A few months ago as you spooned tiny bites of pureed peas into your little one's mouth, you may have longed for the day that baby could feed herself. Now your toddler is older, and that day has arrived. But just because she can feed herself doesn't mean she will. Help get your child involved in mealtime as well as initiate a lifelong interest in cooking and nutrition by letting your toddler help prepare food in the kitchen. In this slideshow, we have identified a few ways your toddler can help with these family-friendly recipes.

Here are a few general tasks for younger children:

• Help gather ingredients from a low shelf in the pantry

• Add measured ingredients to a mixing bowl

• Stir ingredients

• Sprinkle raisins or nuts into a batter