Cooking with toddler

[ETsmum]

Out of interest, have many of you have cooked stuff with your child/children? My ds is nearly 20 months and a couple of parents have been saying "oh, we cooked fairy cakes etc today....." Feeling a bit of a bad mum at the mo as can't remember ever doing this with ds....just the thought of it makes me feel stressed!! He is a great little boy, but very active and don't see how I could get him to stay still long enough! Think I'm just having a parenting confidence crisis, but interested in your opinions. I guess in my defence we do quite a lot of out doors things...

[vkr]

Hi we do a lot of cooking at the moment - but that has only really started recently. ds is 2.8 and now has the patience for making cakes and pizzas and biscuits - so long as everything moves quickly - ie from one task to the next. do try it with your ds, but try again in a month if if doesn't seem to work

[ETsmum]

Thanks Vkr. As you said, I think if I got organised....say got everything measured out so we just had the mixing to do. Will give it a go, but set aside lots of time and not get my hopes up that they'll taste good!

[Bozza]

I agree with that advice. You could also try making choc crispie buns (melt choc in microwave) which are really fairly instant results. DS is now 4 and knows basically how you make a cake, ie marg then sugar (look for the number 4 on the scales), mix together, then eggs, and finally flour through the seive. He also "helps" with pastry..... I remember someone suggesting on mumsnet that you buy ready made pastry, roll it out and make jam tarts. I've never done that myself but it might work well at your DS's age.

[ETsmum]

Ready made pastry - what a great idea And I really fancy some jam tarts!! Yum Mumsnet is so useful for ideas.....I'm sure my brain isn't what it was since having ds!

[Hayls]

I make fairy cakes with my 14 mo and although I'm not sure she understands what we're doing she seems to emjoy it. She just sits beside me, occasionally throwing the spoon into the bowl and other helpful things but the best bit is when they're ready- I put a tiny bit of icing on top then give her a tub of hundrands and thousands and choc sprinkles and leave her to it. Ok, it makes a mes but she loves it

( I know it's not exactly healthy but I use hardlya ny sugar, adding raisins and cinnamon istead. Makes me feel better anyway when she scoffs them)

[MrsWood]

My daughter is 20 months old and although we never tried it at home, in her nursery I have seen them make lots of different cakes - just simple things really. They get them involved in messy bits, then clean them up and let them do whatever else, then when the cakes (that need to be baked) are finished, they get the kids to decorate them. For easter they have made choc crispies cakes with little decorative eggs on top, and then they each took 3 home to have with their families. It was best for Xmas as they got them to make loads of different cup cakes etc. for Xmas party. I'm thinking we will probably try it for her 2nd Birthday in July

[clary]

20mths is youngish tbh. That said my ds2 loves helping, runs and gets an apron, a chair to stand on etc (he's nearly 2) but then he has got older siblings to imitate.
we do cakes (lots of fun pouring out ingredients, stirring etc) adn biscuits (cutting out, that's more for myolder ones) but I also like to get them to help me make proper dinner eg the other day DS1 (5) and dd (3) helped me make fish pie (flaked the fish, shelled the hard boiled eggs etc) which was really good.
Why not try some simple cake making and see if he likes it? If not, you know, there's no rule that says you have to do anything you and yr child don't enjoy!