I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I'm either cooking a meal or cleaning up after a meal, it seems. I'm also a grazer so I'm constantly looping through the kitchen to grab a handful of nuts or another splash of coffee. And Severen eats three meals a day and about as many snacks. So it is a parade of activity from 6 AM to 11 PM!
Thankfully there is lots for Severen to do in the kitchen while I work. I've set it up so that almost every cabinet and drawer is accessible to him. As long as he is safe, I let him explore and experiment. He takes all the cans out of the pantry, plays with the cutting boards, unrolls the kitchen twine, pulls on the salad spinner, pulls the dishtowels off the oven handle, etc. As I've watched him roam and play I've come to see that many of his favorite "toys" are actually kitchen tools. And it makes sense! They have moving parts, they have handles, hell they do things! Real life grown up things! From now on, I'm going to do my baby shower shopping in the kitchen tool aisle.
Severen's kitchen faves:
Flour sifter
French Press Top
Measuring spoons
Salad Spinner
Old juice bottle with lid
Paper towel rolls
Spatulas
Popsicle molds
Rolling pin
Anything that looks cool and moves (tea strainers, for example)
Things he reaaaalllly wants to play with but I stop him:
The cheese grater (oh MAN does he ever want to get his hands on that!)
Forks
The immersion blender
The freezer
Large pantry items (but cans of tuna are OK)
The garbage can, AKA the Holy Grail of kitchen items
What I do when I want to score some big points:
Take the lower rack out of the dishwasher, load it up with fun stuff and let him push it around the house. Good times.
Turn on the oven light. WHOAH BOY!
Help him cut up a banana on a tiny cutting board with a wooden knife
Get out a giant bowl, fill it with water and make a big ritual out of washing some vegetables
Get out the broom and chase him around with it
Give him a couple of crackers and some raisins
7 comments:
The kitchen is awesome for babies. Just don't give him the wooden spoon and some pots to play. Headaches abound!
I was hoping to get a gift suggestion here for my friend who had a baby recently! Maybe I should send her a flour sifter? Ha! I *love* that pic of Severen--he looks like he is having a total blast.
ooooo...maybe this is all foreshadowing to a culinary future too!
If only I could bring Rowan over to play.
What a good mama you are. Hey, at this rate, maybe in a few months he'll be making you some French-press coffee! Yessss xoxoxoxox
Sounds like maybe you have a little future chef on your hands!
Oh I hadn't thought of taking the lower rack out of the dish washer!
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