How to Amuse Toddlers

Step 5: Cooking

Toddlers enjoy helping cook, especially when there are tasty bits (like chocolate chips) that they can graze off of as they dump and mix ingredients.

Helpful Tips:

- Measure bulk ingredients (like flour and sugar) in advance then let the child 'measure' the ingredients into the mixing bowl with a teaspoon. This gives the tot more to do but assures correct proportions.

- You may not want to allow children to eat too much raw cookie dough since it contains raw eggs which are occasionally a carrier of salmonella. (This issue can also be avoided by substituting one tablespoon of ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons of warm water in place of each egg.)

- They're gonna make a mess. Get over it. They're having a good time right?

Comments

[sissy76]

At our house, the kids make muesli. We use separate containers for each ingredient- oats, dried cranberries, raisins, sliced almonds, a little brown sugar, and in a small restaurant-size syrup "pitcher" we have the milk. They love mixing and tasting and it doubles as a snack. It's also really cheap if you have a grocery store near you with a "bulk" section- just get the amount you need. We place an old sheet under their child-size table to catch the mess.

[geodez]

also, this calls to mind my toddler sister getting her hair tangled in the kitchen-aid mixer.

[superMacaroni]

;____;

[geodez]

HA! HA! I AM MEL-ON!