Decorating With A Two Year Old ... Sigh
Decorating By bcbaker Updated 15 Apr 2007 , 7:56pm by Binkytwins
i don't have any advice about keeping kids out of the kitchen. i too have this problem. i have a 3 1/2 year old little girl that loves to taste my projects. the only problem is, it's never her that does it, she has an imaginary friend named "Ghostie" that always sticks his fingers into the sides or top of my cakes. i have resorted to putting up an imaginary gate for her imaginary friend to keep him out of the kitchen. so far this is working, but i'm sure one day he will figure out how to climb over it. LOL
A good way to keep kids out of your refrigerator is to get a refrigerator lock. They are in the baby proofing section at pretty much any store. Originally I bought one to keep my friend's kids out of my fridge when they would come over. Their parents didn't care that they were going through my kitchen cabinets and my fridge. Even my own kids know better then to do that. It's pretty bad when I have to baby proof my kitchen for other people's kids. I also have a baby gate blocking the kitchen when I'm baking. That way they don't run around a hot stove and I can get things done.
My kids are 11, 10, 9, and 5 
I don't really have any problems with them messing up the cakes..they are just very impatient about waiting for the leftover icing or any "mess-ups" I may have I have decorated cakes during the day and I babysit 4 kids (3yrs, 2yrs, 7mos, 4mos) that proves to be a bit difficult! I just put a movie in or find something to keep the older ones occupied and make sure the babies are asleep
A few months ago when I started getting busy (and learning as I go about how to make mmf), I had my hands full of mmf ( I don't use the mixer, I make it by hand) when my dd, age 3, started calling me from the bathroom "mommy I'm done!" I said "you wipe", she said "I can't", and so on, and so on, I ended up having to wash my hands, go in and wipe her (she knows how to do it herself, just when she feels like it).
My 3 year old used to make me wipe her. I got so tired of this I told her once she turned 4 I wasn't going to wipe her anymore so she'd better learn to do it herself. It worked. Her birthday is in March and I haven't wiped her bum in several months. Now on to potty training my 18 month old.
As for kids in the kitchen...I usually bake during the day. My kids will help (I always make them wash their hands first). This helps them and they love to help Mommy cook. I try to decorated after they go to sleep. My oldest goes to bed at 8 pm so it isn't too bad. If I can't do the decorating while they sleep I usually find an activity to keep them busy. Like having them decorate their own cake, graham cracker, paper plate...ect. or they play with extra fondant. It helps.
Sounds like me! I decorate at night and use the refrigerator in my garage for cakes 2 year olds can be very sneaky and good at it not everyone can have 2 refrigerators though 
I decorate with my kids around, they're 4 & 8 now but have always been good about it. If I'm making a cake for someone else they aren't allowed to touch but can watch and they love to watch. If it's for home they sometimes can help a little bit, when we were decorating my 4 year olds cake this year he helped put his cars and stuff on and was thrilled. If they don't want to watch they can play in the living room where I'm close enough that they can talk to me.
I have a 2 almost 3 year old so I feel the pain. She gets into my cakes all the time. She also tries to help me scrapbook. She always wants to do what I am doing. Guess I should take it as a compliment. Good luck in the future.
I guess maybe I'm strict, but I expect my kids to behave and follow the rules. Even young kids learn what's right and wrong. When they're that little it should be easy to keep them away from cakes. Over 2 and I expect them to obey me. LOL - do I sound harsh? My kids are 8, 7, 5 and 3 and I haven't had any cake incidents to date. I do most of my decorating when they're asleep simply for convenience and less interuption. All of my kids know that they cannot touch any of my cake stuff. I don't offer scraps of cake or icing just because I'm doing a cake. I tell them if they behave they can be rewarded with scraps when I'm completely done. Or I'll make time to do cupcakes or something like that just with them. So, I guess what I'm saying is that you need to set the rules now while your kids are young so they always know what to expect. It may take a bit of repetition with the young ones, but they will get it!
I'm one of those mom's that stays up late after the kids are in bed.... I mean really late 
Well I do have 2 kids (D almost 3 and S 11 months) . My DD is allergic to eggs 
so is frustrating because she can not even have left overs. She loves watching my cakes, but I do have a rule : do NOT touch any of my cake stuff 
(just because of her allergy). So far so good, no accidents.
Always cakes out of reach. you never know.
I started just last year, so I have to see how everything goes.
I would try playdough I don't have kids but I have tried decorating with them "helping" not so much fun but tell him to make their own cake with playdough he will like it what little kids don't like playdough haha hope I helped
I run the mixer with nothing in the bowl to keep them out.
I have an autistic son who's going to be 2 in the end of March. I've thought about doing this, but haven't.
lol.
and I have an infant who's now ''cruising'' so he holds onto the back of my pants while I work and I can't move or he'll fall on the hard floor. He had skull surgery a short time back, or I wouldn't worry as much about it. 
They drive me crazy!!!
It gets better! My kids were both a lot older once I started decorating, but they still love to bring their friends and form an "audience." I don't care for that, much. 
And with the boys, seems the OLDER they get, the more LIBERTIES they take. Especially the oldest. You'd think BC was one of the five food groups. He just grabs a serving spoon...and...digs in! (He's not a double-dipper, thank goodness!) But then thier FRIENDS see THEM doing it, and they all want a "taste."
What I do now is throw all of the extras from each cake job into a tupperware bowl labeled, "BOYS." That way--they can have as much as they like. Or else I'd be making an extra batch just for THEM! 
Y'all do put up with a lot, though. Hat's off to y'all.
-M-
I feel the pain of the ever so tired sahm/b's! I have 3 kiddo's...8,7, and 2. The baby is about to get the hang of it. I try to limit what I do during the week, so that I don't neglect him. But Friday's are tough on both of us. The other two have learned!!!! Though they do love the occasions that I have extra fondant and I let them make mermaids and pigs and swords and whatever else they're little creative minds come up with. The lil one likes to roll it flat and then eat it. He's recently started pointing to the pan of scraps and say, "Bite cake, Mama?" How can I resist? Thank God for Barney, Teletubbies, and Cars. The worse thing is the poor darlin' looses his room when there are cakes in the house. He STILL sleeps with us and the other two share a room so his room is the only one that is ever vacant, so I put them in there and lock it. Now let me state that the normally he spends very little time in there and prefers to be close by where he can see me. But put a cake in there and lock the door and you'd swear it was his favorite place to be. Take the cake out...well you know the rest....
I am a SAHM with a 1 1/2 year old daughter. I am pretty new to cake decorating, so I don't have any disaster stories - yet! I definitely can relate to troubles with trying to get things done in general, cake related or otherwise, with little ones. I am lucky to have a very helpful and considerate husband who will usually keep her occupied for at least one day over the weekend so I can do other things. I have usually done most of my cake decorating then, or after she goes to bed. It's just too hard when it's only the two of us at home. Even if she was happily playing by herself beforehand, as soon as I start some sort of project, she will need my immediate and complete attention! And if I try to spend to much time on a project while she is awake, I end up feeling guilty that I am neglecting her. She is also allergic to eggs, so we have some of the same problems as biviana. Very frustrating!
im watching my grandson during the day til 2pm. hes of course the worlds greatest grandchild...( i probably started something now by saying that..haha!) hes 17 months old. so when i have to do some decorating, he has his baking stuff he plays with. i try to keep him busy with that stuff. and my daughter has a play stove that im hopeing to get so when grandma bakes he can bake in his oven too. i figure i have to get him in some kind of routine knowing what he can do while im busy. the busy season is almost here.....best of luck to us all! 
I am a SAHM of 3 year old twin daughters. When I'm making a cake they always want to help. I give them a chunk of leftover fondant or play dough if I don't have fondant and a rolling pin and they sit at table and "decorate a cake" too. They have fun and it keeps them busy enough so I can get things done. Whatever I can't get done during the day I finish when my DH gets home from work and can take over with the kids. To date, we have had no accidents...knock on wood! It can be a challange sometimes, but we have to love them!
I'm a SAHM to 2 boys (age 2 and 3.5). They are very good about not touching anything on the counters, so I don't worry about that much. BUT, as soon as I start working, I get the ...... mommy, can I please have ___________ (fill in the blank). Or .... mommy, baby wants _________ (you get the idea). This becomes a constant string of requests by the older one asking for things for him and his younger brother.
I can't blame the little guys for wanting my attention, so I usually plan my decorating around their schedule (early morning, nap time, or bedtime). I've got them on a good sleep routine, so things are pretty predictable as far as planning for things goes. Occasionally, hubby will take them to the mall if I have something big to work on.
I had posted this before on another thread.....I always thought that once I was a SAHM I would get sooooooo much more done around the house. (I can hear everyone laughing now) 
I've got a 1, 3 and 5 year old. I gave up a long time ago trying to decorate while they're around. I do it when they're in bed, and if I absolutely HAVE to do something during the day, they either go to daycare or I put the gate up in the kitchen so they can't get in. Before I had a dedicated cake kitchen, I would put finished cakes in my bedroom and lock the door. I can't wait till they're older!
...I always thought that once I was a SAHM I would get sooooooo much more done around the house. (I can hear everyone laughing now)
I know what you mean! I had thought the same thing. Boy was I wrong, and so far I only have ONE child! 
I feel your pain. I have 2 boys. 4 & 2 1/2. I love to bake and have found a simple solution. Have a batch of frozen sugar cookie dough in the freezer at ALL times. When you need to distract them pull out some dough and let them roll it out while you work. It always seem to distract them. I have childrens rolling pins for them. After they are done let them frost them and eat!
I know this has already been said, but there are fun ways to include the kids. My son is 3.5 and LOVES to help mommy bake. Sometimes if I'm pouring powdered sugar into frosting in the mixer, I give him the little measuring cup and ask for his help. It doesn't slow me down and he gets satisfaction that mommy "needed" his help. He also has is own little kitchen with bakeware and a toy hand mixer that the beaters actually turn. When I'm mixing stuff up often he'll go grab his little mixer and a bowl and mix with me. Other than that, as long as he feels a little included he usually let's me do my thing. Of course there are times when he rightfully demands my attention and I try to be aware of that too!
And with the boys, seems the OLDER they get, the more LIBERTIES they take. Especially the oldest. You'd think BC was one of the five food groups. He just grabs a serving spoon...and...digs in! (He's not a double-dipper, thank goodness!) But then thier FRIENDS see THEM doing it, and they all want a "taste."
What I do now is throw all of the extras from each cake job into a tupperware bowl labeled, "BOYS." That way--they can have as much as they like. Or else I'd be making an extra batch just for THEM! Twisted Evil
Oh gosh I can so relate! I'm a mom of 4 boys aged 4-14 and while I've never quite had problems with the little ones, it's the biggest one that drives me nuts. He grabs a spoon, serves himself to bowls of ganache, and his friends hang out and watch. He's not disruptive or rude, just realkly enthusiastic.
Biggest disaster was when 14YO DS came home from school with a his friends. I was drying a bunch of sugarpaste children I had spent hours modelling. I had left them on the kitchen counter, which of course is where everyone congregates in our house and where I normally leave their afternoon snack. When I walked back into the kitchen the boys had EATEN every last sugarpaste child. It was surreal. They thought THAT was their snack of the day.
Another disaster, I was making milk chocolate buttercream and left a huge bowl of melted chocolate to cool. When I got back, my sons aged 6 and 4 and their4 of their friends had found the chocolate. What started as a "dip-our-fingers-and-lick" prank had escalated into "let's cover our palms, hands and faces with chocolate" escapade. $25 worth of chocolate too! I had to make a new batch but I used the tainted chocolate to ice a cake for those boys afterall, they'd already shared their germs so I didn't see the harm of feeding them the rest of the batch.
Lessons learned: have a specific place for my kitchen creations; do not leave on family territory. A gang of boys will actually do things an individual can only imagine. The challenges of a cake decorating with a toddler simply morphs into the challenges of cake decorating with older children.
Oh thank goodness...I am not the only one trying to keep a toddler happy while trying to decorate a cake so that it doesn't look like I was wrestling with a toddler! 
I have nothing new to add to all these postings....only that I understand, I know exactly what you are going through, and I'm looking forward to the day (please say it is coming soon!) when my daughter will be able to play happily on her own for a bit while I decorate. Until then, I'll be employing the services of my husband (when he's not at work) to keep her occupied and decorating during naptime and bedtime.
Sometimes I can buy about 20 minutes if I put in one of her favourite DVD's...but it doesn't always work! I find that I can do the baking and make icings while she is around, so I do as much as I can so that all that's left is the decorating and assembling. I'm so blessed to have a wonderful husband who supports me in my business and has on occasion taken our daughter out to the park or wherever to give me some peace and quiet while I work!
It gets better! My kids were both a lot older once I started decorating, but they still love to bring their friends and form an "audience." I don't care for that, much.
And with the boys, seems the OLDER they get, the more LIBERTIES they take. Especially the oldest.
-M-
I am a SAHM of 4, but I have a 16 yrs gap between my boys and girls. My boys are 21 (and still at home 
) and 19, my girls are 4 yrs and 23 months. You would think that the little ones are the trouble when working in the kitchen, but for me it's the older ones! I keep sugar cookie dough in the fridge for the little ones to do their own thing at the table while I bake, then I also do my decorating while they nap or have cartoon time. You can't do that with the older ones - they just won't stay down for a nap!! They hang over my shoulder, watching... breathing louder and louder ... now the questions start. I answer the first 3 as nicely as I can muster, all the while I'm thinking "the girls will be up in 20 mins... 10mins... any minute now". Slowly I turn into this she devil - shooo, get out of my kitchen or you'll be babysitting! I DO NOT have the patience for training!
Then they bring their friends into the mix! GAWD! I smacked a hand that tried to dip into my icing yesterday, then realized it wasn't one of my guys when he yelped and started dancing around the kitchen in pain. Of course they all think it's funny .... until I mention if I don't get finished on time all of them will be on diaper duty!
Sorry so long.... feels good to vent!
I know there are other cake decorators out there with little kids, how do you do it? Thanks for letting me vent.
I have a full-time job and only do three or four fancy cakes a year. I wouldn't even think of decorating a cake without arranging for someone to watch my 2-year-old son while I did it. Typically, it's my husband, sister or parents. This arrangement works well because they keep my little mischief-maker out of trouble, but I'm around if they really need me. (A few times when I've been unable to make other arrangements, I've taken a vacation day and let the daycare center watch my son.)
I feel everybody's pain!!!!! I have a 2 1/2 and 1 yo girls and, same thing! I have to do all my stuff when they are asleep and then be careful in the morning so they don't touch the cakes.
However, my problem doesn't end there... I also have 2 beagles and they are worst than the kids!!!!
I had a batch of Christmas cookies wrapped and ready to be delivered on top of the dinning room table (silly me, I thought they were safe there!!). Somehow these dogs managed to move one of the chairs enough so they could jump on it and from there to the table... and you can imagine the rest of the story!!!!!!!!
I don't know if this is too late to help, but I have a 3 1/2 year old and a 3 month old, the baby I just work around her sleeping, but the older one, any time I have extra mix I bake up a few small cakes and freeze them, when I have a big project to do I take one out of the freezer, and she decorates with me. I buy the frosting in the tubes and she has plastic decorations that only she can use, she can't use Mommy's and I can't use hers. It takes the mystery out of it for her and we bond over the fun we share.
For those days she doen't want to help, I have a local kid, not quite old enough to babysit but willing/wanting to learn, watch her for a buck an hour. I am home and there to help, and DD gets a playmate, kid gets experience and a little cash.
Hope this helps.
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