Toddler's painting

[Matryoshka]

What does your toddler wear for painting? so far we have a set of crappy clothes, but he still ends up with it all over his feet and hands as he likes walking through the paint and throwing the water around. I'm all for letting him touch and feel the paint, so was considering let him go naked..... we just shower afterwards. Does anyone else do this? it is child safe paint.

Also how much do you guide your child? i try to take the back role of leading by example, i will paint and show him how to dip the brush to clean it. But ultimately i let him go for it, so most often it involves all the colours becoming a beautiful shade of mush and he will dip his brush and splatter water everywhere I figure this is pretty good for 20 months yeah?? Plenty of time for skills later??

We usually do this outside or on the floor on a huge sheet of plastic.

[Rouge]

We usually have one brush per colour. This mostly prevents the mixing and also prevents the need for water. We try to teach that paint is for paper only but thats mostly because he has playgroup where he also paints and I daresay if he started painting things other than the paper he wouldn't be allowed to paint LOL and I'd prefer furnishings to remain as they are without any toddler modifications LMAO! We don't really have any problems with paint on clothes as the smocks he uses are quite generous, paint in hair however thats something else LOL! But it washes out

[Matryoshka]

Yeah i found my DS has wanted to leave the area with the brushes and i direct him back, if he keeps doing it i explain why we need to paint in that area and if he persists we have to pack up. He's going through the tantrum stage though which makes this difficult because he gets so distressed, but ultimately he does need to know the paints stay in one area.

I do put one brush in each paint but he seems to like using one brush so he throws the other ones out of those pots So far i'm going with it because its no biggy at this point.

I wasn't sure about trying a smock because he refuses to wear bibs or anything that is restrictive, even the elasticated ones which just go over the neck...

[Rouge]

The one we have is like a reverse rain coat and has high five on it, its velcro at the neck at the back so no elastic, Seth loves it because it has Hi-5 on it so he thinks its great. You can get all sorts of designs too. The thing I like about it mostly is that its water proof in a way so the paint doesn't seep through to clothing iykwim.

Forgot to say as well we don't direct either we just let him go for his life, its all about artist expression LOL!

[Matryoshka]

That sounds like an option, where did you get it? i'm only really close to target and kmart where we are (bit rural) and they didn't have much.

I hear you on the artistic expression, the most beautiful stuff is done without restriction or inhibition.

[Astrid]

We have an ABC Play School smock similar to the one Cai mentioned, not sure where it came from as it was a gift.

We just let DD go for it with painting, she will paint 2-3 paintings and then have had enough. She seems to know not to paint elsewhere, except for her hands. DH taught her to paint her hands to do hand prints Thankfully she tells me when she is finished.