Do you really need a tiny set of All-Clad pans and silicone froggie oven mitts to inspire your little baby chef? Naw... but you do need to use common sense. Kids love to cook and want to get their paws into everything you're doing, so it's important to set some parameters before you start your own Iron Chef Toddler competitions.

Prep Ahead of Time

• Give your kid something fascinating to do while you go to town on your mise en place - chop everything you need and place it in little bowls


• Pull out all your ingredients


• Read and reread your recipe with kid eyes - what will be fun to do together? High-maintenance? Do the high maintenance items yourself, perhaps even ahead of time.

Have Black and White Kitchen Rules
Whatever works for you is fine; I know some chef parents have their kids slicing and dicing by three, but for us the rules for our five-year-old are:

• Knives are for adults (you can put your hand on mine)


• Stoves are for adults (when I'm opening the oven door, you're in the kitchen doorway watching; when I am stirring and I say ok, you can put your hand on mine)


• Electric mixers, blenders, and food processors are 100% operable by kids and parents need to show proper deference

Messes Are Part of the Fun

• Things that might screw up my recipe but won't hurt any humans are fair game (eggshells, spilled milk, whatever!)

Allow Your Kid to Make Choices

• Adding something to the pancakes? Let your kid pick whether it's frozen blueberries, sliced bananas, or fresh raspberries


• Deciding what to make? Enlist Junior's help to figure out what's for dinner (guide with menus of possibility based on refrigerator contents)


• Let your kid decide what ingredients need tasting, except any batter with raw eggs (salmonella's no fun)

Don't Break the Bank On Kiddie-Focusted Kitchen Gadgetry

• If something will do double duty in the play kitchen, knock yourself out, but really it's no more work to make a whole pie than a 3" one, and there are a LOT less leftovers


• You don't need specially-designed products that fence your child in to be safe - we used a wooden chair with arms flipped backwards and then a basic step stool from the hardware store with our kids

Finally, one last random tip: onion goggles rock. Have fun! And don't forget to make some edible play dough!

What do you do to keep curious helpers safe in the kitchen?