How early did you start yours drawing/ coloring?

You can "paint" with pudding. Eating it can be discouraged but it's not a problem if it happens.

With my son, as soon as he could hold a crayon. Just pick up some washable crayons, most of them are non-toxic anyway but I like Crayola best. Melissa & Doug also make some nice non toxic washable triangular shaped crayons. If you sit down and color with her she'll be less likely to stick them in her mouth too.

Have fun!

We start any child who can hold the crayon in the daycare where I work. You have to stay right there and keep taking the crayon away from her mouth and showing her how to put it on paper. But it can be done. :)

I don't have any kids of my own but i watch my friend's 14 month old daughter almost every day while she works (she is a single mom) I have already started working with her and crayons and blank pieces of paper. Right now she is barely grasping the fact that this stick leaves marks lol. Luckily she doesn't stick them in her mouth, but she is more into swapping crayons with me over and over. I've been at it for a week now and just today she actually took a tad bit of time to leave some scribbles before taking my crayon and giving me the other and then sticking it in the box and then dumping it and putting them back in... l lol I say give it a try and don't be disappointed if she just sticks it in her mouth or shows no interest. It will be there sooner or later. I use the giant crayons that are easy to wash off things in case she decides to see where else the color can go...

Oh and Crayola makes some nice products for beginners as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Crayola-Washable-Tadoodles-Crayon-Buddies/dp/B000WZNMQM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1289351537&sr=8-4

http://www.amazon.com/Crayola-Beginnings-Washable-Triangular-Crayons/dp/B000VEBPN6/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1289351537&sr=8-15

I let my son draw with markers all of the time. He concentrates so much on whatever he is scribbling. It's cute. He'll be one soon. Right now we use regular crayola markers but my cousin is buying his the washable crayons for the tub and the crayola dot pens so we will use that soon. I would do paint but I don't want a mess

I think it was just after 12 months, obviously his dexterity then and now are quite different now that's he 2, but he liked to scribble from the first time he tried it. We used regular crayons, the special beginners crayons, and some colored pencils (only when seated and supervised the whole time because I worried he would hurt himself with them). I'm not that big on markers because they don't clean up easily and I think they are wasteful. We have a few that were a gift, and they do make nice bright colors though. I had to remind him now to chew on the crayons, but he still tries to do that sometimes--even now if I don't keep an eye on him. We usually color together for a while and then I put them away so he can't mark on our walls and furniture with them (he did a few times). We also have a couple Doodle Pros that he can use to draw whenever he feels like it too.

We got my son some of the Tadoodles (?) by Crayola, that you hold in your palm rather than with your fingers, when he was right around 1. Markers are easier for him, because he doesn't have to press down at all to get a bright vibrant color, but they can be messy!

i love chalk... many kids will put it in their mouths, but its pretty harmless, just messy lol!

a child is ready when they can hold it themselves, try bigger crayons or chalk or whatever media you choose, that way 1 they can get a better hold on it and 2 they are less likey to be able to put it in their mouths.. definitely sitting down with them and coloring will model the correct way of using the crayon etc.... and the age differs, some may start coloring at 18 months-2 yrs.. some many find no intrest in it until 3.. offer it, but dont force it.. that will discourage the child from attempting.. after offering it numerous times, youll known when he/she is ready...