Kids in the Kitchen Archives - Forgetful Momma (2024)

FAQs

How to get a toddler involved in cooking? ›

Have them listen to sounds of the electric mixer or food being added to a hot pan. Let them feel bread or dough by helping knead it. Participating in cooking can help with picky eaters. Encourage your little one to try some of the ingredients, but don't force it.

Preschool (ages 2–5 years)

Most toddlers and preschoolers love to help with baking. They are enthusiastically hands-on and enjoy stirring, kneading, and scooping batter into baking pans.

Between the ages of two and five, children can start assisting with simple tasks like stirring, rinsing and decorating. From baking sugar cookies to making kid-approved healthy recipes, there's bound to be an easy job that your child can help out with.

Therefore, I would say a play kitchen is best for toddlers (1-3 years old), preschoolers (3-5 years old) and school-age (5-7 years old). There is no best age, per se, but each age can benefit from a play kitchen. As your child grows, so does the complexity and level of his/her play.

Brain development milestones at 2 years

Completes sentences in familiar books. Plays simple make-believe games. Builds towers with four or more blocks.

Reassure parents that a decrease in appetite is normal for children two to five years of age and that their food consumption moderates to match a slower rate of growth. Explain that while parents are responsible for which foods children are offered to eat, the child is responsible for how much to eat (7).

Casting all aspiring bakers between the ages of 9 and 14 years-old to join us for our rendition of the Kids Baking Championship.

Clean up after a big meal to help your mom in the kitchen.

After you and your family are done eating, offer to wash the dishes. You can either load them in the dishwasher or wash them by hand. Then, put the clean dishes away in the cupboards to use later on.

What is the healthiest bread for toddlers? ›

Opting for a sprouted whole grain bread is the best choice nutritionally. These have limited preservatives like sugar and sodium, and they're a better source of B vitamins (although breads that have processed flour must be fortified with these in Canada and the US), magnesium, fiber, and protein.

Read the Recipe Through Completely

At the risk of sounding way too basic, this one deserves repetition. You must read and re-read your recipes before beginning anything. Human error, even for the best bakers, can get in the way and ruin your entire endeavor.

First, in general, I recommend sticking to whole grain breads for babies. These tend to hold their shape better than white breads and also help babies get used to the flavor of whole grains, which have a generally more robust nutritional profile.

6-18 Months

Seat them in their highchair, pull it up next to you in the kitchen, and let them watch what you're doing! Give them a utensil, piece of food (a non-choking hazard of course!), and let them feel like they're helping you. Let them smell and touch the ingredients.

Teach them the basics of using a stove (with your supervision always). Practice turning the stove off and on. A great first "recipe" is scrambled eggs. You can crack an egg or two (always fun), beat them together and cook them over medium heat slowly without much to-do, which is perfect for kids.

Experimenting with different ingredients is also a great way to get kids involved in cooking. You can start by showing them how to cook something simple like macaroni and cheese, then let them come up with their own recipe for something else (like pizza). Lastly, try making a meal together as a family.