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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