With the upcoming holidays I wanted to share some ideas on how to cook and bake with toddlers. There are so many cooking items that are made for young children now. For baking, small spatulas, wooden spoons, and mini whisks are available. For cooking, you can find smaller cutting boards, wavy choppers that are perfect for small hands, and mini mashers to mash anything from potatoes to avocados. Other things to think about when working in the kitchen with toddlers are small pitchers for pouring, a small measuring cup, and a mini ice cream scooper for making the perfect size cookie or muffin.

When cooking or baking with toddlers, preparation is the key. Every day at school the environment is prepared for your toddler. When a child takes wood polishing off the shelf everything on the tray is ready for the child to begin that work. The wood piece to polish is there. The oil is premeasured in a bottle. There is a brush for polishing and a mitt to wipe up the extra oil. The child can take the wood polishing tray off the shelf and begin.  So think about this process when working at home. Find a tray to put all of your ingredients on and have them ready to go. I have found that having everything premeasured for younger toddlers helps with a smooth process in the kitchen. I also have containers small enough for the child to hold and dump. Also if a recipe calls for 3 cups of flour, give the child a spoon to scoop the flour out of one bowl to put in the batter bowl. (Dumping 3 cups of flour can be pretty messy.)

Once everything is on the tray, give the child a spoon or whisk to hold onto so your child can be a part of the process right away. Either bring the materials down to the child’s level so he can see everything that is happening or find a solid stool that he can stand on to help with the work. When toddlers come over for snack preparation I always show them how to use the kitchen item first. I show them every time. For example, when we use the wavy chopper to cut cucumbers, I show the child where to hold his hands. I hold the chopper with both hands. I make sure my arms aren’t in the way so each child can see my movements. I slow my movements down and then chop the cucumber. Next, I let them have a turn. When using the choppers I say, “Do you remember where your hands go on the chopper?”  I always tell the child that’s how we keep our hands safe.

When making muffins with children a mini muffin tin is perfect. Using a silicon brush let the child oil each hole in the tin. This is a really fun job for toddlers. When the muffin batter is ready use a mini ice cream scooper to drop batter into the tin. This works really well.

Here’s a carrot muffin recipe we have used at school:

1 and 2/3 cup of whole wheat flour

1/3 cup flax meal

¾ cup honey

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs (1/2 cup of applesauce for each egg as a substitute.)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup carrot puree (Carrot was prepared in advance)

Step 1: Pour in all the dry ingredients and mix.

Step 2:  Add the vanilla

Step 3: Add the (softened) butter (Vegan butter works just as well)

Step 4: Add the honey

Step 5: Add eggs or substitute

Step 6: Stir and mix the carrot puree in last.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes.

Enjoy baking with your toddler!