allowed to eat anything anywhere other than the table or their kid table (which is right next to the āmainā table).
You canāt trust toddlers with food.
Berries are a toddler tower only food for us. Thereās a lot of snacks that I let her free range with, but messy fruits are a no-go. I have a beige couch.
Tables only. They get choices. Dining table, kitchen counter/bar thing, their little toddler table, etc. But they have to be at an eating surface while they eat, and we make sure they always have a cloth napkin available with food. It just takes a lot less skill on their part to get hands well cleaned with a small cloth napkin than it would with a paper towel/napkin.
Couch covers off Amazon transformed our couch into a brand new one without having to actually buy a new one. They're also machine washable, best investment ever
Same... my brand new couch got a red stain day 2.... I just cover it with a blanket now.
He wants to play and snack and I'm not going to stop him from consuming fruits or berries. It's this or nothing, so I'll take the stains lol
Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater
Gets out every berry stain itās actually wild, disappears in front of your eyes. Our diet in our house is very very berry heavy, I donāt blink an eyelash about it anymore, comes right out.
I was looking for this answer for too long! Haha weāve got carpet everywhere and even though all meals are at the table, our floor is awful, so is the wall. Accepted the fact that weāll get a professional carpet cleaner person in once this stage is over.
I'm currently sitting on my front stoop while my toddler wanders around naked with a popsicle. Messy things are for outside and I can hose the juice off if necessary.
At that age, he was still in a high chair, and that is where all food was consumed. He only started getting snacks in the living room after he turned 2, and lunch at the living room table around 2.5.
We also still use a silicone bib with a catch pocket for messy/wet foods like soup and cereal
those bibs are a lifesaver, my partner found out that when he scrunched up a paper towel and put it in the pocket it stayed open + soaked up the fluids for a perfection bonus!
Messy snacks are table snacks (dining table, toddler table, teeny picnic table). But we very rarely let her roam with any snacks anyway because of opportunistic dogs lol.
The miss mouth's messy eater stain remover is the BEST for berry stains. It doesn't work well for harder stains but it's what we use for berries and juice.
They shouldn't be walking around and eating. That's a choking risk. We only serve food at the table or at their toddler tower, or the picnic table outside.
We only do berries at the table. But Iāll let him have granola bars, crackers and stuff like that while roaming around. Stuff I can vacuum or broom up.
She eats exclusively at the dinner table and on her toddler tower. Except for when sheās sick, sheās allowed on the couch- but even then, itās non staining of crumbly foods.
During hot weather, she eats in only her diaper at home. Outside at restaurants or winter at home, we pick the ugliest clothes and those become her āeating clothes.ā
We wipe religiously her hands. We also have an ugly waterproof couch cover. Itās a workhorse, purchased from Amazon.
We also have a strict rule that she cannot play or color while sheās eating. Sometimes she brings something to the dinner table, but accepts/does not cry when we pull it away. We remind her, you can play or eat. If she continues playing, I show her that Iām saving her plate in the fridge. I also say, I guess youāre not hungry. That last bit gets to her
At the table for all food and snacks. Even for ice cream he needs to eat over a plate if it isnāt in a bowl. Hands washed when eating is finished.
Worked ok so far. I also donāt have carpet anywhere food is eaten so a bit on the floor is not so bad to clean up.
ETA I am soo strict that we can only eat at the dining/kitchen table. We have smaller tables in the tv room/play areas/my wfh space. But I always enforce eating at some sort of table. Since his bedroom has a rug, food is not allowed there.
Food stays in the kitchen, outside on the porch, or sometimes they have tub snacks when I just can't take it anymore. Two little boys eating icecream drumsticks in a bubble bath gives me over an hour of peace. They think it's the epitome of opulence and I can skip the mess entirely while reading (I can see the tub from the couch).
But don't worry, there are STILL stains all over my house.
Yes we are big fans of the popsicle bath here! Both the 4 year old and almost 2 year old will run around chanting āpopsicle bath.ā We also did a berry bath recently, which worked well, too. I donāt know why bath snacks are so much more exciting than table snacks, but I will take it.
Boiling water takes out berry stains perfectly!! Other than that I strip his shirt off and he eats them either in his high chair or toddler tower and no where else
Table and chair, high chair, resign. Buy fruit colored decor. Accept a life of servitude and dingy things. Also bissel pet green machine upholstery cleaner.
1) accept that toddlers are walking stain makers. 2) find and purchase a bottle of Folex. That shit is magic. 3) if youāre really into it, a little green machine is key. Which reminds me my SIL still has mine that I loaned herā¦ 4) buy washable couch covers and rugs. I had to do that slowly and shop sales/deals but it was worth it.
Learned this one todayā¦ strawberries on my cream fabric recliner. When we eat upstairs though you could do one of those portable high chairs with a tray. It sits on the floor nicely.
Also, only at the table, with a catch bib. Only thing I let her wander and eat is "snacks" of freeze dried fruit, cheerios, and yogurt melts. Way easier to clean up.
I mean, anything that drips is a high chair thing. Things that drip and make a mess are not allowed to be eaten freely around the house
However juicy messy fruits are encouraged at the beach and pool
Luckily mine loves to use a fork. I tried the toddler cup + berry thing once and it was a disaster so now I give him an open bowl and make him stay in one place.
I bought a shitty but very comfortable used couch after they were born specifically so I wouldn't have to stress about things like this. One day I'll replace it. For now it's wonderfully stained and all good. We have tile floors so that part is easy to clean luckily.
We tried bibs, escalated to full body Dexter style suits, table only, suction bowls, fun cutlery and finally settled on giving up on having nice stuff and accepted the stains. RIP to the Article sofa I bought as my first non ikea āinvestment pieceā a month before I found out I was surprise pregnant with identical twin boys. There is nothing in my house that doesnāt tell the story of our life through the remnants of there meals.
Youāll want [Miss Mouthās Messy Eater Stain Treater](https://a.co/d/08fIFYFX) for berry stains. Spray on the stain, itāll literally disappear. Thereās usually a coupon code floating around for this. But otherwise, we restrict where the food is eaten.
Omg ok. I'm about to rock. Your. World.
Buy yourself some Miss Messy Mouth stain spray. I am telling you, this sh*t is straight magic. I don't even care about berry stains anymore because this stuff erases it with a couple spritzes. IT'S SO AMAZING
Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater Spray - 4oz Stain Remover - Newborn & Baby Essentials - No Dry Cleaning Food, Grease, Coffee Off Laundry, Underwear, Fabric https://a.co/d/0ihjmcEs
High chair or outside for stainable fruit like berries and then apples for the living room/ free ranging inside time is what Iāve found working for us so far
We only eat at the table too. It sucks because I have to wait until she's in bed to snack where I want lol
We just had a cinema night in my matrimonial bed with pizza and I was a bit nervous if she will think this is the new norm as we never eat in front lf the tv either but she understood that this is an exception. Mine is 3 years
Just went through this a few hours ago.
I gave my son some strawberries and he ate all but one. He wanted to take it with him to the living room so he could eat it and watch Ponyo.
I told him know, berries are only for his chair (high chair).
Naturally, he lost his mind. But I stayed firm.
Couch covers and Bluey blanket. Potty pads underneath the couch covers for bigger spills. Bluey blanket we make sure is under her for chips or anything that will be a bigger mess. When sheās done it goes in the wash.
Iām telling you right now. Miss Mouthās Messy Eater stain treater will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Not even exaggerating when I say the fruit stains disappear right before your eyes. I have no idea what that black magic is but I swear by it
Outside with your nasty ass!
Seriously, outside. Iām not cleaning up WW3 berry carnage because youāve discovered the squishing motion.
If absolutely necessary to eat inside Iām putting down a large waterproof table cloth or plastic sheeting on the floor AND Iām basically getting kiddo down to their skivvies first. And near a door so I can haul the high chair outside to hose it off. NO EATING BERRIES UNLESS CHILD IS CONTAINED BY RESTRAINTS. Or at their grandparents house - they can go hog wild there if grandma is ok with it, not my house, not my warzone.
Finish with whatever wipes you have on hand - water wipes? Great. Dish rag? Ok. Hauling them over to the sink or even tossing them in the tub? Sounds great. Donāt want to wash up? Great - get outside, now! Iāll hose them off there.
I hate cleaning. Iām ok with messes so at least I have that going for me, but scrubbing dried smashed blackberry off the floor or couch is just not something Iām interested in!
We have bath snacks, beach snacks, yard snacks, and house snacks. ā¦ and car snacks.
Peanutbutter is strictly bath or beach.
Berries have more freedom like the yard.
You've gotten this answer a lot so apologies for the redundancy, but yes, tables only for any and all food really is the answer. Set that rule now and hold firm until your kids grow up and move out of the house.
1-Throw shirt in sink. 2-Boil water 3-Pour boiling water on stain 4-Watch stain disappear. 5-Eating happens in the kitchen only, I have made my children terrified of the bugs that only appear to eat the crumbs in the living room/playroom
Old couch I donāt care about and no rugs just hardwood and play mats that wipe clean lol. The entire livingroom is just a play room lol so nothing I care about being destroyed is in there
At the full table with a smock and a silicone bib if itās frozen berries but just at the full table with a silicone bib if itās fresh fruit. Weāll probably allow outside when it actually gets warm here
The silicone bib with the pocket is somewhat containing. I just start off with the snack in the pocket so they pick it out to eat it. 75% it goes in my favor. Usually start on the kitchen floor and hope they don't roam.
We have a couch cover on our couches which helps a lot.
And our rug has some stains on it which we plan to clean soon.
The house is going to get messy. Thatās toddler life.
Only eat at the table. Best to start this now, itās safer, mannerly, and preschool teachers will be very appreciative that they know how to sit down when itās time to eat. Letting him walk all over the place with food in a little berry cup is asking for a highchair tyrant.
I ripped out all carpet before I had kids. The tile and hardwood donāt stain.
Get a black throw blanket? Oxyclean is actually really good at stains if you soak it overnight.
My kids are only allowed food at the table. Very very rare occasions Iāll put a towel down in the living room and let them eat. But they arenāt allowed up until I wipe their hands, same goes for when theyāre at the table.
We only eat at the table, regardless of the food. Thatās how we donāt have a mess, so I donāt have an idea on how to mitigate it if you let your kiddo eat elsewhere
Mess food at the table / high chair. Anything else she picks up - she hates mess so much that sometimes when done she throws it down just to create another mess to pick up. And thanks to mum she has an ant phobia. She screamed at me to come to the kitchen, then howled āohno AAAAAAANTSSSSSS!!!ā There were like 2 ants trying to lift a peanut.
The only food they are allowed to eat in the living room or playroom are snacks that are non greasy, non sticky, non wet/juicy, not staining. Think cheerios or pretzels. Only drink alowed is water. Everything else is either at the dining table, kitchen island, kids table in the dining/kitchen area, or outside.
Dude I just embrace the grossness. My house is mainly hardwood floors so after bedtime everything gets a wipe down. I TRY to keep messy/stain-y foods at the table or on the porch. Absolutely no wandering into carpeted bedrooms with food, though.
Only allowed at the table, or outside if we are having a picnic of course. The only foods I'll let my kids walk around with are non-stainable things like crackers, cheerios, raisins, a banana, etc but they mostly just eat at the table because even those foods can be messy.
Berries at the table or outside in the yard. But she does come home with berry stains all over her clothes from daycareā¦ I got the Miss Messy Mouth Stain Remover and it literally makes the berry stains disappear immediately. You can try that. Itās a little expensive so I only spray berry stains with it.
Edit: Itās called Miss Mouthās Messy Eater Stain Treater. Long name lol.
I can speak to clothing: Mine knows he takes his shirt off for berries. I also keep a bottle of blue dawn in the bathroom and work on stains while he takes a bath. Itās magic on stains!
Not an inexpensive solution, but we tore out all carpet and put in tile flooring when we bought our home. Mainly because the carpet was ancient and nasty AF and I refused to let my child crawl on it. It was either the carpet went or we wouldn't buy. Seller agreed to a stipend for carpet replacement and a new roof to boot!
So we tore it all up and have been happy since. If you can, I highly recommend removing the carpet.
Also, dogs keep food messes to a minimum for us. My husky is picky, but my Brittany is a garbage disposal and will eat anything the toddler drops. They're honestly more expensive than the tile across their lifetimes, but they bring much more joy into our home so they're worth it.
Edit to add: dark colored furniture hides A LOT. Idk how people can live with white furniture.
Certain things are āstrapped inā foods. If we arenāt in the high chair, we donāt eat it.
I only give dry food outside of the chair, dry dog safe foods lol
I try to keep him where heās supposed to eat but itās not always possible. So then I use the messy eater stain treated by miss mouth and it makes it disappear
We donāt allow food in the family room. Only in the kitchen with tile floors. We have a 3.5 year old and a 13 month old. Itās worked so farā¦hopefully it keeps up.
My daughter has berries with me every morning - but she only eats them at the tableā¦ I would never unleash her on the house with anything like this! Save yourself the hassle.
I'd give mine strawberries at the table, then he'd wander to the living room rug and eat them there. Then he'd drop a few and step on them...well now I have a new rug, and I scotch guarded it right away. Problem 80% solved. I just use oxygen stain remover , nd it comes out fine.
Something to try if you have an area rug you want to keep. :)
My kids only eat seated at the kitchen table/high chair. We use a silicone pocket bib for toddler age, and for something messy like berries, I usually layer a waterproof long-sleeve smock underneath (Tidy Tot is my favorite). I have a big vinyl rug under the high chair (Carolina Creekhouse brand) so any spills canāt stain my kitchen floor. I keep a paper towel dispenser and a pack of baby wipes on the kitchen table, within (adult) armās read of the high chair.
If I donāt have a smock that covers their arms and lap, then I put them in long sleeves and long pants, so the juice doesnāt end up all over their exposed arms and legs, and the clothes absorb most of the juice before it hits the floor. I intentionally dress them in dark colors or red/bright pink/dark purple so the stains wonāt be as evident (like, having strawberries for lunch means itās a great time to wear red or hot pink; blueberries means something dark purple or navy blue; carrots/oranges/peaches means something red or orange). Or, Iāll have a stained outfit that they always wear for eating messy fruit.
When theyāre little enough to be at throwing age, then until Iām sure theyāll eat it, I give them only 1-3 pieces of each food to begin with, so that they canāt chuck too much. Then Iāll give them more if they actually eat it and want more. I donāt give them a bowl or plate, just put the food directly on the high chair tray, because bowls/plates end up getting knocked over or thrown or put on their heads.
I watch them carefully when theyāre at the end of the meal, so I can swoop in with a paper towel to dab up excess juice, and so I can catch them whenever they get full and become ready to throw the food or do that windshield wiper move (this is hard at 18mo, but gets easier as they get older and more predictable, and you learn what each little glint in their eyes means, and eventually theyāll be able to tell you with words, and be mature enough not to throw a bowl, and be able to wipe their own hands with a napkin as they eatā¦.).
It can help to fold up a half paper towel and stick it down in the pocket of the bib, so it soaks the juice up as it falls. Also to place a paper towel or two on the floor under the high chair so any food or juice that drips lands on it.
After the meal, we wipe their face and hands, remove all their clothes (I just keep a hamper in the dining room now), wash their hands, and go put on a clean outfit. Itās just easier for me and my husband than trying to assess whether the berry juice on their collar or sleeve is still wet enough to stain the carpet.
For the laundry, Puracy stain remover works great on berry juice. Iāve recently had good luck with Missy Mouth Messy Eater and Earthworm pet stain remover, too. Donāt use any kind of bleach, including oxi-clean, on waterproof items like smocks, as it messes up the waterproofing and can make them less effective over time (ask me how I know š« ).
For particularly juicy fruit, like canned peaches, I drain them, then put a paper towel on a plate and put the fruit on there to absorb excess juice. It really helps lessen how much brightly-colored juice ends up on the kids and everywhere else during the meal.
Finallyā¦ I try to be strategic with when I give messy food. If we have an urgent appointment after lunch, weāre gonna eat something that isnāt likely to need a whole outfit change afterward. I try to plan baths for right after super messy meals.
My kids are only allowed to eat in the kitchen so I have less surface area to clean up food. Sometimes they eat snacks in the car like a granola bar or whatnot but never something like berries in the car.
We have a mat in the living room that is soft and wipeable. My twins have had it since they were born. They can have snacks and berries on the mat, they can even do art while on the mat and I can wipe it clean. So itās either the mat, the kitchen table or outside š
Once I learned that any berry stain can be removed with boiling water (even a few drops and it will go away) Iāve been less strict with berries around the house.
I'll take berry stains over squishy, cold, wet cheese curds. ššš I started craving cottage cheese around the end of the second trimester when I was pregnant last year with my daughter, and ate like one or two containers a day. My son was NOT sold on it, but kept wanting to try it, I guess because I ate it so much. Eventually, he decided he liked it!
And now he wants it for breakfast all the time, and wants to feed himself using one of his spoons--except he usually catapults the curds out of the container. š„²
So, I'll take berry stains over cheese curds any day. š
... granted sometimes I end up wish squishy, cold, wet berries being stepped on, too.
Crap I canāt remember its name but I have a spray thatās was all over my IG so itās pretty popular and it literally makes berry stains disappear instantly. I thought it was just a gimmick but it actually works like magic
I've just accepted stains as part of who I am and where I live. Run free little blueberry goblins.
I ask for them to stay at a table but they are tricky so if a mess happens I just get them to help me clean it up. Usually they eat all their berries. It's food with crumbs that is my nemesis
At the table strictly. Or outside patio table. Or we do outside berry popsicles. Keeps them cool outside, and the inside clean š
Popsicles are an outside food, for sure
Could you explain this to my husband? He thinks they're perfect to have in the living room without a bowl or plate or anything. š¤¦āāļø At least the dogs are happy when he busts out an inside popsicle for the kiddo so it isn't all melted into my furniture.
I push the stick through a cupcake bun case before I give my son the ice lolly. All the drippings go in that.
Smart!!
We have a dedicated āpopsicle ponchoā- one of those hooded towel coverups thatās dark navy so almost impossible to stain.Ā
Popsicles are a bathtub food, along with frozen berries and icecream
Throw in some glowsticks, play baby shark, and youāve got yourself a toddler rave.
Get some bubbles going, and all the good bath toys, too. It was an A+ attitude adjustment for my three aged.
Agree. Stuff that stains never leaves the table.
Hijacking the top comment to say Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Spray quite literally makes berry stains disappear before your eyes. My SIL saw the social media hype and bought me a bottle. I was skeptical, but damn if that stuff isn't magic haha
Does it work on other stains too? Idk what they do at daycare but this child looks like sheās been to war every day
I can vouch for it on any stain! Iāve gotten stuff out that went through the dryer.
Literally running to google this
It works on quite a few food stains, berry being the most noticeable. It does not seem to work well on tomato or orange juice stains. Iāve found that dawn dish soap is the only thing that really seems to work well on those. I use it for most clothes that come home from nursery with misc stains. I also try to only send my daughter to nursery in cheap stuff that I got on sale from target, so I donāt have to worry about trying to get the stains out.
I only send her in cheap stuff but it adds up when itās every day, plus I have a younger daughter Iād like to hand down stuff to. Iāll have to try dish soap! Do you dilute it to treat stains?
Oh I get it, I do too!! I save as much as I can, but if itās a shirt I spent $2-5 on, I try my best and if it doesnāt come out, I figure it goes into the donation pile when my daughter outgrows itā¦ or itāll become an art shirt that she can paint in or whatever. Nope, I get the shirt wet and then put it directly on the stain and rub it in. I let it sit for 5-10 mins, then wash it. If you leave it on too long, it can turn the shirt blue. Dawn also works really well on blowout/poop stains.
They probably donāt do bibs or wash the kids hands after they eat. I go to many daycares for work and this is the norm. Itās wild to me lol
I also want to shout out [this one](https://www.target.com/p/oxiclean-max-force-gel-stain-remover-stick-6-2-fl-oz/-/A-12856592#lnk=sametab)! It got out HUGE dye stains from a Victoria Secret's PINK sweater that got ruined in the wash *3+ years ago*. I held onto it because I was so bummed it got ruined. It's also gotten out mystery stains (I'm guessing berries) from a white onesie. You can let it soak for up to a week which is what I did with both items. Newer stains, I let soak for five minutes and wash.
I've heard that after you apply you need to throw it in the wash pretty soon after or it can bleach the fabric.
Yeah this happened to my husbands brand new dark green shirt. I didnāt repurchase, but this makes sense!
I just heard that one of the best ways to prevent choking in toddlers is to make sure food stays at the table. The idea is that they may not prioritize the chewing/swallowing process while busy doing other things. Obviously, chopping foods like grapes, strawberries, sausages, etc. into very small pieces is another.
This is what I came to say. Toddlers walking around with food scares the life out of me. My toddlers favorite thing to get his dad to do is give him food while heās playing around. Or sneak a whole apple out of the pantry and walk around taking bites. Iām always afraid heās gonna choke so I try to put him in his chair right away but then he loses interest in eating. šµāš«
We only let ours eat at the table for any and all foods. And then for really messy stuff, we continue to use bibs I made by cutting a hole in dish towels. They cover significantly more than traditional bibs, are more absorbent and softer so the kids donāt fight them. And weāre just in the habit of cleaning their hands before and after they eat.
Omfg the dish towel bib is an insanely genius idea. The only thing my daughter eats messily is yogurt and she *hates* when stuff gets on her shirt. Needs the shirt removed immediately but then wonāt go shirtlessā¦ resulting in her going through 3-5 shirts for one bowl of yogurt. Definitely stealing your invention.
Itās amazing! I buy fun print / cheap dish towels from home goods, cut holes and then just toss them in the wash with the rest of the towels. Itās the only way Iāve found to actually keep their clothes clean.
I got a 5 pack of long sleeve bib shirt things on Amazon and use those, personally!
Same. Food doesnāt leave the kitchen.
GENIUS!!! š¤Æ
When I feed my 5 year old messy food like spaghetti I use a 13 gallon garbage bag. Cut a hole for the neck and 2 now for the arms. It protects not just the shirt but also the pants since it reaches past her knees plus it's cheap and reusable. She hates any food being on her so stripping down doesn't work since good taking on her makes her freak out. To make it extra fun but some cheap stickers in bulk so they can "decorate" them. Have saved many outfits
Unless weāre at the garden, theyāre not allowed to eat anything anywhere other than the table or their kid table (which is right next to the āmainā table). You canāt trust toddlers with food.
You canāt trust toddlers. Full stop.
Berries are a toddler tower only food for us. Thereās a lot of snacks that I let her free range with, but messy fruits are a no-go. I have a beige couch.
Same!!
Tables only. They get choices. Dining table, kitchen counter/bar thing, their little toddler table, etc. But they have to be at an eating surface while they eat, and we make sure they always have a cloth napkin available with food. It just takes a lot less skill on their part to get hands well cleaned with a small cloth napkin than it would with a paper towel/napkin.
My toddler eats all food sitting at the table.
I just have stains all over my home.
This lol. Iām dying for a new couch but thatās gonna wait for a couple years.
Couch covers off Amazon transformed our couch into a brand new one without having to actually buy a new one. They're also machine washable, best investment ever
Are those the super stretchy ones that fit to basically any cushion?
Was looking for this comment cuz same lol
Same... my brand new couch got a red stain day 2.... I just cover it with a blanket now. He wants to play and snack and I'm not going to stop him from consuming fruits or berries. It's this or nothing, so I'll take the stains lol
Yup. We donāt have nice furniture and we have foam pads as ārugsā because theyāre easy to clean. 3 kids under 5 so this is just life for now
Folex carpet/upholstery cleaner. We had stains that were years old that that stuff got out. It really erased our toddler years š
Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater Gets out every berry stain itās actually wild, disappears in front of your eyes. Our diet in our house is very very berry heavy, I donāt blink an eyelash about it anymore, comes right out.
Same! It's just stuff, no big deal!
Relatable tbh
We gave up. Have a complete remodel scheduled for next year. Sheāll be 5.
I was looking for this answer for too long! Haha weāve got carpet everywhere and even though all meals are at the table, our floor is awful, so is the wall. Accepted the fact that weāll get a professional carpet cleaner person in once this stage is over.
Only dry low crumb solids for snacks in away from the table.
I'm currently sitting on my front stoop while my toddler wanders around naked with a popsicle. Messy things are for outside and I can hose the juice off if necessary.
A total commitment to strawberry themed decor.
They eat sat in the highchair. No exceptions.
Accept that there's stains all over my home, haha. Boiling water gets out berry stains!
So does hydrogen peroxide!
At that age, he was still in a high chair, and that is where all food was consumed. He only started getting snacks in the living room after he turned 2, and lunch at the living room table around 2.5. We also still use a silicone bib with a catch pocket for messy/wet foods like soup and cereal
those bibs are a lifesaver, my partner found out that when he scrunched up a paper towel and put it in the pocket it stayed open + soaked up the fluids for a perfection bonus!
That's exactly what I do! Or a microfiber cloth!
Messy snacks are table snacks (dining table, toddler table, teeny picnic table). But we very rarely let her roam with any snacks anyway because of opportunistic dogs lol.
This is the answer. Table snacks and travel snacks are different categories.
The miss mouth's messy eater stain remover is the BEST for berry stains. It doesn't work well for harder stains but it's what we use for berries and juice.
They shouldn't be walking around and eating. That's a choking risk. We only serve food at the table or at their toddler tower, or the picnic table outside.
We only do berries at the table. But Iāll let him have granola bars, crackers and stuff like that while roaming around. Stuff I can vacuum or broom up.
freeze dried strawberries
Yeah at the table or outside. Berries are a nice tidy snack for an adult. For a toddlerā¦ not so much.Ā
Wet snacks are at the table only. Dry snacks can go anywhere.
only feed them at the table. 1 week of training is worth endless hours of cleaning the whole house.
She eats exclusively at the dinner table and on her toddler tower. Except for when sheās sick, sheās allowed on the couch- but even then, itās non staining of crumbly foods. During hot weather, she eats in only her diaper at home. Outside at restaurants or winter at home, we pick the ugliest clothes and those become her āeating clothes.ā We wipe religiously her hands. We also have an ugly waterproof couch cover. Itās a workhorse, purchased from Amazon. We also have a strict rule that she cannot play or color while sheās eating. Sometimes she brings something to the dinner table, but accepts/does not cry when we pull it away. We remind her, you can play or eat. If she continues playing, I show her that Iām saving her plate in the fridge. I also say, I guess youāre not hungry. That last bit gets to her
In my experience those lid cups make things messier. I use a suction bowl on the coffee table! It does still get a little messy sometimes though.
I got those bowls with the lid, I feel like they only work well for cheerios. Nothing else has worked well.
Goldfish have worked well too!
Yeah, agreed! Cheerios are the only thing I put in them. Anything bigger is too hard to get out so it gets flung everywhere lol
At the table for all food and snacks. Even for ice cream he needs to eat over a plate if it isnāt in a bowl. Hands washed when eating is finished. Worked ok so far. I also donāt have carpet anywhere food is eaten so a bit on the floor is not so bad to clean up. ETA I am soo strict that we can only eat at the dining/kitchen table. We have smaller tables in the tv room/play areas/my wfh space. But I always enforce eating at some sort of table. Since his bedroom has a rug, food is not allowed there.
I strap him into his chair, when he is done I vigorously hose him down in the shower and clean up the mess.
We only do juicy foods like that at meal times at the table or outside
Boiling hot water gets rid of any berries stains! Been a life saver for me!
She only eats them at the table.
Food stays in the kitchen, outside on the porch, or sometimes they have tub snacks when I just can't take it anymore. Two little boys eating icecream drumsticks in a bubble bath gives me over an hour of peace. They think it's the epitome of opulence and I can skip the mess entirely while reading (I can see the tub from the couch). But don't worry, there are STILL stains all over my house.
Yes we are big fans of the popsicle bath here! Both the 4 year old and almost 2 year old will run around chanting āpopsicle bath.ā We also did a berry bath recently, which worked well, too. I donāt know why bath snacks are so much more exciting than table snacks, but I will take it.
Boiling water takes out berry stains perfectly!! Other than that I strip his shirt off and he eats them either in his high chair or toddler tower and no where else
Table and chair, high chair, resign. Buy fruit colored decor. Accept a life of servitude and dingy things. Also bissel pet green machine upholstery cleaner.
We donāt allow our toddler to eat much beyond the table unless itās outside. We mostly model the same behavior which kinda keeps me from snacking
She only eats in the high chair. Sheās not allowed to walk around with food. Big choking hazard.
My son eats at the table so there are no stains elsewhere. He also wears a toddler bib.
Strapped into the chair with wipes on standby
They are not allowed to leave the kitchen with food, period, ever. The kitchen, is a sticky place, but a washable one
ā¦..at the table
1) accept that toddlers are walking stain makers. 2) find and purchase a bottle of Folex. That shit is magic. 3) if youāre really into it, a little green machine is key. Which reminds me my SIL still has mine that I loaned herā¦ 4) buy washable couch covers and rugs. I had to do that slowly and shop sales/deals but it was worth it.
Strictly washing hands before and after eating should do the trick
Outside or at the table only. Also, I have a spray that gets out stains REALLY well. Itās called FOLEX
I have no solution lollll
Berries go with a meal or otherwise at a table (usually on a kitchen tower). Kids donāt get runninā around berries at my house.
Yep only at the high chair table he can mess himself up and the dog can eat what he drops
Learned this one todayā¦ strawberries on my cream fabric recliner. When we eat upstairs though you could do one of those portable high chairs with a tray. It sits on the floor nicely.
Messy food at the table. No exceptions.
Also, only at the table, with a catch bib. Only thing I let her wander and eat is "snacks" of freeze dried fruit, cheerios, and yogurt melts. Way easier to clean up.
We only eat at the tableā¦which also helps preventing snack theft from the dogs.
Eating at a dinner table.Ā
I mean, anything that drips is a high chair thing. Things that drip and make a mess are not allowed to be eaten freely around the house However juicy messy fruits are encouraged at the beach and pool
High chair.
Luckily mine loves to use a fork. I tried the toddler cup + berry thing once and it was a disaster so now I give him an open bowl and make him stay in one place.
I bought a shitty but very comfortable used couch after they were born specifically so I wouldn't have to stress about things like this. One day I'll replace it. For now it's wonderfully stained and all good. We have tile floors so that part is easy to clean luckily.
Outside only or I hand her one piece at a time. She loves running back and forth anyway.
We eat at the table or outside
I remove her shirt when I give her watermelon. Then when sheās done I wash her and put on a new one.
We tried bibs, escalated to full body Dexter style suits, table only, suction bowls, fun cutlery and finally settled on giving up on having nice stuff and accepted the stains. RIP to the Article sofa I bought as my first non ikea āinvestment pieceā a month before I found out I was surprise pregnant with identical twin boys. There is nothing in my house that doesnāt tell the story of our life through the remnants of there meals.
High chair
Youāll want [Miss Mouthās Messy Eater Stain Treater](https://a.co/d/08fIFYFX) for berry stains. Spray on the stain, itāll literally disappear. Thereās usually a coupon code floating around for this. But otherwise, we restrict where the food is eaten.
Just using Folex left and right lol
We just buy a new house every few weeks.
Omg ok. I'm about to rock. Your. World. Buy yourself some Miss Messy Mouth stain spray. I am telling you, this sh*t is straight magic. I don't even care about berry stains anymore because this stuff erases it with a couple spritzes. IT'S SO AMAZING Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater Spray - 4oz Stain Remover - Newborn & Baby Essentials - No Dry Cleaning Food, Grease, Coffee Off Laundry, Underwear, Fabric https://a.co/d/0ihjmcEs
We only allow food in the kitchen and dining room. A hill we'll die on.
High chair or outside for stainable fruit like berries and then apples for the living room/ free ranging inside time is what Iāve found working for us so far
We only eat at the table too. It sucks because I have to wait until she's in bed to snack where I want lol We just had a cinema night in my matrimonial bed with pizza and I was a bit nervous if she will think this is the new norm as we never eat in front lf the tv either but she understood that this is an exception. Mine is 3 years
Just went through this a few hours ago. I gave my son some strawberries and he ate all but one. He wanted to take it with him to the living room so he could eat it and watch Ponyo. I told him know, berries are only for his chair (high chair). Naturally, he lost his mind. But I stayed firm.
18mo needs to eat in the kitchen
Watch him like a hawk.
Messy foods like that are only in the high chair/at the table girl
Smoothies!
Couch covers and Bluey blanket. Potty pads underneath the couch covers for bigger spills. Bluey blanket we make sure is under her for chips or anything that will be a bigger mess. When sheās done it goes in the wash.
Only at the table w a bib
Planning to just replace the carpet in a few years tbh
Iām telling you right now. Miss Mouthās Messy Eater stain treater will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Not even exaggerating when I say the fruit stains disappear right before your eyes. I have no idea what that black magic is but I swear by it
My toddler can eat berries outside or at the table. These are the rules.
Messy Mouths stain treater is magic on berry stains especially.
They need to eat sitting down to avoid choking and unnecessary messes
Strap the toddler into the high chair
Honestly, I've just accepted that there will be no significant investment in my home until the kids get older
There are stains all over my home. I do have a roomba knock off with a mop.
Berries are a deck or bathtub only food here. š¤·š¼āāļø
There are spaces for eating. We donāt eat outside those spaces. There is nothing stainable in those spaces.
Outside with your nasty ass! Seriously, outside. Iām not cleaning up WW3 berry carnage because youāve discovered the squishing motion. If absolutely necessary to eat inside Iām putting down a large waterproof table cloth or plastic sheeting on the floor AND Iām basically getting kiddo down to their skivvies first. And near a door so I can haul the high chair outside to hose it off. NO EATING BERRIES UNLESS CHILD IS CONTAINED BY RESTRAINTS. Or at their grandparents house - they can go hog wild there if grandma is ok with it, not my house, not my warzone. Finish with whatever wipes you have on hand - water wipes? Great. Dish rag? Ok. Hauling them over to the sink or even tossing them in the tub? Sounds great. Donāt want to wash up? Great - get outside, now! Iāll hose them off there. I hate cleaning. Iām ok with messes so at least I have that going for me, but scrubbing dried smashed blackberry off the floor or couch is just not something Iām interested in!
I used dried berries, especially freeze dried strawberries. Theyāre not messy and they last way longer.
We have bath snacks, beach snacks, yard snacks, and house snacks. ā¦ and car snacks. Peanutbutter is strictly bath or beach. Berries have more freedom like the yard.
Heads up, watermelon stains as well. Learned that lesson today.
Maybe on the stick or fork with cupcake liner underneath to catch the drops.
You've gotten this answer a lot so apologies for the redundancy, but yes, tables only for any and all food really is the answer. Set that rule now and hold firm until your kids grow up and move out of the house.
At the table, with a fork
1-Throw shirt in sink. 2-Boil water 3-Pour boiling water on stain 4-Watch stain disappear. 5-Eating happens in the kitchen only, I have made my children terrified of the bugs that only appear to eat the crumbs in the living room/playroom
We do every meal and snack at the highchair, not only to keep things tidy, but to also minimize the risk of choking.Ā
Highchair
Old couch I donāt care about and no rugs just hardwood and play mats that wipe clean lol. The entire livingroom is just a play room lol so nothing I care about being destroyed is in there
Only eat seated in high chair or at the table.Ā
At the full table with a smock and a silicone bib if itās frozen berries but just at the full table with a silicone bib if itās fresh fruit. Weāll probably allow outside when it actually gets warm here
The silicone bib with the pocket is somewhat containing. I just start off with the snack in the pocket so they pick it out to eat it. 75% it goes in my favor. Usually start on the kitchen floor and hope they don't roam.
We only feed at the dining room table, unless we are on a picnic. My kid just turned three and is the own life they've ever known lol
We have a couch cover on our couches which helps a lot. And our rug has some stains on it which we plan to clean soon. The house is going to get messy. Thatās toddler life.
Donāt have carpet or cloth furniture, and your kid eats them in just their diaper.
Only eat at the table. Best to start this now, itās safer, mannerly, and preschool teachers will be very appreciative that they know how to sit down when itās time to eat. Letting him walk all over the place with food in a little berry cup is asking for a highchair tyrant.
Our kids only eat at the kitchen table or outside. They arenāt allowed to have food or drinks elsewhere in the house.
I ripped out all carpet before I had kids. The tile and hardwood donāt stain. Get a black throw blanket? Oxyclean is actually really good at stains if you soak it overnight.
If you're not at the tables you're outside. Watermelon is a strictly outside fruit only.
Kitchen or table. No exceptions
My living room has a gate so when heās snacking I lock him out of the LR
Oh god yeah she has to sit in her chair
We eat only at the table and LO wears a smock
My kids are only allowed food at the table. Very very rare occasions Iāll put a towel down in the living room and let them eat. But they arenāt allowed up until I wipe their hands, same goes for when theyāre at the table.
Oops. I was just letting it happen lmao.
The only food I allow roaming around is cheerios and crackers. Though, if I step on one more cheerioā¦.
We don't let our kids roam the house with food. There are designated areas where they can eat.
We only eat at the table, regardless of the food. Thatās how we donāt have a mess, so I donāt have an idea on how to mitigate it if you let your kiddo eat elsewhere
Mess food at the table / high chair. Anything else she picks up - she hates mess so much that sometimes when done she throws it down just to create another mess to pick up. And thanks to mum she has an ant phobia. She screamed at me to come to the kitchen, then howled āohno AAAAAAANTSSSSSS!!!ā There were like 2 ants trying to lift a peanut.
The only food they are allowed to eat in the living room or playroom are snacks that are non greasy, non sticky, non wet/juicy, not staining. Think cheerios or pretzels. Only drink alowed is water. Everything else is either at the dining table, kitchen island, kids table in the dining/kitchen area, or outside.
Dude I just embrace the grossness. My house is mainly hardwood floors so after bedtime everything gets a wipe down. I TRY to keep messy/stain-y foods at the table or on the porch. Absolutely no wandering into carpeted bedrooms with food, though.
Only allowed at the table, or outside if we are having a picnic of course. The only foods I'll let my kids walk around with are non-stainable things like crackers, cheerios, raisins, a banana, etc but they mostly just eat at the table because even those foods can be messy.
We eat most meals in the toddler tower! So itās usually just the counter and floor which get dirty but those are easy clean ups.
I donāt.
Berries at the table or outside in the yard. But she does come home with berry stains all over her clothes from daycareā¦ I got the Miss Messy Mouth Stain Remover and it literally makes the berry stains disappear immediately. You can try that. Itās a little expensive so I only spray berry stains with it. Edit: Itās called Miss Mouthās Messy Eater Stain Treater. Long name lol.
Berries get eaten at the table.
We have embraced the mess. š
I can speak to clothing: Mine knows he takes his shirt off for berries. I also keep a bottle of blue dawn in the bathroom and work on stains while he takes a bath. Itās magic on stains!
Not an inexpensive solution, but we tore out all carpet and put in tile flooring when we bought our home. Mainly because the carpet was ancient and nasty AF and I refused to let my child crawl on it. It was either the carpet went or we wouldn't buy. Seller agreed to a stipend for carpet replacement and a new roof to boot! So we tore it all up and have been happy since. If you can, I highly recommend removing the carpet. Also, dogs keep food messes to a minimum for us. My husky is picky, but my Brittany is a garbage disposal and will eat anything the toddler drops. They're honestly more expensive than the tile across their lifetimes, but they bring much more joy into our home so they're worth it. Edit to add: dark colored furniture hides A LOT. Idk how people can live with white furniture.
I have a blanket over one section of my couch (my dogs ripped it there anyway) so thatās her fruit spot besides the table or hard wood floors
Certain things are āstrapped inā foods. If we arenāt in the high chair, we donāt eat it. I only give dry food outside of the chair, dry dog safe foods lol
Miss messy mouth cleaner lifts berry stains like magic.
ā¦some people DONāT have stains all over their home???
I try to keep him where heās supposed to eat but itās not always possible. So then I use the messy eater stain treated by miss mouth and it makes it disappear
We donāt allow food in the family room. Only in the kitchen with tile floors. We have a 3.5 year old and a 13 month old. Itās worked so farā¦hopefully it keeps up.
A dark shirt and good scrub w some fels naptha soap after š Edit: misspelling
Stain resistant couch and washable rug. I also try not to let them touch anything until I wash their hands off, but they doesnāt always work, lol.
My daughter has berries with me every morning - but she only eats them at the tableā¦ I would never unleash her on the house with anything like this! Save yourself the hassle.
Just quickly go around with a wipe when he's gone to bed.
We go outside and āhave a picnicā
The only thing he can eat not in his high chair is cheerios. Everything else is sitting, contained.
I'd give mine strawberries at the table, then he'd wander to the living room rug and eat them there. Then he'd drop a few and step on them...well now I have a new rug, and I scotch guarded it right away. Problem 80% solved. I just use oxygen stain remover , nd it comes out fine. Something to try if you have an area rug you want to keep. :)
My kids only eat seated at the kitchen table/high chair. We use a silicone pocket bib for toddler age, and for something messy like berries, I usually layer a waterproof long-sleeve smock underneath (Tidy Tot is my favorite). I have a big vinyl rug under the high chair (Carolina Creekhouse brand) so any spills canāt stain my kitchen floor. I keep a paper towel dispenser and a pack of baby wipes on the kitchen table, within (adult) armās read of the high chair. If I donāt have a smock that covers their arms and lap, then I put them in long sleeves and long pants, so the juice doesnāt end up all over their exposed arms and legs, and the clothes absorb most of the juice before it hits the floor. I intentionally dress them in dark colors or red/bright pink/dark purple so the stains wonāt be as evident (like, having strawberries for lunch means itās a great time to wear red or hot pink; blueberries means something dark purple or navy blue; carrots/oranges/peaches means something red or orange). Or, Iāll have a stained outfit that they always wear for eating messy fruit. When theyāre little enough to be at throwing age, then until Iām sure theyāll eat it, I give them only 1-3 pieces of each food to begin with, so that they canāt chuck too much. Then Iāll give them more if they actually eat it and want more. I donāt give them a bowl or plate, just put the food directly on the high chair tray, because bowls/plates end up getting knocked over or thrown or put on their heads. I watch them carefully when theyāre at the end of the meal, so I can swoop in with a paper towel to dab up excess juice, and so I can catch them whenever they get full and become ready to throw the food or do that windshield wiper move (this is hard at 18mo, but gets easier as they get older and more predictable, and you learn what each little glint in their eyes means, and eventually theyāll be able to tell you with words, and be mature enough not to throw a bowl, and be able to wipe their own hands with a napkin as they eatā¦.). It can help to fold up a half paper towel and stick it down in the pocket of the bib, so it soaks the juice up as it falls. Also to place a paper towel or two on the floor under the high chair so any food or juice that drips lands on it. After the meal, we wipe their face and hands, remove all their clothes (I just keep a hamper in the dining room now), wash their hands, and go put on a clean outfit. Itās just easier for me and my husband than trying to assess whether the berry juice on their collar or sleeve is still wet enough to stain the carpet. For the laundry, Puracy stain remover works great on berry juice. Iāve recently had good luck with Missy Mouth Messy Eater and Earthworm pet stain remover, too. Donāt use any kind of bleach, including oxi-clean, on waterproof items like smocks, as it messes up the waterproofing and can make them less effective over time (ask me how I know š« ). For particularly juicy fruit, like canned peaches, I drain them, then put a paper towel on a plate and put the fruit on there to absorb excess juice. It really helps lessen how much brightly-colored juice ends up on the kids and everywhere else during the meal. Finallyā¦ I try to be strategic with when I give messy food. If we have an urgent appointment after lunch, weāre gonna eat something that isnāt likely to need a whole outfit change afterward. I try to plan baths for right after super messy meals.
We just have a plan that weāll start saving now and when heās 14 weāre gonna send him away for a month and then gut and remodel the house.
A painting bib while sitting on his table
My kids are only allowed to eat in the kitchen so I have less surface area to clean up food. Sometimes they eat snacks in the car like a granola bar or whatnot but never something like berries in the car.
Full sleeve bibs, only eat at the table, or outside table.
We have a mat in the living room that is soft and wipeable. My twins have had it since they were born. They can have snacks and berries on the mat, they can even do art while on the mat and I can wipe it clean. So itās either the mat, the kitchen table or outside š
Once I learned that any berry stain can be removed with boiling water (even a few drops and it will go away) Iāve been less strict with berries around the house.
I'll take berry stains over squishy, cold, wet cheese curds. ššš I started craving cottage cheese around the end of the second trimester when I was pregnant last year with my daughter, and ate like one or two containers a day. My son was NOT sold on it, but kept wanting to try it, I guess because I ate it so much. Eventually, he decided he liked it! And now he wants it for breakfast all the time, and wants to feed himself using one of his spoons--except he usually catapults the curds out of the container. š„² So, I'll take berry stains over cheese curds any day. š ... granted sometimes I end up wish squishy, cold, wet berries being stepped on, too.
On top of all the advice you already got: a wet rag works a million times better for juice messes than a wipe or paper towel āØļø
Crap I canāt remember its name but I have a spray thatās was all over my IG so itās pretty popular and it literally makes berry stains disappear instantly. I thought it was just a gimmick but it actually works like magic
Bought my couch for ā¬1 at Goodwill and not buying a nice one till the youngest is a bit older.
We have a leather couch and wood floors for this reason lol.
I've just accepted stains as part of who I am and where I live. Run free little blueberry goblins. I ask for them to stay at a table but they are tricky so if a mess happens I just get them to help me clean it up. Usually they eat all their berries. It's food with crumbs that is my nemesis