How to Make a Smoothie with a Toddler

Or, knowing you're in that exact moment when a memory is made.

So, you’re finally ready to make a smoothie with your little gremlin. They’ve been asking and asking about your little smoothie you make to have as a nice morning refresher—or, they’ve been stealing sips right out of your cup while you watch on helplessly.

You’ve come to the right place for a winning recipe to ensure a good time. The following is a tried and true, guaranteed success for you and your toddler to enjoy a nice beverage at some point throughout the day. Maybe they’ve slurp it up right away or you’ll need to stow it aside so they actually eat something for lunch or dinner.

Tools:

• Blender

• Standing tower

• Bip/apron

• Your cup

• Their cup (must have lid to mostly avoid mess)

Ingredients:

• 1x Banana

• 4 tbsp Milled flax seed

• ⅓ cup yogurt

• 1 bag of frozen mixed tropical fruits

• 1 bag of frozen mixed berries

• Some juice

• Some water

Optional ingredients (in the event your toddler eats the banana ahead of time):

• Peach

• Pear

• Mango

The first thing you’ll need to do is remind them that they want the smoothie. You may know they want the smoothie because they’ll steal yours if they see it, but it’s critical to get their head in the game. Show them the ingredients, the tower, the blender. Sure, none of that may work and you’ll just need to fling them into the kitchen anyway. But, it’s important to give them a sense of agency.

Because lord knows they’ll take all the credit for the smoothie anyway. Rightfully so.

So, now that your toddler is standing in the tower next to you, it’s time to begin making their smoothie (that you’re sharing)!

INSTRUCTIONS:

NOTE (yup, notes before you start. Did you think this was easy?): Make sure the blender is not plugged in before creating the smoothie. That one’s common sense, but these days, it seems harder to find.

1. Peel the banana and break it into pieces in the blender.

NOTE: Doing this may remind the toddler that they actually just want to eat the banana right now. This is normal. Let them have however much of the banana they want, and put the rest in the blender. Remember, what matters is that they get their nutrients. They’re growing into beautiful little humans before your eyes. If anything, it’s cute and funny. You’ll get your potassium in other ways.

2. Pour 1 tbsp of milled flax seed at a time. Your toddler may ask to help by adding in the flax by themselves. Be prepared for flax seed all over the ground, should this happen. They may also smack the empty measuring spoon against the blender. Let them think they’ve helped with a high five. Maybe give them some frozen fruit.

3. Pour ⅓ or ¼ cup of yogurt. Again, the toddler may want to help with this, and this WILL result in a mess for both of you. More than likely they’ll stick their grubby hands in your yogurt OR take the measuring spoon from your hands and swing it around getting yogurt everywhere. Again, this is normal.

NOTE: At this time they may also use the flax seed measuring spoon for the yogurt to help at their own pace. This is normal, and, again, cute and funny not annoying. They’re helping. They want to participate. This won’t always be the case. One day, they’ll grow up, and you’ll remind them that you used to do this, and they’ll just smile and nod.

4. It’s not time for the frozen tropical fruits OR supplemental fruits (e.g. peach, pear, mango) to bump up the amount of goodies in this smoothie. If supplementing, allow the toddler to munch on frozen fruits. If not, proceed to add frozen fruits per your heart’s content. If/when the toddler plucks fruits out of the smoothie to eat, replace immediately.

NOTE: Ensure the apron/bib is on PRIOR TO the following step. If apron or bib is not on, your toddler WILL require an outfit change, and you know that’s not a good time for anyone involved.

5. Place frozen mixed berries to your heart’s content. Again, toddler will more than likely eat the fruits as they are placed in. This is fine. They’re interested in food? Consider it a win. Replace stolen fruits immediately in blender.

NOTE: Toddler will be chewing raspberries which will give the perception they were bleeding. It’s important to quickly inform any other children or adults that this is a result of making a smoothie—but perhaps don’t word it like that.

6. Pour juice halfway up the blender. The preferred variety of juice per this recipe is orange, but you can be a little deviant and do apple, passion, etc. Toddler may get frustrated that you’ve poured juice on their frozen fruits. This is normal. They’re a toddler. They have no reason to be mad therefore they are.

7. Pour water to the level of the highest fruit in blender. This will signal to fiddler that it is almost time for them to actually participate beyond snacking and mild interference. But, again, they’ll get the credit. It’s their smoothie.

8. Seal the blender and plug it in. Inform toddler that it is time to blend the smoothie. Inform them again. Point to the blender buttons. Point to the ingredients. Point to the buttons. Put their finger on the—ah, okay, they should get it by now. If they don’t? Repeat.

9. Allow toddler to press all the various settings. This is good because it allows them to think they’re a five-star chef concocting the most rhythmically unique smoothie of all time, and not acting like a kid at McDonald’s filling their drink with a splash of everything from the fountain. They may also stumble on the actual smoothie button. This will be an accident, and cannot be replicated without tons and tons of practice.

NOTE: About five seconds into blending your toddler may tell you the smoothie’s all done and ready to go. They’re wrong (shocker). Keep going.

10. Complete the smoothie by pressing the smoothie option on your blender. Tell the toddler it’s actually all done and hand them their cup. They’ll more than likely also take yours.

11. Pour a little into your cup first to make sure the consistency is good enough. If not, blend until toddler pulls your hand away. If good, pour smoothie into toddler’s cup. Only the best for them, got it? That kid has enough going on, they don’t need a smoothie with poor consistency. Pour the remainder into your cup.

12. Celebrate the fact that you helped your toddler make their smoothie. That’s right, it’s theirs, and you just did a bit of the work. That’s okay. What matters is you spent some time with them, that you shared a moment with them. Sure, you do this every day, every morning. But one day, it’ll end. One day it’ll be just a memory, a part of the routine left to history. They’ll grow up and find their own routine, and you’ll be left to make a smoothie all by yourself.

And you’ve done it! The perfect smoothie for you and your toddler is done! Oh, is the texture or flavor perfect? No, of course not. It’s perfect because you did it together because you took time out of your day filled with vitriol and stress and so many spiraling things to stand with them in that tiny, singular moment and make something. To work toward an easy, peaceful goal together.

They’ll go off and do their thing as you do yours. But they’ll hold on tight to that little cup in their hands, just as you have the one in yours, happy that their parent played with them, and they have something to prove it. It can be tedious, they may not be in the moment, but it is a moment nonetheless.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this recipe!