Mission: "Entertain the baby during the 'Witching hour'"

I tried the 'edible finger paint' for my Punk (1 year old) from this site here.

I was not impressed.

Though I did decide that dinner time was a great time to amuse her in her highchair.

If she can play I can cook, the older kids can clean.

So one day we tried oatmeal, I thought it might be like a sandbox, only edible (sorta).  In truth it kept her the most occupied of just about any toy in ages!  But someone had to sweep all the oatmeal up, almost none of it remained on the tray.

Another day I tried some milk and some food coloring.  I wondered if she could splash a bit and maybe my Baby Girl (3 year old) could try some soap to see it swirl.  Instead it went straight to splashing and all over (though really the mess blended right in with her dinner a few minutes later)

A random assortment of plastic cups bowls or spoons doesn't seem to entertain her long.  Crayons work a bit, but she tends to 'scrape' them with her nails.  Tape doesn't hold her interest for long (though she loves it) as soon as it is stuck to itself she throws it away.

So far the best way to keep her happy (aside from her being on my hip) seems to be assigning Princess (7 year old) the job of entertainment.  Which would be great except Baby Girl (3 year old) wants in, and Princess isn't so good at keeping them from fighting, and there are plenty of chores she aught to be doing.

So I am still on the lookout for a better way to keep her entertained while I cook.