Kids can be a handful, and not just when it comes to taking care of them. Many times, when we have multiple children, their needs and desires of them can be draining—especially when we want some peace and quiet.
One of the hardest parts of our daily routine in our home is breakfast time. Sometimes, the kids wake up super early and they want to eat right away. But, Mommy needs a little more rest and a little more time, so, how can we help everyone?
From mini-fridges to snack stations, many parents have been coming up with clever and creative ways to make their kids more independent with food and snacks. By allowing their kids to do things themselves, they're not only satisfying their needs but giving themselves time off and a little break, too.
For the majority of parents, no morning is every "quiet." It starts off with kids begging us to get up and make their food, or deal with the crises that they can be having. But, when kids have a way to access things on their own, it leads the way to some quiet morning bliss for parents.
Shannon Doherty, who is a viral TikTok sensation and mom, has been sharing tons of home hacks and parenting tips on her popular TikTok channel. Doherty is a huge fan of making "self-serving" stations in her home for her kids, so they can access things on their own and gain independence.
Many of the mom's videos showcase different ways to make "self-serving" and kid-friendly stations that include using safe, mess-free containers and other types of storage for food. This way, her kids can make their own meals and snacks without cooking, hurting themselves, or making a huge mess.
Bar carts are usually for us adults to store our booze and liquor. Some people have their bar carts totally stocked for themselves and when company comes over. Most parents know there's nothing like having a good drink after you put the kids to bed.
In the viral TikTok video, she showcased how to take your regular bar cat and make it a breakfast station, so those mornings can be a little quieter. She does this by making a "cereal bar" for her kids by using kid-friendly containers.
The cereal storage is mess-free and allows kids to get as much cereal as they want. She also has milk containers that will squirt into the bowl to put as much milk as the kids want, without making a huge mess of everything.
The mom also cuts up fresh fruit so that her kids can help themselves to some. She keeps them in plastic bags and interchanges them out every day so that it is always fresh and pre-washed and pre-cut.
There are also prepackaged snacks on the cart that kids can open and eat themselves. And, who can forget juice? Juice, of course, is the staple of many kids' breakfast time. So, the mom has containers of personal orange juice cartons so the kids can get that Vitamin C intake.
For families of multiple kids, it's a brilliant way to get everyone happy and fed in the morning. It is also fostering kids' sense of self and independence. In addition, it keeps us parents a little "free" and off the clock while the kids take care of themselves for quite a while. Win/win!
