DIY Baby Friendly Colored Popsicle Sticks

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Keeping a kid cool, calm and collected at the Doctor’s Office is near impossible… at least, it is for us. Thankfully, one of the wonderful nurses in our office has a fool proof trick up her sleeve when it comes to distraction – a single tongue depressor. It sounds pretty simple, but, it brings endless joy to my 15 month old. The only logical thing to do, upon discovering his love for wooden sticks, was buy 1,000 of them the second we got home.

When they arrived, I decided to take them up a notch and dye them to make Colored Popsicle Sticks. I considered painting them, but, I knew they’d all end up in his mouth. So I went to my trusty kid friendly coloring device – Food Dye!

In order to dye these simple popsicle sticks, I filled up juice glasses with tap water and added a few drops of each color. I then Soaked the sticks and watched them magically drink up the colored water. When the dye reached about halfway, I flipped the sticks so the other end could soak up color as well. When I was pleased with the colors, I laid them out on paper towels to dry. In hindsight, a barrier between the towels and counters would have saved me a little scrubbing… Whoops!

The results are exactly what I was hoping for! These Colored Popsicle Sticks have been great for simple matching games and practicing fine motor skills. I’m not sure how I ever cooked a meal before he had these!

A slot in an old Oatmeal Container is Great for Fine Motor Skills work!