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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Valentine's Cookies and Getting a Toddler to "help" in the Kitchen

Valentine's Day cookies


This is really less a post about how to make a sugar cookie, cut it our with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, and frost it, and more about how I get all my kids in on the kitchen action. I like to find age appropriate kitchen jobs for each kid.


kids helping in the kitchen thanks to a learning tower

So, the "big" ones (3 and 5) usually just sit on the counters. The baby, now 15 months old, is SO not to be trusted to stay on a counter without falling off, so she gets a special spot. A Learning Tower.



kids helping in the kitchen thanks to a learning tower


The Little Partners Learning Tower comes in a variety of colors now (mine is 4 years old and still going strong) so you can get it in red, or green, or something to match your kitchen. It's a total space-eating monster, and those little feet at the bottom that stick out to prevent it from tipping always catch my toes, but I could not do anything in the kitchen without it. All those rails on the sides keep toddlers inside, and bring them up to the right height for helping. Standing on a stool just doesn't cut it if you are under 3 in my experience.


heart sandwich cookies


Cookie "decorating" with messy sprinkles?  In a learning tower. 


how to make cookies without getting sprinkles everywhere



Making breakfast? Baby in the learning tower.

Need to empty the dishwasher without any "help"? Pop em in the tower.

Crying all day over spilled milk? Off with their heads. 

OK, not that, just got carried away with all the tower imagery. Maybe I should stop reading all those romance novels:)


heart sandwich cookie with pink sprinkle center



Jessica

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7 comments:

  1. These photos - with your older daughter on the counter? - while all your text is about the learning tower? Well, it totally made my morning. I'll go to school drop off giggling just a bit, with a smile on my face! ;-) (And just to be clear - my older kids sit on the counter all the time, too)

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  2. So precious Jessica. I love that tower. Daven hates sitting on the counter. I believe he will be affraid of heights. So, that tower would come in handy when we bake.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  3. I have never seen a learning tower before, that is pretty handy.

    Mine just turned 3 and has done well sitting on a bar stool at the counter while we cook, but that would have been great when he was younger.

    It looks like you made some great memories with your kiddos, and that is what it's all about.

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  4. I have so much fun working in the kitchen with my kiddos. Mila mostly just hangs out taking up floor space, but Weston's getting more helpful all the time, and he LOVES it!

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  5. So cute! My daughter loves to help in the kitchen and my son loves to sit on counters {not so much with the helping yet}.
    The cookies turned out really cute. I love that they aren't perfect but really look like the kids helped.

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  6. Super sweet post! Love your little helpers! XO, Aimee

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  7. These look delish! :) You should enter your photos from this project into Craftbaby's Hearts Craft Challenge :-) http://www.craftbaby.com/contests/43/those-tiny-toes-hearts-craft

    xo,
    Candie

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I love hearing what you have to say! Sometimes I'm busy chasing after the three kids who can walk, or feeding the baby, but I promise, at some point I'll get back to you and head over to your blog (if you have one) to leave you a comment too:)