It's Easier When He's Involved

(I flubbed on the posting time of yesterday's post. So if you didn't catch it yesterday it's up!)

Dinnertime is challenging in our house. On daycare days I pick the Bear up at 5:15 PM and get home around 5:30 PM. The easiest thing to do is reheat something just for him to eat for dinner and then Mike and I will have dinner later (around 8 usually). However, I love to be able to eat my dinner with the Bear. I think he appreciates it too. It makes him feel like one of us. It is challenging though. Mike usually comes home around 7:15 on average so I fly solo tending to the very active Bear and cooking dinner. One evening instead of trying wrangle the Bear and whip up dinner I thought, "What if I let him help?" That also sounded like a craaaaazy idea but I gave it a try and OH MY GOODNESS! It was easier! It was awesome! We made roasted brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes and bacon.

 I sat him in his booster seat and gave him a little bowl while I peeled the sweet potatoes. He put the potato skins into the  little bowl (and then dumped them out and then put them back in again.) When I started to chop the sweet potatoes I would push them to him and he would put them in the big bowl. Then I washed the brussel sprouts and put them in a bowl. He took them out and put them in his little bowl which is where I grabbed them from and chopped them in half. Once everything was chopped up and in one big bowl I drizzled olive oil and let him mix it up with his hands although he preferred to stir it up with a spatula.

 

He also tried eating everything raw. When it was time to put them on a cookie sheet I let him help me transfer the veggies from the bowl to the sheet. When we were done I took him out of his chair so he could watch me put them in the preheated oven. Here he is pointing at them in the oven:

It was so much easier letting him be involved rather than trying to keep him away. Plus he got to be a part of the prepping which he loves so much.

Action:

the cook from erin kawamata on Vimeo.