✨🍼My Baby Fresh Cloud Dough Recipe
My Baby Fresh Cloud Dough Recipe
(Makes one batch of super soft cloud like play dough)
Ps: I know this one looks like poop 😅
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 5 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/2 cup Johnson’s Baby Lotion
* 5 drops gel food coloring (add more if needed to get color you want)
* 8-12 drops essential oil (to boost the baby scent) or leave it smelling like baby lotion.
Essential Oil Options and Color options I do.
Blue or Purple
* 12 drops lavender
* 10 drops chamomile
* 8 drops vanilla
Orange or Brown/ the one from the video.
* 12 drops Cinnamon
* 10 drops sweet orange
* 8 drops Vanilla
Green or Yellow
* 12 drops Lemongrass
* 10 drops ylang ylang
* 8 drops ginger
Green or Blue
* 12 drops eucalyptus
* 10 drops cedar wood
* 8 drops tee tree
Red or pink
* 12 drops Germanium
* 10 drops grapefruit
* 8 drops bergamot or rose
Instructions
1. In a small bowl, combine:
* Johnson’s Baby Lotion
* gel food coloring
* essential oils
Mix until smooth.
2. Add in the flour and cornstarch. Stir.
3. Knead with your hands until it becomes a soft, fluffy, moldable dough.
4. Let it sit for 15–30 minutes in a sealed container so the scent develops.
Stores up to one month in room temperature. Use Plastic wrap to keep it soft then put it in a small ziploc bag. Write the date and scents used on bag to remember.
Pro tip: If at any point dough is too sticky always add more cornstarch over flour as the flour adds density and will make it rough. To keep its soft texture and fluidity, add small amounts of cornstarch starch to keep the cloud like texture. Start with a 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch if still sticky when time for play.
Making homemade cloud dough is not only a fun activity but also a wonderful sensory experience for toddlers and young children. From my experience, using Johnson's Baby Lotion as the base ingredient softens the dough perfectly and gives it a gentle baby scent that kids love. The addition of cornstarch is key to achieving that fluffy, moldable texture which distinguishes cloud dough from traditional playdough. One aspect I found particularly enjoyable was personalizing the cloud dough with essential oils. Not only do they boost the scent, but they also add a soothing aromatherapy element during playtime. For example, lavender and chamomile mixtures tend to calm and relax toddlers, making it an excellent choice for evening play to help ease them into bedtime. Meanwhile, energizing scents like sweet orange or lemongrass can invigorate little ones during daytime play sessions. On the topic of coloring, gel food coloring delivers vibrant, lasting hues without compromising the dough’s soft texture. Mixing the colors thoroughly with the lotion and oils before adding the dry ingredients ensures even distribution, which adds to the visual appeal for kids. Storage is important as well. I recommend tightly sealing the dough in a plastic wrap and then placing it inside a Ziploc bag to retain moisture and scent for up to a month. Labeling the bag with the date and scent combination is a handy tip to keep track of freshness and scent preferences. If you notice your cloud dough becoming sticky during play, a small dusting of cornstarch—rather than more flour—helps maintain that delicate, cloud-like fluffiness. In my experience, starting with just half a teaspoon and adding incrementally works best to avoid over-drying the dough. Lastly, cloud dough offers endless opportunities for creative toddler play involving molding, shaping, and sensory exploration. It’s also a fantastic DIY project to adapt with new scents and colors seasonally or for holidays, making every batch uniquely delightful for your little ones.
