Toddler in the Kitchen: Delegated Task #1

I am always eager for new ways to get my toddler involved in the kitchen. But putting away groceries quickly turns into him taking things off the shelves and running out of the kitchen with a bottle of ketchup. (It's not in his nature to let things go unexplored.) Adding dry ingredients into a mixing bowl resulted in puffs of flour flying into the air, then landing and getting stuck between the creaky old floor boards.

Although I know my son got great enjoyment (and maybe something useful?) out of these experiences, it made food prep harder for me. The perennial question: What's out there that a toddler can handle and is also helpful?

Answer: Husking corn. My son loves to eat corn on the cob, and it turns out he has just enough attention span to pull back the husk on four cobs (and put them in the trash if the ends are pre-cut). After convincing him not to eat the corn raw, he handed the ears over to me. I still had to pull off most of the silks, but next time I will let my son rinse the ears. There was some mess, but I think a large tray as a work area would solve that. Even without these improvements, the project kept him happily (and safely) occupied while I got the water boiling and was time neatral. Success!

Stay tuned for another food prep task that can be delegated to your ever-helpful toddler!

Food for Kids: Inspiring a Love of Cooking

I am so grateful for the fond memories I have of watching and helping my mom cook when I was little, and I want to give my son those same experiences.  But Little E seems a bit too young for that right now.  Until he stops grabbing at everything and starts to have a longer attention span, I want to give him something else to do.  Enter imaginative play!

I am thinking of getting E some play fruits and veggies to go in a play kitchen.  There is such a wide variety in play kitchens!  Some look just like an adult kitchen and would take up a whole wall.  I am leaning toward getting the KidKraft Vintage Kitchen.  A friend of mine has it in blue, and it is sturdy, easy on the eyes, and not too big.

Do you have a favorite product or brand to recommend?  What were your favorite food-play activities?  (Mine was "running" my own restaurant with a friend.  Our signature dish?  Rainbow salad: red tomatoes, orange carrots, yellow peppers, green lettuce...and blue salad dressing.  Not blue cheese, just ranch with blue food coloring!)