Making Sandwiches

Children often like to help out around the kitchen, whether it’s “helping” mom wash dishes (which usually turns into washing the floor), or baking, kids want to help out and partake in adult chores. One way to utilize their interest in the kitchen is letting them make their own lunch, with adult supervision. Making sandwiches is an easy route to go when it comes to a lunch menu for kids. Whether it’s a PB&J or ham and cheese sandwich, children can get involved. By starting with washing their hands with warm water and soap, a child can really feel a great sense of responsibility from this experience.

BE CAREFUL, however, when a child is assisting with the peanut butter portion of the PB&J. Besides knowing if they have nut allergies, it is important that you do not allow them to lick the utensil they use for the peanut butter, as it is very easy for them to chock on the peanut butter due to its thick consistency. A mother of a child I watch almost lost her daughter to this because she allowed her to eat the peanut butter by the spoonfuls while making her a sandwich. The mother quickly discovered that the Heimlich maneuver is not very efficient when a child is chocking on peanut butter, and she had to physically scoop out the peanut butter from her daughter’s throat.