Aside from a simple bowl of cooked pasta, this was Veronika’s first sensory tray, and the first that I truly prepared for her. At this age, edible sensory trays are best, especially when you have a baby like Veronika who puts everything in the mouth.

The prep for this was so fun. Divide a loaf of bread into equal portions – as many portions as you want colors. You can make a full rainbow, but I stuck with the primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.

Place 1/3 of the bread in a food processor and process until you have coarse crumbs. Stir 2 to 3 drops of natural food coloring into 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk. Add to the food processor and pulse until the crumbs are coated.

Transfer to a plastic bag and let dry out. Repeat for your remaining colors.

Once the bread had mostly dried, I arranged it on a baking tray for Veronika, and sat her down on a blanket; we were prepared for a mess!

She knew what to do instantly.

Little hands pulled up big fistfuls of the crumbs.

They went right to her mouth, which was precisely the point, so I didn’t have to worry one bit.

I showed her how to run her hands through so that the colors mixed.

But mostly she was content to reach in, squish the mixture in her hands, have a nibble, and begin again. This one will keep your baby entertained for ages!