The kitchen is considered by many to be the heart of the home. It’s a space where the whole family can come together to cook, eat and share joy.
But is that true of your kitchen?
As your family grows, your home needs to grow with them.
Discover how to achieve this, with our 6 tips for creating a kitchen that works for the whole family.
Consider Your Family’s Needs
The first step in creating a kitchen the whole family will love is to consider their needs. That means everyone from you and your partner to the youngest child in the house, and even the family pet.
What do each of you need from the kitchen for it to be a safe and fun space for all?
Whether you prefer free-standing antique units or sleek and modern custom kitchen cabinets from China, make it work for your needs.
Can you fit your baby’s high chair in for feeding time without it getting in the way? Is there enough space for everyone to walk through without bumping into things?
Map out your needs on paper before deciding where fitted cabinets will go. This is an easy way to plan, and you can involve the whole family in the process.
Involve Your Children
If your children are very picky eaters, don’t fret. You’re not alone! Counteract this by including them in meal preparation. The nutritionists at Johns Hopkins Hospital agree; cooking with your kids is a good idea.
Create a miniature prep area at the right height for your children to participate. They’ll make a mess, but that’s okay. It’s part of the learning process.
Getting involved with meal preparation will instill a sense of pride, and make them more likely to eat those veggies.
There are other ways to include the kids in the kitchen. Do they often need help with their homework or school projects while you have to cook?
Combine the two, by creating a nook in the kitchen where they can do their schoolwork while you prepare the evening meal.
Create Zones
Creating activity zones is a fun and practical way of keeping the kitchen functional. This depends largely on the space you have to work with, but even a smaller kitchen can get the zone treatment.
Certain areas can do double duty, like benches with storage inside the seats. This can serve as a family social area, a breakfast nook, and a homework corner.
Store your kids’ craft items inside one of the storage seats, and your napkins and tablecloths in another.
With a food prep area, a cooking area, a kitchen storage area, and a dining area, your kitchen will be functional and organized.
To tie them all together for a cohesive look, choose a color scheme that flows throughout these zones.
Make Safety a Priority
Young children are naturally curious. That’s a good thing – it’s how they learn and grow. But curiosity can also be hazardous in the kitchen.
Store sharp knives and other potentially dangerous items out of young fingers’ reach. As your kids grow those little hands will be able to reach further. Periodically reassess the safety aspects of your kitchen.
An easy fix for inquisitive hands is to fit safety locks on your lower cabinets and drawers. This saves little fingers from getting caught in a door or drawer and saves your sanity when they try to unpack your kitchenware.
A stove guard and range guard will also safeguard your children from potential burns.
Invest in Kid-Friendly & Energy-Efficient Appliances
A blender with a tamper-resistant lid, a toaster with wide slots, and a microwave with a child lock make your kitchen a user-friendly space for the whole family.
Invest in kid-friendly appliances as much as possible.
One of our top tips for more sustainable living is to invest in energy-saving devices. You may save money by using old appliances that your friends and family no longer need, but they’ll cost you more in the long run.
Modern appliances use less energy to run and are more compact in design. They’ll fit into your kitchen more easily and your energy consumption will go down.
With a family to feed, those savings will be very welcome.
Incorporate Storage Solutions
The biggest changes you can make to your home to boost your health will be in the kitchen.
Eco-friendly and non-toxic storage solutions are something worth considering, especially with children and pets in the home. And they’re really easy to incorporate into your family kitchen.
Hanging pots and pans from hooks under high cabinets will make life a lot easier for you, but what about the younger members of the family?
They need to be able to get healthy snacks when they want them.
This problem is easily solved by storing your fresh fruit and healthy snacks like nuts and seed crackers in under-counter baskets.
It allows children to reach the items they need, while also keeping the items you need at a height convenient for you.