Tell me about your little ones helping in the kitchen. When did they start? What did they first do? Now do? What kind of gear did you buy or make for your sous chefs?
LO loves to follow me in the kitchen when I cook and at daycare he apparently lays claim to the play kitchen. The interest is there, would love some ideas how to nurture it. He's 13 mos.
persimmon / 1381 posts
Initially, my son sat on the floor on was completely entertained by playing with extra pots and pans and wooden spoons (as most babies are). Now that he's nearly two, he stands next to me on a chair and will put things I chopped up into bowls, will dump pre-measured ingredients and looooooves to stir anything. He is also fascinated by the salad spinner.
Having him on a chair is not the safest and I spend a lot of time making sure he isn't about to fall off. He's getting a learning tower for his birthday this month and I think that will help tremendously.
pomegranate / 3872 posts
Lo has always loved to help in the kitchen. She likes baking best, I'm sure because of the sweet results, but we've made all types of breads, cakes, cookies, pastries together. When she was little i'd sit her in her highchair right next to my workspace so she could see what I was doing but not get at anything I didn't want her to. I'd give her salt dough and rollers and cookie cutters at first. Then once she could safely stand on a step stool she was really able to help. From about 3 I liked making yeast recipes with her because it's fun to watch the dough rise and teaches a little patience and science! She's so proud of herself when she serves her finished product. Search bread-in-a-bag and there are a bunch of fun kid bread recipes that they can pretty much do so by themselves, with help measuring. Not the best bread you'll ever eat but to lo it was! There are also two really cute kids cookbooks I got. She loves looking through and picking out something she wants to make and making a list of ingredients we need. Pretend Soup by Mollie Katzen is the first book.
apricot / 374 posts
Starting around that age, my son liked running ingredients between the pantry and the counter. I'd hand him a spice jar, say, he'd take it to my husband who'd measure it out and hand it back, and then he'd bring it back to me. Not at all efficient, but he believes he's helping. And of course stirring an empty bowl on the kitchen floor. He is always underfoot in the kitchen and will probably love it when we let him "help" for real!
pear / 1521 posts
Growing up I loved baking at an early age so I am hoping to pass that on to LO. I've been in a baking slump since she was born but we made cookies together for the first time this weekend! (She's 27 months). She basically just helped pour ingredients into the bowl 
When I make pancakes she loves to help stir and is actually pretty good at it. Last night I was making dinner and she ran into the kitchen saying "help help!" wanting to help me 
So I have to get some kid friendly tools so she can start helping me in other ways, I know those wavy cutters are something you can use so they can help cut veggies relatively safely. Oh and we pull her learning tower up to the sink sometimes and she loves playing in there. Maybe we cant get her washing dishes soon 
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
We had a little table in our kitchen when my son was younger, it was an ikea lack side table, so it was the perfect height for him and he could move around freely.
nectarine / 2047 posts
DS LOVES helping in the kitchen. He will be 19 months next week. DH made him a learning tower when he was 15 months and he is obsessed with it. He pushes it wherever he wants to go and is able to climb in on his own. He can't get out by himself yet, but that's ok with us. He used this IKEA hack: http://happygreylucky.com/ikea-hack-toddler-learning-tower-stool/
He likes to sprinkle salt and seasonings, put things into the food processor, dump in the ingredients and can also zest and stir with some help. Sometimes we also just give him an empty bowl and a spoon to play with. The tower is also nice for washing hands. He also sometimes eats his breakfast or snack in it. We are going to get a toddler friendly knife soon and will start teaching him how to cut with lots of supervision. He is so much happier in his tower and loves to be part of the action.
blogger / pomelo / 5361 posts
I've had my little guys help me from early on, though I can't remember when. I know they were by 17 mo. I had them help me to baking things at first. It was pretty easy for them to put in a cup of flour, etc. after I measured it and they loved that. They also liked to help stir. They actually help less now that I'm back at work full time. I need to give them more chances to cook with me because they always love it.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
We started with a learning tower. It is one of the greatest things if you have space for it. I would just give our daughter a spoon with two bowls and let her scoop flour from one to another - that was enough for a not yet 2 year old.
As she got older, she started measuring and pouring, turning on the mixer, cutting with butter knives. Pretty much doing everything I do. I found the hardest part was relinquishing control. I still have trouble with that. I just have to remember I can clean up the mess later....
grapefruit / 4545 posts
@peaches1038: I've been wanting to make one of this forever, I love this post. Thanks for sharing!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
DD got a learning tower for her first birthday and she uses it every day. She eats meals in it sometimes, pushes it to the sink to "wash dishes", watches when someone is cooking.
cherry / 222 posts
We had a learning tower which was awesome.
Also, I loooove this cookbook:
https://www.amazon.com/Pretend-Soup-Other-Real-Recipes/dp/1883672066
It has illustrated recipes, so my daughter can lead the cooking (she can follow the recipe on her own and give me instructions).
pomegranate / 3895 posts
LO received a learning toward at 16 mos and still uses it every day at almost 3. My DH made it, but I think even if you buy one it's well worth the money.
He started just hanging out in it and eating breakfast in it, but now he uses it for everything - including getting into mischief.
persimmon / 1479 posts
This blog post about toddlers helping wash veggies was a good idea, I think!
http://www.hellobee.com/2017/05/30/montessori-friendly-ways-to-keep-toddlers-busy-in-the-kitchen/
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
These are such awesome ideas!
@peaches1038: such a cute little helper!
cantaloupe / 6131 posts
My son stood at the learning tower and mostly ate off the cutting board or just wanted to eat standing up for his meals between 15-20 months. It was actually how I got him to eat a lot of raw veggies!
Around 20 months, he could help me sprinkle things, so I would chop veggies and he would dump them in a large, wide bowl for salads or he would help me sprinkle things in layers for casseroles or pizza.
We made ravioli lasagna a lot using frozen raviolis because he could throw those down, let me drizzle sauce, then he could dump cheese and chopped spinach over the top, etc. He also helped make pizza in the same way. If I chopped up a big pineapple or melon, he would eat some and help me transfer the chunks to tupperwares.
We often invite people over for dinner on Saturday nights and create a menu he can help with to keep him occupied in the afternoon before guests arrive and then rave about how he made dinner for everyone (salad, lasagna, fruit salad, woo!)
I think the first thing we actually "did" together was decorate Christmas cookies when he was around 16 months old. I put out cookies I had pre-made and cooled and tried to help him frost them but it was mostly him eating frosting and sprinkles!
Oh, I also made homemade playdough and bought a bunch of cheap plastic cookie cutters at the dollar store and he would play with that a lot while I cooked at the island.
pear / 1521 posts
@peaches1038: We did the same ikea hack! It is really the best thing ever, I actually forget that most people don't have learning towers. Our LO eats about half of her meals in it and I think it is so great for them to be up at our level in the kitchen. I'm guessing it has reduced greatly how much time she'd otherwise be crying at my feet.
nectarine / 2433 posts
My DD loves being in the kitchen at any opportunity. My SO built her this kitchen helper when she was 13 months and she can get in and out by herself and will push it over to be close to the action.
Like lots of PPs we started out with an empty bowl and a wisk or Tupperware containers that she could put the lid on and have graduated to her actually helping now at 2 years. Nothing gets made in our kitchen unless she gets to stir or pour, etc.
She will also stand in her kitchen helper and do stickers or drawing if we are working on something at the table.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
I don't really have space for a learning tower, so she really didn't start helping until closer to 2.5 (so in the last 1-2 months really) when she could better reach the counter on her regular stool. The other night she helped to make pizza! Also, she doesn't really get to help during the week since DH is usually making dinner in a hurry and she's in daycare from 8:30-4:30.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
Question- from a safety perspective do you think a learning tower with a bar on the back is better than an open one?
nectarine / 2047 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: DS definelty leans into the bar. It does make it harder for him to get in and out. I think for the littler ones, a bar is safer
pomegranate / 3895 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I can wall you a picture of ours, but the bar has been really important to us. Somehow DS has managed to fall out of him before still, though.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
Ok, kitchen helper 1.0 was a success! Here's a pic of LO stirring his veggie melts with a silicon whisk. He explored every inch of the whisk too! I also let him help me put frozen mini egg rolls on a baking pan. He didn't get the concept of taking them out of the bag, but took them from my palm onto the pan. He only cried when it was time to put the pan in the oven.
apricot / 374 posts
This thread inspired me to let my son help a little more in the kitchen last night than we usually let him. He made a Caesar salad (aka dumped the bagged salad ingredients into a bowl, threw the empty packets away, and sort of stirred it). He even ate a bite of lettuce without spitting it out! Little victories, lol!
pear / 1580 posts
We got the above kitchen helper when DS was about 2yo. I really wish I'd done it sooner, though! I was seriously holding him and cooking at the same time.
The best thing he does is peel my garlic. It keeps him occupied for quite a while. I often have to have a snack for him to munch on when there's nothing for him to participate in.
At first, I had him just touch things before I use them. Usually that satisfied his curiosity enough, and he felt like he was participating.
Some tasks I have him do now: after I measure something with a measuring spoon/cup, he dumps it into the bowl. He drops non-fragile things into the sink after I'm done with them. He puts his hand on a container as I'm pouring it into something else. He touches the handle of the spatula as I'm mixing. Etc.
persimmon / 1316 posts
Since at that age there wasn't much helping what I found she loved to do was giving her several different sized bowls and different size spoons/measuring spoons with rice or fried orzo and letting her play. Every now and then I would pour some seasonings in one of her spoons and she would stir it into the rice. Then I just kept that in a baggie when she was done and reused it whenever she wanted to "cook"
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