Toddler snack helper: wash, tear, stir, pour
Toddlers want to do what you do in the kitchen. Twenty minutes, a step stool and a few small real jobs, and they've made their own snack.
- Time
- 20 min
- Cost
- About $5
- Ages
- 2 to 4
- Where
- Kitchen counter
What you need
- Soft snack food: bananas, berries, plain yogurt, soft bread or tortillas, an avocado
- A colander
- A small bowl, a sturdy spoon and a fork
- A small pitcher or a measuring cup with a spout
- A sturdy step stool
- A dish towel for spills
Choking and kitchen safety: read this first
- Under 4, skip or chop the risky foods. AAP lists whole grapes, nuts, popcorn, hot dogs, raw carrot sticks and apple chunks. Cut food to half an inch or smaller.
- Berries and grapes get cut small. CDC lists uncut grapes, berries and cherry tomatoes as choking hazards. You cut them; they don't go in whole.
- Sit down to eat. AAP says kids should sit while eating, never walk, run or lie down with food in their mouth.
- No sharp knives, and you stay in arm's reach. AAP says always supervise children when cooking and keep sharp tools apart from safe utensils.
Steps
- Wash hands and climb up. Wash hands together at the sink, counting slowly to 20.
- Rinse the fruit. Rub fruit gently under plain running water, pat it dry, then you cut it small.
- Tear and break. Tear soft bread or tortillas; break a banana, then you cut it small.
- Mash and stir. Mash a banana or avocado with a fork, or stir cut fruit into yogurt.
- Pour a little. Pour a little water or milk from a small pitcher while you hold the cup.
- Carry it to the table and sit. Carry the snack to the table, sit down to eat, and say, "You made this."
If it stalls
- If they want to do every job, give one job per day: Monday they pour, Tuesday they stir.
- If they keep sneaking bites at the counter, give them a small taste plate waiting at the table.
Jobs done: rinse · tear · stir · pour
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date