MEALTIME
&
SNACKS
Create snack zones. Rather than
having them hunt and peck their way
through the fridge and pantry—or place
orders with you—create designated
areas and stock them with preapproved
foods. Morgenstern recommends filling
acrylic Fridge Binz containers with lunch
and snack items like string cheese, yogurt,
hard-boiled eggs, and sandwich fixings.
Put food within their reach. Arrange
snacks on a shelf low enough to be handy,
or keep a step stool nearby. For drinks,
reserve a section of the refrigerator for
water bottles or preloaded sippy cups.
Find kid-size pitchers, utensils, and other
items with child-friendly proportions at
ForSmallHands.com.
Give them access to tableware.
Make it convenient for kids to find by
setting up a low cupboard or other area
for one-stop shopping. “We use a child-size
dish cart that’s loaded with everything
they need for mealtime: plates, bowls, cups,
napkins, and a flatware divider,” Hanks
says. “If they want to set the table or make
themselves something, they can.” (On the
lower level, there’s even a small dustpan
and brush, plus a spray bottle of water and
towels for crumbs and spills.)
Practice skills together. Be aware
that even the simplest preparations—cream
cheese on a bagel, cereal and milk—might
require multiple how-to lessons. “Before
leaving kids to do it on their own, make
sure they are comfortable with the
instructions you have provided,” says Hanks.Train Your Kid for
Kitchen
Independence“Our 6-year-old loves
his Duralex glass
tumblers—they’re real glass,
so to him they’re super-
grown-up, but they’re about
as indestructible as plastic.
He’s so invested in using
them that it encourages him
to be more careful.”
—Joe Williamson and
Dale Saylor“We chose a fridge
with a built-in water
dispenser, and we
keep plastic cups in a
low drawer so our
4-year-old triplets can
help themselves
to drinks. It saves us
so many trips.”
—Jody Gerbig Todd
Columbus, OH“We have a snack station in
the kitchen that’s filled
with fruits and crunchy things
like pretzels, bars, and
graham crackers. The first
week or so, my 6-year-old
twins went wild eating
everything, and then they kind
of realized it wasn’t going
anywhere and settled down.”
—Megan Zander
New Haven, CT “When we’re running
out of something,
our 5-year-old adds
it to the grocery
list on Alexa. So this
afternoon, I was
reminded that I needed
to buy milk and a
‘fartknocker.’ ”
—Erika Vidal Holmes
Put a step stool in every room Tampa, FL
where you want your kids to be able
to reach stuff on their own.
Trogen child’s step stool, $20; ikea.com#IRL
TOP: GRACE HUANG. BOTTOM: COURTESY OF THE BRAND.
PARENTS 122 SEPTEMBER 2019
LIFEÑBack to School