My eldest son Liam is now one and a half and is obsessed with cooking. He stirs pots with wooden spoons, whisks and sieves like nobodies business. He makes soups from wooden bricks and I regularly find stuffed toys in the oven. Thankfully he knows when it’s hot and won’t touch it then but his enthusiasm has resulted in a few kitchen mishaps.
The biggest fear I had really was that he would fall off a chair. He kept dragging chairs over to stand on so that he could see what was being chopped or grated. I couldn’t leave him sit on my hip as it’s not always practical and dangerous with my chef knives! Then I spotted the Little Helper fun pod in a nursery shop in Cork. It’s the answer to my kitchen elf problem! They had none in stock so I ordered one on Amazon and it was much much cheaper too. Woohoo! The platform he stands on is adjustable so it can be lowered as he grows. He loves being able to see everything and it’s brilliant being able to stand him at the sink and leave him wash all the cups etc. without having to stand next to him for fear of falling.
I really want him to be confident in the kitchen and I do think that it’s a great place for kids to learn. He’s snacks away as I’m getting dinner and sorts out all the vegetable peelings into different piles. I don’t want to be one of those mothers that boasts about her son adooooooooring quinoa or not being able to live without pomegranates but really he does eat whatever we’re eating and long may it last!
Lilly x
Lilly Higgins: Food blogger, cookbook author and food photographer with a love for all things edible. Columnist with The Irish Times.
