As parents, one of our goals is to make things easier. And I don’t mean just on the kids, for us too! So whether you are headed off to school or learning from home it can be super helpful to create a pantry just for your kids! Anything to make Mom life a bit easier, right?! Plus, it helps us ration out some of our favorite foods throughout the day. So, here are some great tips to keep your kid pantry stocked and appropriate for every age!

To get started, you want to use a designated cabinet or pantry space that is easily accessible to you and your kids. For younger kids I would suggest bins with their names on them or a low shelf in the pantry closet/refrigerator that they need minimal assistance with. I love using bins to separate the types of food available for the day and labeling how many servings each child is allowed.

For Example: one item from the pantry bin and one item from the refrigerator bin. For younger children I love using small/color bins that you can grab from the dollar store, and letting them decorate a name tag and then adding the snacks in them for the day. This is a great visual for younger kids and allows them to be in “charge” of when they snack.

Once you have your cabinet and refrigerator spaced made up make sure you have a variety of healthy options for your kids to choose from. I like to have a bin in the refrigerator with a variety of portioned out fruit, apple sauces, organic cheese sticks and Dashing Dish Copy Cat Perfect Bars; and one in the pantry with a variety of organic low sugar whole grain snacks and bananas. I have the portions for that week laid out already so they can just grab and go! Portioning the snacks is great for any age, and helps out with the mindless snacking.

A Kid Pantry is a great way to help your child learn reach for the healthier items while allowing them the freedom to choose their own snacks. It also allows you to spend less time at the grocery store to constantly replenish the food in the pantry and refrigerator. Which, as a Mom myself, who doesn’t love more time on their hands!