Do you cook/bake with your toddler?

[StephMN]

I need some ideas!

My 22 month old son helped me make muffins the other day and LOVED pouring things into the mixing bowl from the measuring cups and spooning the batter into the muffin tin. Now when we go into the kitchen in the morning, he jumps into his learning tower and says 'help' (meaning he wants to help me).

Unfortunately, I don't often cook things that involve combining ingredients into a mixing bowl! Often, it's straight into the pot/pan. I tried giving him some water to pour into the bowl...that, of course, wasn't the same. I tried giving him some cheaper ingredients to mix up (salt, baking soda...without any finished product in mind) while I was trying to make supper. He was heartbroken when it turned out we weren't going to eat what he made.

I we have scrambled eggs, I let him stir them a bit. I was thinking he might be able to use a dull knife on cheese or something, but other than that, I don't have many other ideas. Short of baking every day, I can't come up with many things for him to do. Any other ideas?

TIA!!

[goldenwillow]

DP is a professional cook, so DS is always in the kitchen with Papa. DS is 15 months and still enjoys hanging out on Papa's hip, or has his own pot and pan to bang around. He has his own cupboards as well.

This afternoon we are shredding cabbage to make sauerkraut!

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Do you bake your own bread? That would probably be really fun for him. He could help with all the dumping of ingredients, but could also knead the dough for his own mini loaf. You could even get a little mini loaf pan so that his can bake separately, I'm sure he would be so proud to eat his bread!

[prothyraia]

I involve my kids in cooking all the time. What sorts of things do you tend to cook?

Let's see.... you could show him how to carefully dump ingredients into the pot/pan (if there's not hot water that could splash up). He could help grease the pan if you're using oil or butter or something. Stirring is always good. You can have him hold an egg with you while you crack it, or hold knives with you while you (carefully) chop vegetables. He can use dull knives on his own to cut softer things (butter, cheese). He can help measure/pour any seasonings you use.

Edited to add: Tenderizing meat is also a big hit (unless you're vegetarian, obviously)

[crunchy_mommy]

I'm curious to hear ideas, I don't bake much either and most of my cooking process is cutting veggies, so it's hard to involve DS in the cooking. Plus we don't have (and can't afford or fit one in our kitchen) a learning tower. But he's helped me make hummus, pouring the chickpeas and spices into the food processor... he loved that...

ETA: Now that I think about it, there's a lot he COULD do -- adding spices, putting chopped veggies & olive oil in the pan, etc -- but I'm always rushing around and don't have time or patience for that.

[blumooned]

DS "helps" me quite a bit but I do a lot of baking & cook dinner every night. Mostly, he just likes to be involved & watching, but he also likes to stir stuff & have his own utensil/bowl to hold.

I would just start letting him help you do whatever you were already going to do. He can probably open/unwrap food. Wash produce. Put ingredients in pots/bowls. Press buttons on appliances. Place items (silverware, condiments) on the table.

If you want to bake more with him, I'd do more muffins, quick breads, cookies, etc - they're all pretty easy & not too time consuming. Pumpkin bars are great this time of year!

[physmom]

Here's what we do.

Actual baking ideas:
Pancakes (she loves apple cinnamon where I shred an apple into them)
Bread
Pizza crust (http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001199.html)
Sweet Potato Bars http://www.cooksrecipes.com/bar/sweet _potato_bars_recipe.html (but I use just whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup agave nectar instead of sugar) with cream cheese frosting (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/798)
Taco Salad (or any salad for that matter)
She loves watching me make smoothies in the blender

Baking toys:
Giving DD a pot filled with blocks and a large stirring spoon works wonders.
Cutting food toy, DD's totally obsessed!! http://www.melissaanddoug.com/dyn_prod.php?p=487
Use an empty box and contruction paper to make a mini stove to play with. We let DD use our cooking mittens

ETA: We have a super small kitchen (it's really just a closet) and we have a small step stool that DD stands on.

[MusicianDad]

I definitely cook and bake with my kids. DS like is far more that DD does though. One thing I try to do is make stuff that can be mixed and then dumped into the pan together. I also do all of what Blumooned posted, though DS isn't too happy with just watching he like to be part of the process.

[mckittre]

Washing veggies!

My 20 month old loves stirring and dumping, which is great for baking, like you said. But if I'm doing a dinner that involves a lot of veggies (which is much of the time), I'll give him some carrots or greens something and a bowl of water and let him wash them, then hand them to me to chop. He loves it. Especially if he gets to pick them in the garden first.

[Norasmomma]

We got this for DD for her b-day this year. It is great and makes her feel like she's really helping. She also has her own cutting board by the same company.

Kids kitchen knife: http://www.amazon.com/Curious-Chef-M...7118739&sr=1-4

She's always liked cooking, so I include her most of the time. When she was 2-ish she loved spinning salad. Scooping cookies is another thing she enjoys. She's 4 now, but DS is now wanting to be involved.

[goldenwillow]

Originally Posted by physmom

Baking toys:
Giving DD a pot filled with blocks and a large stirring spoon works wonders.
Cutting food toy, DD's totally obsessed!! http://www.melissaanddoug.com/dyn_prod.php?p=487
Use an empty box and contruction paper to make a mini stove to play with. We let DD use our cooking mittens

We have these too and DS loves them!

[goldenwillow]

Originally Posted by StephMN

I need some ideas!

My 22 month old son helped me make muffins the other day and LOVED pouring things into the mixing bowl from the measuring cups and spooning the batter into the muffin tin. Now when we go into the kitchen in the morning, he jumps into his learning tower and says 'help' (meaning he wants to help me).

Unfortunately, I don't often cook things that involve combining ingredients into a mixing bowl! Often, it's straight into the pot/pan. I tried giving him some water to pour into the bowl...that, of course, wasn't the same. I tried giving him some cheaper ingredients to mix up (salt, baking soda...without any finished product in mind) while I was trying to make supper. He was heartbroken when it turned out we weren't going to eat what he made.

I we have scrambled eggs, I let him stir them a bit. I was thinking he might be able to use a dull knife on cheese or something, but other than that, I don't have many other ideas. Short of baking every day, I can't come up with many things for him to do. Any other ideas?

TIA!!

You inspired me yesterday! I decided to put some munchies in DS mixing bowl, grapes, handmade tortilla chips and a plum and he loved it! Plus, then he ate his snack! He typically has an empty bowl.... no more!

Thank you!

[bodhitree]

My DD loves helping me bake, but she also loves handing me things or putting things in certain places (like if I'm washing potatoes, I hand them to her to put on the cutting board). She likes smelling spices too, as well as stirring and tasting whatever is on the stove. She even likes to taste raw ingredients--she sampled some raw potato the other day, just to see what it was like.

[pumpkin]

DD has been obsessed with cooking since about 12 months. At 19 months she can really help. It's certainly messier than cooking alone.

Baking really is the easiest way for her to be involved. I've started using it as an excuse to make zucchini bread, pumpkin bread and the like because we need to find a way to get some vegetables into her on occasion. Last night she wanted to crack the eggs. I think we'll try that when we are planning a bath right after.
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[pumpkin]

She also loves washing fruit and veggies. Things that don't bruise easily work best.
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[mamadelbosque]

Rarely. I cook at least once a day, and bake maybe once or twice a week... but tbh, I try to get the boys occupied doing other things... they just tend to make a mess thats twice as big and just more for me to clean up. I will let ds1 help stir something if he really wants to, but tahts about it.

[CinCanada]

DD loves to help. If we are having a salad she will wash & rip up the lettuce or kale. She loves to husk corn too so we had a tonne of it during the summer as husking a half dozen cobs would keep her occupied for like half an hour while I cooked the rest of the meal.

DH also lets her mix eggs & spices for scrambled eggs & sometimes I'll give her mushrooms or a softer veggie like that to "chop" (aka mangle) with the knife from her little kiddie cuttlery set.

As a bonus I find she's more likely to eat whatever she helped us prepare like in the instance of kale chips.

[inkedmamajama]

Tearing up lettuce for salad is a great toddler activity! So is ripping up bread for stuffing/bread pudding and smashing crackers/cookies for making crumb crusts.

put strips of colored tape on your clear measuring cups to make it easy for the toddler to practice filling water to the right measure.

[happysmileylady]

I am starting to try to get her to help me in the kitchen. I LOVE the idea of tearing up the lettuce. I have a breadmachine that I do bread in so I have her help me dump the ingredients into that, we have made bread several times this week as a result: Sometimes though her fine motor skills aren't up to it-makeing a half a teaspoon of sugar go from the sugar container to the bread pan without dumping half of it is tough for her sometimes.

She does like to help me gather ingredients and put them away. From carrying the meat from the freezer to the kitchen, to getting stuff in and out of the pantry, it's great. Especially since she likes to close doors, she gets to open and close them each time.

[StephMN]

Wow! Thanks so much everyone. I guess what I lack in creativity is made up for in an awesome online community

As a pp said, most of my cooking is cutting up meat/veggies and putting them in a hot pan, but another poster is right...he could help with that if we're careful...he is already super aware that things on the stove/oven are hot (he tells me so every time he gets close!). You've helped me see that if I'm just more mindful of what I'm doing, I can ask him to help me with lots of things!

I, too, love the tearing up lettuce idea and the masking tape on measuring cups is ingenious. I've been wanting to make more bread, so this will be a perfect opportunity for us to learn together.

Thanks, too, for the links. Great ideas for his 2nd birthday presents!