Home » Activities » Sensory » Sensory Bins » 60+ Taste-Safe Sensory Bin Fillers for Babies & Toddlers
Published: October 31, 2023 · Updated: December 13, 2023 by Sacha
Do you have a young child at home who still likes to put everything in his or her mouth? Check out these 60+ taste-safe sensory bin filler ideas for kids! These edible sensory play ideas are perfect for babies and toddlers who want to safely explore a variety of different textures… and flavours.
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Sensory bins are a fantastic way to support your child’s development and to allow them to explore the world around them. But if you have a baby or toddler at home, you may be worried that some of the items that typically go into sensory bins may be too dangerous for them.
If that is the case, using taste-safe sensory bin fillers is a great way to allow you child to explore in a way that is safe and appropriate for them. That is why we’ve gathered 60+ ideas that you try the next time you’re prepping a DIY sensory activity for your child!
Related: Non-Food Sensory Bin Fillers for Kids
Important Safety Notice
While all of the sensory bin fillers listed below are taste-safe or edible, not all of them are suitable—or safe—for every age group.
If you have a young baby at home, you’ll want to skip any items that are small and round, as they could pose a choking hazard.
Likewise, if you think your child is likely to eat large quantities of whatever is in their sensory bin, you’ll want to stick with food items that are truly edible (like marshmallows or applesauce) rather than items that are simply taste-safe (like salt).
Please use your judgement when deciding which activities to try with your child, and only use sensory bin fillers that are appropriate for their age, personality and level of development.
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60+ Taste-Safe Sensory Bin Filler Ideas
Worried that your child will try to eat the contents of their sensory bin? Try filling it with some of these items instead:
- Water (this is the ultimate sensory bin filler that works for all ages—feel free to throw in some fruit, herbs, pasta or anything else you think your child would enjoy!)
- Ice cubes
- Clean, freshly fallen snow (if you live in a Northern climate)
- Peas (fresh or frozen)
- Corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- Popcorn (I don’t recommend giving this to babies as it can be a choking hazard)
- Citrus slices (e.g. orange, lemon or lime)
- Fresh cranberries (you may want to skip these for very young kids as they are small and round)
- Fresh berries (e.g. blueberries, raspberries or strawberries)
- Fresh herbs (e.g. basil, rosemary, mint or parsley)
- Frozen or partially thawed fruit
- Melon balls
- Apple peels (or any other kitchen scraps you end up with while cooking, like carrot or potato peels)
- Applesauce
- Pumpkin guts
- Spaghetti squash
- Fruit purée
- Vegetable purée
- Shredded cucumber or zucchini
- Yogurt (add some cornstarch to turn it into yogurt silly putty!)
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Whipped cream
- Cool Whip
- Cream of wheat
- Baby cereal
- Oatmeal
- Dry oats (plain or rainbow coloured)
- Quinoa (raw or cooked)
- Coucous
- Cooked pasta or spaghetti (try dyeing it with food colouring to make rainbow spaghetti)
- Cooked orzo
- Cooked rice noodles
- Cooked rice
- Cooked or canned lentils and beans (please note that uncooked lentils and beans are not safe to eat, but the canned ones are safe since they are pre-cooked)
- Cooked or canned chickpeas
- Aquafaba (whip it up into a foam to create some taste-safe play foam for your child)
- Cooked tapioca pearls (use the jumbo ones to make edible water beads)
- Cornmeal
- Cereal (play around with different textures, like Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Cocoa Puffs or Shredded Wheat)
- Graham crackers (crush them up to make taste-safe play sand)
- Oreo cookie crumbs
- Crackers
- Potato flakes
- Mashed potatoes
- Hard boiled eggs
- Croutons
- Bread crumbs
- Flour (keep in mind that raw flour is not safe to consume and that you’ll need to heat treat it in order to kill harmful bacteria)
- Cornstarch (I don’t recommend using cornstarch on its own since your child might inhale it, but mix it with water and you’ve got oobleck!)
- Shredded coconut
- Sprinkles
- Marshmallows
- Jell-O or regular unflavoured gelatin
- Pudding
- Chocolate sauce
- Sugar cubes
- Brown sugar
- Custard
- Basil seeds
- Chia seeds (ideally soaked in water for a few hours—they are technically safe to eat raw, but they can be a choking hazard if your child tries to eat a whole handful at once)
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Salt (salt should not be consumed in large quantities, but a small taste should be fine—consider colouring it with food colouring for added fun!)
- Baking soda and vinegar (once again, baking soda should not be consumed in large amounts, so you may want to skip this if your child is very young)
Have any other ideas for taste-safe sensory bin fillers? Let me know in the comments!
Related Taste-Safe Sensory Bin Ideas
Looking for more taste-safe or edible sensory activities to set up for your kids? Check out these articles:
- Easy Rainbow Dyed Oats
- Taste-Safe Chia Seed Sensory Play
- Edible Cheerio Sand
- Taste-Safe Moon Sand for Kids
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GRAB OUR 12 BEST SENSORY RECIPES!
Subscribe to our email newsletter to receive 12 of our most popular sensory recipes in PDF format as a welcome gift:
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