My little ones love to help me in the kitchen and gobble up whatever we make, as I’ve talked about before here, here and here. This year I’ve put together a holiday gift guide for the kid foodie in your life. From practical (like Cutelery’s pint-sized flatware) to just plain hilarious (like Uncommon Goods’ full-scale taco truck playhouse), there’s something for every age!
1. Cutelery Transition Set ($20): This kid-friendly cutlery set is so very grown-up. Made of stainless steel and sized perfectly for little hands, your food-driven kiddo will gobble up Christmas dinner with ease.
2. Personalized Kid’s Apron ($19) and Chef’s Hat ($18): Deck your kid foodie out in this apron and chef’s hat — not only is it practical for keeping clothes clean, but kids will love the personalized touch.
3. The Cookbook for Kids by Williams-Sonoma ($14): Friends of ours gifted us this handy cookbook with easy-to-follow instructions a few years back, and it’s become indispensable in our kitchen. We love the biscuit-wrapped hot dogs and way-too-adorable pinwheel cookie lollipops. Our copy is littered with tabs on recipes the kids and I looking forward to making together.
4. L’il Placemat ($15): If you’re foodie is in the gobble monster phase where more food ends up everywhere but in their tummies, try this silicone placemat for slightly cleaner mealtimes. The mat is dishwasher safe and packs easily into a diaper bag for meals on the go.
5. Herbie Kids’ Garden ($60): Love for food doesn’t just start in the kitchen; our kids also love growing herbs on our balcony. This easy setup makes gardening a breeze.
6. Kinder Kitchen Essential Set ($26): Meimei, age 4, still uses these Curious Chef nylon knives ($9) whenever she’s helping me in the kitchen, and they’re surprisingly good at slicing softer foods, like strawberries or even lettuce. For the next step up, Ge Ge (age 7) is now using this handy set, which gives him a wider ability to cut, chop and dice a range of veggies and fruits.
7. Sriracha Sippy Cup ($7): Okay, I fully admit that this sippy cup is way more for the parents than for a (nonexistent) chili-lovin’ baby, but it’s just too fun not to get for spicy new parents.
8. Gourmet Writer Food Pens ($20): For mess-free holiday cookie decorating, try these food writing pens on plain sugar cookies. I bought these a few years ago on a lark, and the kids spent hours “drawing” on their cookie ornaments. They’re now part of my restock every year for our Christmas baking.
9. Mini Cookie Cutters/Vegetable Cutters ($9): Perfect as a stocking stuffer, these little cutters are adorable and useful. These come out whenever I’m baking pies or quiches because my kids love playing with leftover dough, but there’s rarely enough to make full-sized cutters work. With these mini-cutters, making little pastry “cookies” is easy as pie; just glaze with a little beaten egg and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven on a cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes.
10. Chefocity Kids’ Kitchen Utensil Set ($13): I’ve noticed when my kids are stirring or whisking in the kitchen that the utensils they are using were comically large compared to their little selves, so I’m planning on stuffing their stockings with a few of these gadgets to make for some seriously fun prep time.
11. Melissa and Doug Roll, Wrap and Slice Sushi Counter ($40): Take your kid foodies’ sushi obsession one step further with this full-service sushi bar! The menu lets them set up their own little izakaya, and the wooden pieces are large and sturdy for little hands. (PS — this is totally one of those gifts that makes me wish I was a kid again.)
12. Uncommon Goods Taco Truck Playhouse ($70): I bought this hilarious taco truck playhouse for my nephews (one and three years old) last Christmas, and They. Were. Obsessed. So obsessed, in fact, that they Fred Flinstone-d this contraption all over the wood floors of my sister’s house (i.e., they scooted it even though it doesn’t have actual wheels). My sister’s floors may hate me, but I love that they love it.
13. Foodstirs Baking 3-Month Subscription ($79): I haven’t tried this kid-friendly, all-natural baking subscription club spearheaded by Sarah Michelle Gellar, but I can’t imagine a little baker not loving a box full of baking goodness arriving on his or her doorstep every month. As an added bonus, the boxes are seasonally appropriate, so if you sign up before Christmas, the first box on tap is a way-too-precious gingerbread man project.
