I don't like cooking with DS

[niccig]

I know it's supposed to be one of the fun bonding activities to bake muffins and cookies with your DC, but I don't enjoy it at all. It's not the mess, I made more mess this morning spilling the milk. It's not that DS doesn't listen - he does what I've asked, was very good at adding the dry ingredients etc. It's all the stuff he does when I've got my back turned to get something else - it's the dry ingredients put into the baking cups before mixed in, it's grabbing the spices and putting more in then needed, it's the stuff that can mean the cookies and muffins taste awful.

I suppose I need more patience and we need to do it more often, and I need to not worry if 12 Dragonberry Cupcakes have way too much salt in them.

I hope that as he gets older, it gets easier and it does become fun.

[Puddy73]

You are not alone, although I seem to have selective amnesia when it comes to this. At least once a week I forget that I'm a total control freak in the kitchen and decide that it will be "fun" to cook with DC. It usually ends with the kitchen trashed and me sending them into the play room to watch a video while I finish up. The easiest things that I've found to do together are soft pretzels (Alton Brown's recipe) and granola. They like to play with the pretzel dough and it is pretty forgiving even when handled over and over by little hands. I figure that the heat of the oven kills the germs on the ones that hit the floor. Granola is easy because it is really just assembly and the amounts don't need to be exact.

[janeybwild]

You are not alone. I often end up super stressed. If it is an important recipe (i.e. someone else is counting on it) I do it myself. Picking the right recipe to make is a key for me, also either pre-measuring out the ingredients or having DC measure the ingredients or crack the eggs into a separate bowl before adding them to any mix. I have to remind myself that its more about the activity than the end product. It is getting better with my almost 5 yo, but it still requires oodles of patience. I don’t do it often, and only when I am feeling calm and rush-free to begin with! I also try to plan something for them to eat when its done immediately. They are not good at waiting until something is cooked and cooled. They always want to eat whatever they have mixed which they often can’t do (raw eggs etc.), so I’ll keep back some ingredients that are OK to munch on right away :)

[Twoboos]

This thread made me feel so much better!! I just said to someone yesterday I feel like such a bad mom for not cooking w/the girls.

I usually don't cook/bake with the DDs. When I bake now it's because baking doesn't talk back, question what I'm doing, refuse to do it, or throw a tantrum.

Sometimes they help with Saturday morning pancakes, but that usually dissolves into screaming ("I want to do it! It's my turn!") so it's not worth my already limited patience.

[o_mom]

What I have found is that I need to do all the prep before DS even knows we are cooking. If you can, measure out everything first, including spices, etc. and put away the containers so there is no extra stuff for him to get into. Assemble it all on a tray and make sure you are working somewhere that he can reach well. Recipe selection is also key. We love the Pretend Soup and Salad People books.

[Marisa6826]

I'm not a fan of it, either. As o_mom suggested, I kind of 'prep' everything first, and then let the girls dump stuff in as needed. That way the 'think' they helped and they're happy as clams.

I've also found that stuff like the Pillsbury choc. chip cookie dough that is already in lumps and on the paper is just MAGICAL if you're 5 (or 43 and you're my DH). You just pull them off the paper and plop them onto the cookie sheet. I then leave the oven light on and let them watch the cookies bake. Seriously, it's the most exciting 12minutes of their day.

-m

[niccig]

Phew. I'm glad I'm not the only one. A lot of mums I know always seem to be baking with their DC's. I try to avoid it, and of course I feel bad about that.

I like the idea of prepping beforehand. I know the measuring helps with math skills, but that can wait, he's only 3. I do think part of the problem is space - I don't have a huge kitchen, and DS always wants to move his chair around, and then the dog is underfoot too. I'll try some easy bake ideas, so we're cooking together, but it's not too much to do.

[KrisM]

What I have found is that I need to do all the prep before DS even knows we are cooking. If you can, measure out everything first, including spices, etc. and put away the containers so there is no extra stuff for him to get into. Assemble it all on a tray and make sure you are working somewhere that he can reach well. Recipe selection is also key. We love the Pretend Soup and Salad People books.

I do this, too. I have little bowls that I measure things into and have them ready. I do leave the containers out though and show him what they are as I give him the pre-measured ones to dump in.

[KrisM]

In addition to pre-measuring things, I usually sit at the kitchen table with him. There is more room there than trying to stand on a chair at the counter.

But, it is still not always fun. I always seem to have the pizza dough rolled out perfectly, turn to get the pan, and then discover finger holes in it :(.

[maestramommy]

I tried having Dora cut and decorate cookies with me for Christmas because I thought it would be fun.

:hysterical:

Maybe it wasn't that bad, but it was predictable. She didn't want to cut the cookies, which was fine because the cutter didn't work well, and she preferred playing with the colored "dots" over actually putting them on the cookies. I don't think she understood what the point was. Even when I baked them and gave her a couple. She enjoyed them, but later in the afternoon when I tried again, same story.

Maybe next year. In the meantime she loves helping Dh make pancakese in the morning, and that seems to be going well.

[Tondi G]

I'm with you guys! Only now at almost 7 is my older DS getting more fun to do things with in the kitchen... ie he helped make rice crispy treats... he stirred while I poured in the cereal. He nibbled the stuff off the spatula while I pressed it into the pyrex to cool.

My sister seemed to have forgotten what a mess it is to let kids decorate things cause she bought two gingerbread house kits at Christmas time and invited my boys over. Now my older DS sat and carefully decorated his house... fine no problem. My 2 year old managed to get sprinkles and candy and icing ALL OVER her dining room. I sware she found little candies everywhere for at least a couple of weeks!

I think we have these ideas/visions of how fun things should be but we are really thinking about how it should be with older kiddos not preschoolers and kindergarteners!

~Tondi
Mommy to Mason 7/01 and Aidan 5/05

[pb&j]

In addition to doing all the prep ahead of time, it's also helpful to give DS a little bowl and some ingredients of his own. That way he can dump and stir to his heart's content and not mess up the real deal.