DD 19mo chronically messy eater - tips?

[drivingmisscrazy]

BLW, went with the whole let her play with her food etc, but whilst she can use a spoon and a fork pretty well, she is still horribly messy. She's just started at nursery 2 mornings a week where it is clear that she is messier than other children her age . She loves to try and feed me and knows that she shouldn't make a mess ('mess, naughty' she says, in triumph). Or is she just too young to worry and I should just put up with it for now? Any tips?

I have the same problem (DD 18m also BLW). I have to say I just tolerate it for now, although it's not easy as I'm a bit of a control freak. I have a shower curtain under the high chair at home and I also take it out with us if we eat out (sometimes cafe staff say don't bother with that, we will clear up, but they soon change their minds once they see exactly how messy DD is ). I kind of regard it as a side effect of going down the BLW route, which in other respects has been fantastic as DD eats pretty much everything. And the mess won't last forever. Although DD's latest trick of rubbing her food covered hands through her hair is driving me mad!

yes, I suspect that you're right - she's better when she is focussed on the food, but if she's not mega hungry or we take too long then everything goes everywhere. I'm a slattern but the one thing I find hard to stand is bits of food everywhere. OK, just going to wait for her to grow out of it - as with so much else . She's very neat and tidy with drinks...

Time to worry is when she is still messy when she's 15. LOL. Put a plastic mat down and enjoy her while she's little.

Buy a handheld dyson and some vanish, it will be fine.

dd1 is 20 months and still very messy. She was a lot neater, but then dd2 arrived and the mess started up again. She's currently obsessed with pouring her drinks from one cup to another, or onto her plate so things get very wet sometimes

Can't wait for dd2 to start!

handheld dyson...now there's an idea...