Toddler
Your Budding Chef Will Love These Kitchen Helpers
If your kid loves being in the kitchen with you, these will make your life so much easier.
Some of my fondest memories are of standing over the stove on a rickety step stool helping my grandmother make Sunday roast supper. When I became a mom, I knew I wanted my kids to learn to cook at my side, but with maybe a bit more stool stability. Thankfully, there are now a ton of wonderful kitchen helpers that keep even the littlest chefs safe at the side of whoever is cooking up a meal.
Call them kitchen helpers or kitchen stands, it doesn't matter. Their defining feature is that they provide multi-side support with a wide, strong base and easy-to-clean surfaces. It's a lot different than kneeling on your grandmother's cracked plastic stool that had wheels on the front. (Again, how did millennials survive childhood?) They come in a range of prices and sizes, so there's one out there to fit most styles and budgets. They're extremely durable, able to withstand errant mixer bowls, toddler teeth, paint splashes, and the occasional cat scratch — to which I can attest personally — so they last. This is not one of those things where you'll have to purchase a new one for every kid. Heck no, these will last all through your kids, and possibly their kids as well. The simplicity of the design means that they don't have a ton of parts that are going to wear out. It's study, solid, basic construction that works. They really let kids get in on the cooking action.
And cooking with kids has lifelong benefits, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Healthy Children website noted, "Kids may need to have frequent joyful experiences involving food to overcome the anxiety they may have around tasting the unfamiliar. Over time, cooking with your children can help build that confidence— and provide rich sensory experiences." These helpers just make it that much easier on everyone.
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A Multi-Use Stand
This kitchen helper is fantastic because it has a dual purpose. Not only is it a stable, solid stand for your toddler, it folds in half and becomes a tiny work table and bench for them to whip up their own creations when they get a little tired of standing.
Great For When Kids Get Bored.
I love that this helper has a chalkboard. Because if things get too complicated, or I get annoyed, I can hand over a piece of chalk and ask the little one I'm working with to draw out the ingredients. Give them a task, and they're on it.
A Cute Design
This stand gets high ratings with parents, and the cute design is popular with kids. I like that it's light enough to be able to move around easily, but still substantial enough to hold your kid in place.
A Darker Stain
This one is just pretty. I love the walnut coloring. If I was buying another one right now, this would be it. Because I'm a decor fanatic and this would look so pretty in my kitchen.
Oh Holy Gorgeous Carving
Look at the detail on the sides of this convertible kitchen helper. It's so pretty and so nice, and why don't they make this in adult size for my home office so that I can clean the ceiling fan and also have a pretty place to sit?
One The Folds Flat
This is probably the one I should have thanks to the size of my Brooklyn apartment. Alas, I have made my decisions and here we are.
A Less Pricey Option
This is nice and light and has great reviews. This one has a pretty high gloss finish, so it will clean up pretty easily, too.
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