How old were your kids when they could help "cook" a little?

[Anonymous]

18 mo is fine. Stick them in a high chair, give them some ingredients in a bowl to mix and play with. Followed by bath time

From early on I would give a bowl and spoon and even just one ingredient to play with or a little (eggless) batter or dough.

[Anonymous]

Has been sitting on the counter watching me cook since about 18mo-2. Now 2.5 and he's really into it. I will measure out ingredients and let him dump them into the bowl. He gets to help stir, etc. A lot of times he is content to just sit and watch (and ask 30000 questions).

[Anonymous]

2 for helping with making brownies, She is now almost 21/2 and very occasionally help me with sprinkling cheese on pizza or something very easy.
She enjoys it but I am a nervous wreck if I have the oven/stovetop on.

[Anonymous]

At 12 months I had my twins mixing things and pouring.
I put mostly all the ingredients on stools their height.
Now at 2 they cook all meals with me and DH.
They love making scrambled eggs, guacamole, grilled salmon and baking anything (today was blueberry and banana cupcakes).

Sometimes they just like to "taste test" things as they are being cut up which is fine. But I saw an interest in them at an early age and went with it.

[Anonymous]

You guys are nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys are nuts.

Why? DC has been helping me since about 18 mo and now at 4 is pretty good at measuring, pouring, etc. I grew up with a mom who cooked and baked, so to me this is completely normal. It's good bonding time for us because I enjoy doing it and he likes helping and tasting when he can.

[Anonymous]

At 4. Prior to that, she lacked interest in doing anything for more than 1-2 minutes in the kitchen so I don't count it.

[Anonymous]

18 months, but it was really by necessity. My spouse travels a lot for work, and so I had to find some way to occupy my kid when I was in the kitchen.

He washed a lot of veggies.

[Anonymous]

2, if by cooking you mean grating cheese, and if by grating cheese you mean gnawing on the block of cheese with the cheese grater sitting in front of you.