by Lorna Doone

Created on: November 12, 2008

One of the most important things about cooking with a toddler is that there should be no rules! That may seem a little crazy on the face of it, but it pays off in the long run. Children at this age are not interested in following recipes, waiting for things to bake in the oven or tidying up. These are boring things that adults do.

So then, it is up to you to do those boring things whilst your baby has fun! Choose a recipe, cookies for instance. Gather the ingredients, turn on the oven, put on your aprons, protect the floor if need be and give your child a bowl. Whilst you make the cookies (to the recipe) let her add whatever she likes to her bowl and use whatever utensils she wants, hands if need be. Let her copy you when you roll out the dough and use cookie cutters. If her mixture is too wet, just add flour until it forms a ball. If she just wants to spread gunk around the kitchen table, let her. It is the experience alone that rewards children of this age and all along she will think that she is baking the best thing the family has ever tasted.

Let it be so.

Whatever happens, do not reprimand your child for getting dirty or messing up the kitchen - she can see you making a 'mess', so why can't she? Children have no concept of what their mothers understand 'tidy' to be, they are too fascinated by the stuff infront of them to care about much else. Have fun, smile, laugh and praise your toddler and she will have a positive experience whilst making her cookies. Don't freak out about the gloop on the ceiling or your child may get the impression that the kitchen is not a welcoming place. Relax, get on with your recipe and when you have finished, tidy your space. Let your child finish in her own time, she may even get the hint and start tidying up too, because children copy what they see their parents do, if it is done with an attitude of love and understanding.

Then, after all the hard work - eat your cookies! What could be more satisfying than that? And as for your daughter's flour soup, cook it too! Your cookies will more than make up for her experiment. Besides, toddlers do not get disappointed by such things as 'failed' recipes.

If all this seems too daunting to start with, let the garden be your kitchen. Sit out and make mud pies with her. Pretend to 'bake' them in an oven, make sure you 'taste' them when they are cooked, leave some out for the birds to try. It is here that your imagination can run wild making pancakes, dumplings, blueberry muffins and pizzas.

Introduce the wonders of baking to your child through play and she will show a greater understanding and feeling for the topic when she gets to try the real thing.

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