Kids Cuisine

My daughter got into cooking right before Christmas, and soon after informed me how crucial it was that she have an apron and a “cooker hat.” It was a little too late to depend on online ordering in time for Christmas, so I began a frantic quest to find a child’s size apron.

First of all, as I decided where to look, no brick-and-mortar store jumped to mind as a sure thing for finding a miniature apron. I looked at some of the obvious possibilities: Target, Wal-Mart, Toys ‘R Us, and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Nothing turned up. There are some upscale kitchen shops in town, but they really cater to adults. There are specialty boutiques for children, but they don’t specialize in cooking.

Then I got a Sunday sales flyer from Kohl’s that showed a parent and child apron duo. I was thrilled! When I went to the store to buy it, two different sales people had no idea what I was talking about, and it was nowhere to be found.

So I put out an all-points bulletin with the family. Grandparents were instructed to join the hunt for a children’s apron in their respective towns. My dad and I discovered one just a couple days before C-Day in a cute little boutique in town that has nothing to do with children or cooking. He bought my daughter a pretty black-and-white toile, and got me a blue-and-white toile one to match.

In the end, she got two aprons for Christmas. My mother got her a fire-engine red apron with her name on it. Many nights when we cook dinner, she insists we can’t begin until we are properly dressed for the occasion. The gifts were definitely money well spent.

Ever since then, I’ve been much more likely to notice when a child’s apron crosses my path. Barnes and Noble stores have a selection of children’s cookware sets, and some feature an apron. Many kitchen stores also have cooking kids for kids, and some have aprons.

There are also some cute ones available online. One of the cutest is the Tuna Cookies Kids Apron that features a chef’s hat for sale at Wrapables.com (pictured). Williams Sonoma sells a personalized children’s apron in fun colors like lime and denim. PrairieOrchard.com sells a children’s chef’s hat, children’s aprons and petite oven mitts for kids. Their baking kits for kids also come with aprons.

Just don’t wait until a few days before Christmas to start looking.

Photo of Tuna Cookies Kids Apron at Wrapables.com.