Are you searching for more ways to spend quality time with your children? Or maybe you'd like to get them started in the kitchen early. Whether you're searching for more time or more teachable moments, baking with your toddler is an excellent way to include your children in the things that you love doing.Incorporating baking with toddlers into your to-do list doesn't mean that every recipe needs to be a kid-approved meal. We recommend starting slow and including toddlers in your kitchen time once or twice a week to start. Once both you and your toddler have learned how to work together in the kitchen, you can include them in more meal preps or simple tasks like washing veggies and laying out ingredients.Baking with toddlers doesn't have to be complicated. To help successfully turn your kitchen time into quality family time, we've come up with a list of our favorite tips that make cooking with your young chefs a positive experience. Keep reading to discover how you can get your child involved more.
Focus on Safety
Before beginning to bake in the kitchen with your little ones, your toddler must know the rules. Reading the recipe beforehand will give you a better idea of the ingredients and tools needed to make the meal a success. Setting up rules that prevent children from touching knives, getting too close to the oven and using mixers is essential to discuss before beginning your kitchen time. These rules keep your children safe in the kitchen and prepare them for encounters with these objects outside of it.
Location, Location, Location
Now that you've laid out the ground rules, it's time to decide where you'll do your baking. For a recipe that requires a lot of preparation before being cooked, you may want to prep and mix ingredients while your child is sitting at a table. This will help you better watch over your little chef throughout the baking process and it is often easier to clean.Alternatively, if you're whipping up a simpler recipe like a breakfast smoothie, it is more accessible to prep and mix ingredients in the kitchen. Assigning your small chef tasks like handing you the ingredients, or pushing the blender button are each great low-risk ways to get your children involved in the kitchen. Starting with simple tasks will help you gauge your children's skill level and determine if they are ready for more responsibility.For young children, setting them up in their high chair, or on a chair and handing them simple tasks is generally an easy way to get them involved while also keeping them out of harm. By choosing a designated space for your toddler, you can ensure that they stay away from more dangerous items like stoves or sharp knives.For a mess-free baking with toddlers recipe, try out these 5 Ingredient Gluten Free Waffles.
Prepare for Downtime
Baking with toddlers is a blast, but it's important to remember that your child will not be able to craft a recipe alone. While there may be several hands-on tasks that you can include your little chef in, there will also be some adult-only tasks that you will need to complete yourself. While you're working on the "big-kid" steps of the recipes, it's crucial to ensure that your little one has something to do in the meantime.Preparing for downtime by supplying your children with toys, activities or even edible sensory play items is a great way to ensure that your little chef remains occupied throughout the entire baking process. Remember, just 15 seconds of boredom may cause your child to "help" by pouring out the flour bag, cracking a few extra eggs or even starting a food fight. When baking with toddlers, it's crucial to have them occupied at all times.
Set up Ahead of Time
It's not enough to have the recipe picked out, or the ingredients stocked. For a truly successful baking session, we recommend setting up ahead of time when your young chef isn't in the kitchen. This will allow you to thoroughly think through the steps of the recipes and determine what areas your toddler can best help with. Setting up the utensils, baking area and recipe ingredients ahead of time will ensure that everything runs smoothly when it's time to bake. You can identify areas of concern or potentially dangerous utensils that you don't want your toddler using and separate them from the kid-friendly tools. When kid-proofing a kitchen space, we recommend dividing it into" big chef" and "little chef" sections. Giving your child their own space is a great way to fill them with a sense of responsibility, while also ensuring their safety.
Choose a Simple Recipe to Make
When it comes to baking in the kitchen with your toddler, the simpler, the better. While you may love making a delicious sourdough bread recipe, or croissants from scratch, they're probably not the right recipe to choose when inviting your little one into the kitchen. Each of these recipes is not only time consuming, but they're also complicated. The key to creating a great kitchen experience is to provide your child with tasks that they can handle. Simple recipes in which a child can actively help with will improve their baking skills and give them the confidence needed to try new things.Before you invite your little chef into the kitchen to help out, be sure to choose a recipe that you're familiar with. There are tons of simple and tasty recipes that you can make with children. To help you get started here is one of our favorites.
4 Ingredient Gluten Free Brownie Mix Cookies
When it comes to making a kid-friendly recipe, desserts are one of our favorites. Kids love enjoying a homemade treat that they helped bake themselves. Plus, a delicious dessert isn't hard to make. Take these 4 Ingredient Gluten Free Brownie Mix Cookies, for example. In just a few simple steps, this recipe makes making gluten free dessert a breeze. Four ingredients; Bob's Red Mill gluten free brownie mix, oil, eggs and salt, create crazy delicious melt-in-your-mouth brownies that are ready in 20 minutes. They're the ideal combination of a fuzzy inside and crispy outside and the perfect addition to any dessert table. Plus, because they're gluten free they are a treat that can be enjoyed by those with a gluten allergy, making them the ideal snack to surprise your child's classroom with. When making this dessert with your little ones, be sure to encourage their creative side. Whether that means decorating the cookies once they're done or choosing their favorite items to mix into the batter before baking. There are plenty of ways that you can get your children excited about cooking.
Make Sure All Tasks Are Age Appropriate
Making sure that all baking tasks are age-appropriate is essential to creating a fun baking experience for your toddlers. What toddlers can accomplish at age two vs. what they can do at age five is very different. While a two-year-old will be able (and willing) to hand next-in-line ingredients, read along while you go over the recipe and mix wet and dry ingredients, a five-year-old might find these tasks a bit boring. Depending on your child's skill level and how much experience they have in the kitchen, an older child may be able to help out with more advanced tasks like measuring ingredients and cracking eggs. Remember, you know your child best. If you think your young chef is ready for a bit of a challenge, test it out. With proper supervision, they might just become the next best chef.
Keep Things Fun
Turning kitchen time into family time may be your new favorite way to spend time with your children. There's something about including those you love in activities you love, that just feels right. To ensure that your toddlers have a great time baking, remember to keep it fun. By introducing them to different kitchen utensils and tasks slowly, you can better access what they do and don't like. Some children may be terrified of a loud mixer. If that's the case, then it's best to mix the needed ingredients before or after their time in the kitchen or choose recipes that can be hand mixed. Other children may not have a long attention span, which is when quick and simple recipes like smoothies come in handy. Getting to know your child's kitchen likes and dislikes and starting with recipes that require no longer than twenty minutes of their time, will keep baking a fun experience and not a chore.For an easy, kid-approved recipe to keep things fun in the kitchen, make these 5 Ingredient Almond Chicken Tenders.While baking things yourself might be the more comfortable option, baking with your toddler is beneficial for many reasons. Improved fine motor skill development, focus, mathematics and culture are just a few of the many ways that your child can learn while spending time in the kitchen. By reviewing these simple tips before you invite your little one into the kitchen, you can ensure that your time spent baking with your toddler is fun!