It can be a thought, trying to cook and prepare a meal whilst looking after your toddler! But getting your toddler involved in the kitchen is a great way to keep them entertained whilst you get on with making the meals. Depending on your child’s age, you can start off with small tasks, then as they grow and become more confident in the kitchen, you can increase the complexity of the tasks. In this post we are going to dive into how to cook with toddlers in a safe and fun way.
Age range for cooking with toddlers
As long as you have a safe way for your toddler to be up at the level of the counter, then you can start from when they are old enough and capable enough of standing for longish periods of time, so 18+ months if not sooner. This is where a learning tower comes in handy. Learning towers are basically enclosed step stools that your toddler can stand on to bring them up to counter level in your kitchen. They come in different designs and are usually adjustable so you can lower the height as your child grows. If you have a totally enclosed learning tower like the one shown in the photo, then you can have your toddler in the kitchen with you from quite early on as they will be safe in the tower when your back is turned (until they learn to climb out).
Benefits of Cooking with your Children
- Helps your child form a healthy relationship with food
- Helps your child fall in love with cooking and baking
- Encourages your child to try new foods
- Develops motor skills
- Great bonding activity for you and your child
- When they are older it helps with reading, understanding measurements and problem solving
- Develops a lifelong skill of cooking
- Easier for you to keep an eye on them if they are helping in the kitchen with you whilst you are preparing meals
How to Cook with your Toddler
18 – 24 months – If you have an enclosed learning tower (more about these further down), then you can have your toddler in the kitchen with you from quite a young age. They do not need to help you cook, they will be entertained enough with the following activities:
- Playing with safe kitchen utensils – give your toddler a whisk, a wooden spoon, measuring cups, basically anything that is safe that they will have never seen before. Your toddler will find these kitchen utensils a novelty.
- Let your toddler wash up – whilst you prepare meals, you could place your toddler over by the sink and let them wash various smash proof items, or some of their own washable toys (we wash a lot of cars). They will have great fun. You can make it soapy for them by adding some bubble bath too.
- Do some chopping with a crinkle cutter – at this early stage you can let your toddler use a crinkle cutter (photo further down) under close supervision. Your toddler can help you chop soft veg for dinner or you can give them a banana to chop, they will enjoy learning to chop whilst also munching on a banana.
- Playing with rice or crushed cereal – if you don’t mind lots of mess, you can give your toddler dry rice or crushed up cereal and some measuring spoons and bowls. They will be able to scoop the dried foods in and out of bowls, having great fun, but also creating great mess.
2 – 3 years – Your toddler will still enjoy the activities mentioned above, but you can now get them a bit more involved in baking and cooking.
- During this time, they will be able to move from the crinkle cutter to toddler safe knives (mentioned below). Your toddler will be able to cut soft fruit and also soft vegetables like bell peppers and cucumber. This is also a great opportunity to have them try food and vegetables that they may not usually eat.
- They will have the motor skills to help with pouring, sprinkling and mixing ingredients.
- Your toddler will also be able to help clean up – loading the dishwasher, wiping up spills, or washing some ‘not too dirty’ dishes in the sink.
3+ years – As your toddler grows and develops they will become more and more capable in the kitchen. The more they help out in the kitchen the more proficient they will be with the toddler safe knives. They will also be able to help make their own sandwiches and get more hands on with easier meals (Our 3 year old has recently become quite good at cracking eggs!). All the while working on their motor skills and developing their love of food and cooking.
What you will need for cooking with a Toddler
- Learning tower – as mentioned above, these are enclosed step stools that are safe for toddlers (and older children). Some come fixed as a toddler tower and can take up a bit of space, others are able to fold away. They are usually adjustable so that you can raise or lower the height to suit your child. Here is a link to a learning tower to get you started.
- Toddler safe knives – These are plastic knives of different sizes. The idea is that you start with the crinkle cutter (or cutter of a similar shape) and as your child’s motor skill develop, they will be able to move onto the knives. Always supervise your child at all times when using these, they are toddler safe, but are still knives at the end of the day. This is a great little toddler knife set to get you started.
- Plastic bowls and plates are a good idea, just to avoid any unwanted breakages.
- Patience. As with any activity evolving toddlers, you will need patience to get you through. As long as you have patience, cooking with your toddler will be a fun and rewarding bonding experience for you both.
