10 Ways to Get Your Baby Involved in the Kitchen

10 Ways to Get Your Baby Involved 

in the Kitchen

1. Familiarize your baby with the kitchen. Bring the high chair in (ours is in the dining room, unless we're "cooking").
2.  Consider the five senses whenever possible.
3. Give your baby utensils to hold (only safe ones of course)!  Let her hold a spatula, chew on a plastic ladel, etc.
4. Respect the mess. Food can be messy if you allow it. Embrace it. Have fun!
5. Talk about what she's experiencing. "Wow, that feels slimey! That strawberry is sweet! Blueberries are BLUE!"  
6. Whenever possible, prep her food right in front on her.  Teach her "hands up" when you are slicing bananas with a butter knife. If you need a more sharp knife or just cannot trust your child with their hands, do it on the counter next to them.
7. From a safe distance, let your baby peer into the pots on the stove, or the dish in the oven.  Tell her what she's seeing.
8. Let her have taste-tests.  If you're cooking pasta, allow her to check out a hard uncooked noodle.  
9. Familiarize her with kitchen items. Let her bang on pots and pans with a spatula.  Let her hold a kiwi or tomato.  Point out the beeping noise from the mircowave. Let her run her hands under the running water.  
10. Play with food. Paint with it, make necklaces, make music, the sky is your limit.

*Always consider safety first and HAVE FUN!