Easy Toddler-Safe Cloud Dough Recipe is Sensory Fun (2024)

Follow the easy steps how to make cloud dough with this easy 2 ingredient cloud dough recipe. This cloud dough is toddler safe because it is made without baby oil or cornstarch. You can color it with a third non-toxic ingredient making it perfect for use in sensory bins or as sensory play.

Easy Toddler-Safe Cloud Dough Recipe is Sensory Fun (1)

Best Cloud Dough REcipe for Kids

Cloud dough is so lovely to the touch, kids will love running their hands through the bin of fluffy cloud dough, squeezing and shaping the dough and watching it crumble when they release it back into the bin. I’ll bet you won’t be able to keep your hands out of it either! Of all the homemade dough recipes we use in my daycare, Cloud Dough is one of the kids favorites.

Related: Looking for cornstarch and conditioner cloud dough?

Easy Toddler-Safe Cloud Dough Recipe is Sensory Fun (2)

This cloud dough recipe is the best because:

  • It uses cooking oil instead of baby oil making it safer for toddlers to play.
  • It can be colored or left without coloring.
  • It takes less than 5 minutes to make and can be scaled for larger batches easily.
  • It uses flour instead of cornstarch.

Ingredients Needed to Make Cloud Dough Toddler Safe

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Directions To Make Toddler Safe Cloud Dough

Watch Our Video How to Make Cloud Dough

Step 1

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In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cup of oil and flour.

Step 2

If you are going to color the cloud dough, add the Tempera paint, give it another stir. You can use different colors, it doesn’t have to be blue like mine.

Step 3

Then using a pastry cutter or potato masher, work the dough for several minutes until the colour is uniform and the ingredients are soft, silky, and well-mixed.

Playing With Homemade Cloud Dough

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Transfer your dough to a shallow storage container (a dollar store kitty litter bin works well), and add spoons, scoops, bowls, cookie cutters, and plastic molds.

Kids of all ages will have a blast stirring, mixing, scooping, pouring and molding their cloud dough. Even my older kids have of fun with moon sand.

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This cloud dough won’t have that heavenly scent that it would if it were made with baby oil, but it still feels amazing, and your hands will be so soft after playing with it.

You gotta love it when a few simple ingredients provide so much fun and exploration! Plus, this is perfect for any sensory bin or in general, cloud dough makes a great sensory activity.

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Why We Made This Cloud Dough Recipe Toddler-Safe

Traditional cloud dough is an amazing sensory substance that’s easy to make with just two ingredients – flour and baby oil.

  • As fabulous as it is, I often have parents ask me if cloud dough can be made with alternative ingredients so it’s safe for toddlers who aren’t yet past the stage of putting things in their mouths.
  • For this recipe, I’ve swapped out the baby oil with an alternative ingredient, and I’m happy to report that the results were terrific making this an even better cloud dough recipe than the traditional one.
  • I found a way to colour it too. I’m just thrilled to share with you our toddler-safe, simpe coloured cloud dough recipe!

How to Store Cloud Dough

Store your cloud dough in an airtight container. The homemade cloud dough or sensory dough, whatever you want to call it will last much longer in an air-tight container.

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Toddler-safe, cloud dough– made without Baby Oil so even the youngest toddlers can enjoy it!

Materials

  • 8 cups Flour
  • 1 cup Vegetable Oil
  • Heaping TBSP non-toxic Tempera Paint Powder

Tools

  • Potato Masher or Pastry Cutter
  • Wooden Spoon

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together the vegetable oil and flour.
  2. Add the Tempera paint.
  3. Give it another stir, then using a pastry cutter or potato masher, work the dough for several minutes until the colour is uniform and the ingredients are soft, silky, and well-mixed.

More Homemade Play dough Recipes From Kids Activities Blog

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  • I absolutely love making playdough Kool Aid! Or Kool Aid playdough…
  • Don’t miss out on these 200+ sensory bin ideas!
  • Make an Easy Homemade DIY Moon Sand Recipe
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More toddler advice from kids activities blog

  • Find out what to do when your child is scared to use the potty!
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  • We have all these easy activities for toddlers!

Did your toddler love playing with the homemade cloud dough recipe?

Easy Toddler-Safe Cloud Dough Recipe is Sensory Fun (2024)

FAQs

How to make cloud dough for sensory play? ›

Instructions
  1. Measure and add your cornstarch to a large mixing bowl. ...
  2. Measure your conditioner and pour it into your bowl of cornstarch. ...
  3. Use a long spatula to mix your two ingredients together until it gets hard to mix.
  4. Use your hands to finish kneading the dough together. ...
  5. Now it's ready for play!

Is cloud dough safe for toddlers? ›

Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore! The ingredients in this cloud dough are completely non-toxic and taste-safe. Yay! Now, even the youngest hooligans can safely play with cloud dough now!

What are the sensory benefits of cloud dough? ›

Cloud Dough provides a multi-sensory experience. Children can explore how it feels (touch), looks (sight), and even smells (smell, if you add scented oils). This stimulates their sensory processing and helps them learn about the world around them. Fine motor development.

How to make cloud dough for toddlers? ›

The basic recipe for cloud dough is 1:8, oil to flour–for every cup of oil, add 8 cups of flour. This can be scaled down or up according to your needs (1/2 cup oil to 4 cups flour, 1/4 cup oil to 2 cups flour, 2 cups oil to 16 cups flour, etc.). The amount of color added depends on how intense the desired color.

How to make toddler safe cloud dough? ›

That is 1 cup of oil to 8 cups of flour. To make multiple colors I used 4 cups of flour to half a cup vegetable oil with a teaspoon of oil based coloring. I used vegetable oil instead of baby oil like so many others use because 2 of my kids still love to taste things! The veg oil makes the cloud dough taste safe.

How to make toddler friendly play dough? ›

Play Dough Recipe 5

2 cups water 2 cups flour 1 cup salt 2 tbs cooking oil 4 tsp cream of tartar Food coloring (optional) Add food coloring to water it you wish to color the dough. Mix and heat until ingredients form a ball. Knead until smooth and store in airtight container.

What is the science behind cloud dough? ›

By mixing the cornstarch and conditioner, your ingredients go through a physical change. Your ingredients change shape and appearance, but a new chemical substance is not formed. You could still separate the cornstarch and the conditioner in your dough in the right chemistry lab!

What is the purpose of cloud dough? ›

Also known as moon dough or moon sand, Cloud dough is a silky and mold-able substance that provides perfect sensory, science, and fine motor experiences for young children!

Is it safe for toddlers to play with flour? ›

Don't use measuring utensils for flour and then use them again for other ingredients without thoroughly washing them in between. Always wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw flour. Don't let children play with raw dough or flour.

How do you make a simple sensory toy? ›

- Use hair gel and mix with 6 parts warm water and fine glitter if you wish then pour into the bottle. Add plastic toys such as lego bricks. Put the lid on and see if the bricks move. If they don't then empty some of the liquid and add more warm water.

Does cloud dough go bad? ›

Store the cloud dough for future play in an airtight container. Really, this stuff doesn't go bad. You know you'll need to toss it when it gets impossible debris in it.

What are the ingredients to make cloud dough? ›

Cloud Dough – 2 Ingredients! Make some incredibly cool cloud dough at the art center today. This easy no-cook dough requires just 2 ingredients: cornstarch and hair conditioner. Easy enough!

How do you make homemade cloud dough? ›

All you need is: - 1 part baby lotion or conditioner (we used 1/3 cup) - 2 parts cornstarch (we used 2/3 cup)

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