How to Make Your Kitchen and Pantry Accessible for Little Kids

A lot of homeowners spend a lot of time organizing their kitchen, and for good reason. Doing so can help save money and minimize waste. But during the organization process, they will often forget to think about the little ones they have at home. You might have read about ways to help make a kitchen more accessible for older people, but you can do the same for your children. This article addresses some of the ways you can do just that.

Art of Drawers has a wide range of solutions that can not only make your kitchen much easier to navigate, but every other room in your home as well. If you would like to learn more, don’t hesitate to give us a call at (770) 800 8410 or use our online form.

Here are a few tips to help you create a child-friendly kitchen that will be safe, and will also help make your life quite a bit easier.

Keep Their Snacks Together in the Fridge and Pantry

Splitting your kitchen into zones will make cooking and cleaning much less stressful. You can do something similar when it comes to making it easier for your kids to get snacks out of the refrigerator as well as the pantry.

Carve out some space in the fridge for a snack zone. It will be a great chance to help ensure your kids are eating healthy, and you won’t have to worry about them rummaging around, making a mess when they want a little something to help them get through their day. Put a bowl of fruit in the snack zone, as well as small vegetables or yogurt cups.

The pantry can be another area where you can set up a snack zone. If you’ve already organized your pantry, creating a special zone should be a snap. If you haven’t, this will be a great reason to get your pantry in order. Your family will thank you later.

Set aside a lower shelf for special treats, ones that are reserved for after mealtime, or ones you’ll allow your children to access at certain times of the day. These treats can include non-perishable items such as a jar of almonds, dried fruit, trail mix and multigrain chips.

Buy a Step Stool so They Can Reach the Counter

If your children are getting old enough to where they want to explore the kitchen, you’ll want to make it as easy and safe for them to do so. Children can be pretty resourceful when they want something – they’re also pretty agile. This means if a snack is out of their reach, they might resort to some pretty risky means to get it.

The last thing you’ll want is for your child to try and climb up a chair and fall, or knock over a glass container that shatters all over the floor. Simply give them a step stool so they can access something you want them to have that might be sitting on the countertop.

Set Boundaries and Teach Them How to Navigate the Kitchen

Take the time to show your children what they can and can’t get into, not only in the kitchen but the rest of your home as well. A child could easily get in trouble, even if you have a small kitchen, if you don’t set boundaries. If your children are learning how to read, creating labels telling them where they can explore could really help send the message. It will also be a good chance to show them what foods they should eat.

Teach Them How to Cook Simple Dishes

One of the reasons why making your kitchen accessible for your children is that it will help them learn about self-sufficiency at a young age. For example, you can show them how to cook some simple meals, such as making some toast, or, if they’re a little older, even making something like a grilled cheese sandwich, preparing a basic salad, or scrambling some eggs. Obviously you’ll have to closely supervise them, but cooking with your child can be a lot of fun. The better organized your kitchen, the more fun you’ll have.

But just because you have smaller toddlers in your home, that doesn’t mean they can’t also learn a little about cooking. You’ll be surprised at how quickly some children – even toddlers – can pick up working in the kitchen. They won’t be able to make their own meals, of course, but they could help you do some simple things. These include stirring batter, rinsing fruits and vegetables, spreading butter, mashing potatoes, and maybe even measuring and pouring liquids.

Teach Them How to Clean Up, and Keep the Child-Safe Products Within Reach

Another way to promote responsibility will be to show your children how to properly clean up after a meal or a snack. Try to buy natural, child-friendly cleaning products whenever you can. If you’re planning a renovation, you might want to consider installing countertops that are easy to wipe, such as quartz. If quartz is out of your price range, there are plenty of other materials that will stand up to spills.

Use Art of Drawers to Create Custom Kitchen and Pantry Solutions for Your Family

At Art of Drawers, we’re true experts when it comes to kitchen and whole-home organization. We can show you easy ways to rid your home of junk, to make your pantry a much friendlier place, and much, much more.

Our professionals have a lot of experience handling challenging situations. We can help you create a space where your children can easily and safely access food without making a huge mess in the process. You won’t have to continually come running into your kitchen when your child wants something. Our solutions will make it easy for them to reach snacks, and will also make it easy for you to relax.

If you would like to learn more about solutions from Art of Drawers, just contact us online or call (770) 800 8410.