Baking with little ones can be intimidating, terrifying and down-right messy. But I'm here today to tell you that it doesn't have to be that way!
Here are a few tricks I use when I bake with my daughter. She started baking with me when she was 6 months old. If I can do it, so can you!
- Keep sharp objects away from little hands. Seems simple, but seriously, do not forget. Instead, give them things they can play with: measuring cups and spoons, bowls, spatulas, etc. They are going to want to touch everything so let them, encourage them! Just make sure it's in a safe manner.
- Fill a few bowls with water (salt or sugar, but use your discretion) and give them a spoon or whisk. Encourage them to stir. Let them know they are helping you SO much by doing this task. They will love the praise and you will love their little fingers out of your way.
- Have a few sprinkle jars on hand? Make sure they are unopened or extremely hard to open. Then, let those babies shake them!
- Snacks. Prep yourself to have a few things on hand so that they won't go taking bites out of the butter stick (I know from experience).
I'd also like to note that at 6 months, I would place my daughter in a little Bumbo seat safely on our counter so that she could see what I was doing. As she got bigger, I let her sit next to me. When she reached around 1 year we bought a helper stand and she loves it! I went ahead and linked our stand for you in my "Kitchen Shop" tab.
I'll leave you on this note... enjoy the mess. Actually, embrace it. Baking with kids is not a clean activity. Make the mess now, clean the mess later.
