Dirty baby, happy baby!

I remember wondering to myself a few months back whether I wanted Henry to have a bath every day. I figured that he probably didn't need one but it was a good routine to get into, so we started giving him a bath at 7:30 every night with Daddy before going upstairs for his feed and cuddle with Mummy. Like I said we really only did this for the routine but it turns out that older babies definitely need washing every day!! Some nights Henry is filthy. His face is usually covered in dried food and more recently, snot too. Nice. His clothes are always dirty and his hands always need a good wash.

When he was younger I was obsessed about him being clean and keeping the high chair spotless. If he dropped something during a meal I'd clean it there and then, mess really bothered me. I was so envious of how laid back my mum was when Henry was at her house. If he had a stain on his clothes, I'd change him straight away too...the washing and ironing pile was proof of that.

I have to say that a few months of mess has changed me a lot, I see it as proof of a good day now. If there's mess on his face and clothes, it's just a reminder of a lovely day, of all the adventures he's been on and the fact that I've let him be a lot more independent...which nearly always results in mess! Yes, letting him feed himself will get messy, but it's a vital skill for him to learn. Yes, it's a massive pain having to clean the highchair 5 times a day after every meal and snack, but it's so worth it and realistically, it takes 30 seconds each time. Of course I'd rather his clothes were spotless, but a stain here and there doesn't hurt and Vanish spray is a miracle worker!

Today Henry was having his snack on his oilcloth snack mat and at one point I looked around to see what he'd eaten. I couldn't see the strawberry so said "Ooh good boy you've eaten the whole thing". He then started crawling away and we looked down at his bum to find that's where the strawberry had been the whole time, squished under his little bum! Here's the evidence...

So my advice to you if you're a bit of a clean freak like I was, is to get over it, for a good few years at least. Invest in a good oilcloth sheet for snack time and other messy activities too. Ours was less than a fiver from Dunelm Mill and it's been brilliant. Always have antibacterial spray in the cupboard but don't obsess about it...germs are good in moderation after all. Let your baby be independent and worry about the mess later. This baby stage is going so quickly and before long I'm going to have a toddler on my hands, I'm determined to enjoy every minute...even the mess!