With the right tips and support, baking with little ones can become a beautiful memory for young and old alike. Today I’m sharing my favorite tips for baking with kids – relaxed and stress-free.
Do you enjoy baking with your children? Or do you already start sweating when you remember last year’s Christmas cookie baking session?
Let’s be real: baking with kids is—just like life with kids—usually loud, colorful, and sometimes chaotic. And that’s perfectly fine! There are so many reasons why you should bake with your children, even if the thought makes you nervous at firstAt the same time, there are some tricks that make baking with kids a positive, fun experience—without the stress. 😉
Over the past few years, I’ve tested many baking tips to make baking with my kids as enjoyable as possible for everyone. And today, I want to share these tips with you!
Simple Tips for Baking with Kids
When baking with children, it’s not just about the baking process itself, but also about the surrounding circumstances. Since these have such a big impact—on both your kids and yourself—I’ll start with them first.
Are the external conditions right?
Before you hand your Minis the whisk, check if the conditions are right for a baking session.
By “external conditions” I mean:
Do you have time to bake?
Of course, you’ve set aside time to bake. But time isn’t always the same kind of time. Baking with kids takes longer: something spills next to the mixing bowl, or each sprinkle needs the perfect spot when decorating.
No problem at all—if you have time! But if you’re under time pressure, it’s probably not the best day for baking with kids. Better to wait until you can truly enjoy the process together.
Do you feel like baking?
Maybe you are craving cake and have already bought all the ingredients, but your child isn’t in the mood— even if they begged for it yesterday.
Ask your child if they want to bake. If the answer is “No,” just wait. Or start without them—sometimes, once they see you pulling out ingredients, they’ll quickly join in.
Take it easy!
This may sound simple, but it’s one of the most important points when baking with kids: „Take it easy!“ or in German „Nimm‘ es gelassen!“ bringt es genau auf dem Punkt!
Many parents get frustrated when baking turns messy: flour on the freshly cleaned floor, too many sprinkles in the “wrong” place, more ingredients ending up in the child’s mouth than in the bowl, sticky hands everywhere…
All of that can (and will!) happen. And that’s totally okay! Because baking with kids is about fun, experiments, taste-testing, learning, mistakes—but not about perfection!
So bake with your kids when you feel relaxed. That way, you’ll be able to stay calm even when things get messy. And to make things easier, here are my best practical tips.
Baking tips for baking with kids
Once you know the external conditions are right, here are some simple tricks that have made many of our baking sessions much smoother.
Keep it simple
Remember, your kids are just learning to bake—just like they once learned to walk. You didn’t just say “Walk!” and expect them to go. It’s the same here: start simple. Choose easy recipes with just a few steps so you can enjoy quick success together—a cake, cookies, or muffins. Simple sponge cakes (like our chocolate-nut loaf or or favorite vanilla bundt cake) or cookies ( like our chocolate chip cookies are perfect).
If you choose cut-out cookies, check out my separate tips for baking cookies with kids. .
Mise en place – preparation is everything
Especially if your children are still toddlers, prepare the ingredients and tools beforehand. That way, you can calmly weigh and set everything up before your little helper arrives.
As your kids get older, involve them more in prep—like finding the tools or measuring out ingredients.
Plan for helpful tools
Sometimes, you need a little extra help—not just from your Minis, but from clever tools. For example, we quickly invested in a einen Lernstuhl learning tower. It let the kids stand safely at counter height without me having to hold them the whole time. Now that they’re bigger, each one has their ownstep stool.
Other handy helpers are always welcome. For example, we didn't always use the mixer, as my little one couldn't hold it on her own, but instead mixed with a spoon. Or, for banana bread, we used a blunt knife instead of a sharp knife to cut the bananas into smaller pieces. Another tool is an empty plastic bottle for separating the egg whites from the yolks.
If you're looking for tools, you'll find them everywhere—even in your kitchen!
Bake in stages or schedule breaks
Kids have shorter attention spans, so plan accordingly. Breaks help!Use baking time for a short pause—read a book together while the cake is in the oven. Or split recipes into steps : for example, make the dough one day, and cut out the cookies the next.
Avoid distractions
To help your child focus, keep toys, coloring books, and non-baking items off the counter. Use the workspace just for baking.
The best part about baking with kids is decorating—especially at Christmas time! I hope my tips for baking with children help you feel inspired and relaxed during your next session. For more ideas, follow along on my Instagram and Pinterest accounts. And if you have your own tips that make baking with your Minis easier, I’d love for you to share them in the comments!
My Minis & I wish you a wonderful, fun time baking together!
Yours, Lia
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