What are the best kitchen tools for toddlers?
Ah, so your little one has expressed interest in cooking – or, you’re encouraging them to get involved! No matter which of you initiated it, cooking is an absolutely wonderful way to build your little one’s independence.
When I first began to cook with my then 1-year-old, I quickly arrived at the question – what tools do I need to make this process easier for the both of us?
Let’s get right into how you can narrow down the endless options to what you and your toddler actually need in the kitchen.
Must-Have Toddler Kitchen Tools
After some thinking, I landed on the 5 kitchen must-haves below to start the cooking journey in my household. These would make cooking more doable and less overwhelming for any family!
1. Knives
I initially bought my daughter the stainless steel Kuhn Rikon Kinderkitchen Kids Mezzaluna Knife and then graduated her to the Kuhn Rikon Kinderkitchen Children’s Knife.
The blades on both aren’t terribly sharp and are ideal for a new chef to learn chopping skills. I also trust the quality of the Swiss-owned Kuhn Rikon brand. Of course, adult supervision is absolutely required despite the kid-friendly blades.
👉 Click here to buy the Kids Mezzaluna Knife
👉 Click here to buy the Children’s Knife
2. Cutting board
Recent studies have highlighted the microplastics that exist, well everywhere, including our cutting boards.
Though there isn’t a way to completely avoid microplastics – honestly, the stress of trying to do this would probably hurt you more than the microplastics themselves – we can certainly limit our exposure in reasonable ways.
One way is to opt for non-plastic cutting boards. You can opt for glass or marble but the cheapest and those with inherently antimicrobial properties are cutting boards made of wood.
My favorites are from the USA-made, Epicurean brand. They come with rubber grips and grooves for catching juice which is incredibly helpful. They’re also low maintenance and don’t require oiling like other wood-based board brands because of their proprietary paper composite material.
I like to have different sizes so that my little and I can both make use of them with ease.
👉 Click here to purchase the Epicurean cutting board
I also trust the Environmental Working Group‘s recommendation and will actually be buying these wooden cutting boards next:
👉 Click here to purchase EWG-recommended cutting boards
3. Peeler
Peeling is another tactical skill for your toddler to take on – supervision is, again, very much required. That said, peeling is a helpful way to build your toddler’s gross-motor skills. I love the French brand, Opinel peeler.
It includes a knife and finger grip – great tools for your child to grow into.
👉 Buy the Opinel peeler by clicking here
4. Colander
My daughter was fascinated with strainers early on and I found the process of rinsing fruits and vegetables to be a perfect task for her to join in on.
The Oxo Good Grips stainless steel colander is wonderful. It’s a nice size and can fit various foods.
Note – I don’t let my daughter help to strain steaming hot pasta. I prefer to limit her colander use to rinsing veggies for now. Consider doing the same or intently supervising other uses.
👉 Buy the Oxo Good Grips stainless steel colander here
5. Mixing spoons
Mixing is one of my daughter’s favorite kitchen tasks! A go-to for stirring is the FAAY spoon made of teak wood.
👉 Purchase the teak wood spoon by clicking here
If it’s smaller scale stirring – i.e., mixing the peanut butter into her warm morning oats – she stirs with the spoon she eats with. We love these PandaEar brand spoons. Click here to buy.
Bonus: Questions to Consider
Before I made the mistake of jumping to buy everything I thought I needed, I asked myself two key questions that would help me decide:
- What will we be cooking together?
We’re not huge bakers here so, when we occasionally bake I have my little use the bigger items I normally use.
Thinking through this question helped me to direct my focus to items that my daughter would use more regularly (knives, peeler, cutting board, etc.).
- What am I comfortable with her using and what are my definite no’s?
Some families are not comfortable introducing knives to their children until much later. That is totally okay. Since I’m comfortable with my little learning chopping skills early on though, and I know it’s an activity she could easily partake in on the daily, I kept knives on my list.
Non-essential Toddler Kitchen Tools
These are some items that I think are helpful but are not essentials in my book. Think through your toddler’s skills in the kitchen and areas where they’ve shown interest to help you decide what you might want from the list below.
1. Rubber mat
If you need something to catch spills or something to put under a small mixing bowl – a rubber mat is a sustainable and safe option. We have this one from the Danish brand Hevea.
The premier rubber used is evident in the price but it’ll last you a long while. The mat is made from 100% upcycled natural rubber and is BPA free. Even the color pigments are natural. Love to see it!
👉 Buy the Hevea mat by clicking here
2. Mixing bowls
These are pricey but worth it given Oxo’s quality stainless steel material. They’re a set of 3 and can be used for a very, very long time by everyone in the household.
👉 Click here to purchase the Oxo mixing bowls
3. Glass pitcher
You don’t need a mini glass pitcher but I was recommended this one and I’ll be getting it for my pouring-obsessed toddler.
My toddler feels independent and adult-like (in a good way) when she pours her own water. There’s power in being able to hydrate yourself!
I’m also excited to have this option on hand since I opted out of getting a play kitchen that would include some kind of a water dispenser.
👉 Purchase a mini glass pitcher by clicking here
4. Vegetable brush
A vegetable brush instills the importance of cleaning our produce before consuming it. Not to mention, the task requires focus through consistent scrubbing and is a nice way for your child to contribute in the kitchen.
👉 Click here to buy the Oxo vegetable scrubber
Toddler Cooking Adjacent Tools
Below are 4 useful cooking adjacent tools. We have everything on the list below (except the apron which I’ve regretted haha) and it’s made our lives in the kitchen more fun!
1. Learning tower
If you don’t have one yet, I highly recommend getting one. Your toddler could use a traditional stepping stool but I’ve found learning towers to be more durable and safer.
I really like both of these options that are sturdy and sustainable because they are height adjustable and can grow with your child. They’re both made of wood which is a plus in my book.
👉 Learning tower, option 1 – click to purchase
👉 Learning tower, option 2 – click to purchase
2. Ahimsa plates
It took me a long time to finally purchase the stainless steel Ahimsa plates for kids. But after more research and confirming the safety and non-toxic elements of stainless steel, especially Ahimsa’s stainless steel products, I was sold.
Ahimsa’s products are tested for safety by a third-party. They go beyond FDA standards and look to Europe’s stricter standards for their dishware.
Sometimes it feels like products are out to get us, but I feel the complete opposite with Ahimsa. These plates are for the people.
The lifetime warranty doesn’t hurt either!
👉 Click here to buy your very own set of Ahimsa plates
3. Apron
Is the chef in the house?
An apron is a surefire way to help your little feel like a pro in the kitchen. There are also so many options. Have them pick one that shows off their personality!
👉 Click here to buy an apron that’s 100% cotton
4. Toddler table
When I got the SkipHop activity center for my daughter, it was to help her to get used to being upright – she was just ~6 months old. The SkipHop turns into a table and I really hoped we’d use it like that once she reached toddlerhood.
I’m overjoyed, to say the least, that my 2 year old has been using the Skip Hop as a table – for art, for eating, for preparing meals – for several months now. It’ll continue to be a staple in our home!
👉 Click here to buy the SkipHop
FAQ: More about Toddler Time in the Kitchen
Learn more about what Montessori-style kitchen tools are below:
What are Montessori kitchen tools?
Montessori kitchen tools simply refers to tools that are real and not toys, designed for young children. All of the items mentioned in this post are therefore ‘Montessori style’ tools.
Final Thoughts on Best Kitchen Tools for Toddlers
I hope this post has helped you to narrow down your list of toddler kitchen purchases or at least helped you to start your list if you were feeling lost.
With so much out there, I know honing in on what you actually need can be challenging.
Here’s to purchasing with intention and navigating the best kitchen tools for toddlers with more ease. Cheers!