Kitchen Upgrades for the New Parent

Photo by @blondebirdie4

Before welcoming a new child into the home, most parents want to ensure everything around the house is ready for the arrival of their young one. Parents often scan each room, looking for potential safety hazards or ways to make the room more kid-friendly. While much of the focus is on a baby's nursery or a young child's bedroom, every room in the home deserves special attention prior to a major family change.

One area that can use a few upgrades to help create a harmonious home is the kitchen. In this guide, homeowners can discover the top upgrades for the new parent, each designed to make everyday living a little more relaxing. Read on to discover the top kitchen upgrades for the new parent.

#1: A Pot Filler

When welcoming a new family member into the home, meal times will be expanded. Whether it's a family's first child or their fourth, additional food will need to be cooked and served to ensure everyone leaves the table satisfied.

One upgrade in the kitchen that can be particularly beneficial for young parents is a pot filler. A pot filler faucet is installed directly above the kitchen stove. With this handy faucet, filling large pots with water becomes a breeze.

For a growing family, this can make mealtime much simpler. Large pots of healthy foods can be cooked without the hassle of lugging pots and pans to and from the sink. For those who need to warm up bottles in water, this can become one of the handiest features in the kitchen.

#2: A Second Bar Sink

As busy parents run to and fro, making sure every family member has what they need, it can create chaos in the kitchen. Perhaps one parent is busy cleaning up a toddler's mess while another is attempting to fill the newborn baby's bottle. With only one kitchen sink in the home, this can quickly equate to a continual traffic jam.

This is where adding a second bar prep sink in the home can be the perfect solution. A small bar prep sink is the perfect spot for filling up sippy cups and rinsing out a washcloth after wiping up a stray mess. These sinks don't take up much space, making them easy to tuck into the corner of a kitchen or in another living space in the home.

#3: A Garbage Disposal

With young kids often comes a lot of additional messes. A garbage disposal will make meal time, snack time, and anytime clean up a cinch.

Garbage disposals can be installed in almost any sink. These units utilize sharp blades to rapidly break apart chunks of food and debris. This makes it easy to quickly rinse off plates, bowls, pots, and pans, all without the hassle of walking to the trash can to clean off bits of leftover food. With kids around, this can quickly become the solution to quick cleanup.

#4: A Garbage Disposal Cover and Kitchen Drain Strainer

While garbage disposals can help alleviate post-meal scraps, they can only handle so much. Often, young kids dump too much food down a garbage disposal or put items into the disposal it cannot handle, such as fruit pits, chicken bones, or even a small toy.

This is where a disposal flange can help trap these items before they enter the drain. Cleaning up these bulky food items is easy, and damage to the disposal is prevented.

Similarly, young kids might simply rinse food debris down the kitchen sink. This can quickly lead to a clog in the pipes. Adding an updated kitchen drain basket can help catch items before they have a chance to enter the sink pipes.

#5: A Larger Sink

With an extra family member comes extra dishes. For those with a small kitchen sink, this can quickly lead to dirty pots, pans, plates, and cups spilling over onto countertops. To prevent this issue, it might be time to upgrade to a new, larger kitchen sink.

Deep, double-basin sinks are the perfect choice for new parents. Available in numerous styles, such as farmhouse and apron front, large kitchen sinks make cleanup simple and prevent an extra mess. These sinks also make it much simpler to rinse out big pots and pans, adding to efficiency after meals.

#6: Improved Organization and Storage

From dozens of bottles to numerous sippy cups, plastic plates, bowls, and spoons, a new kid in the home means more items to tuck away in cabinets and drawers. This can quickly lead to a mess of items that tumble out every time a cabinet door is opened.

Before welcoming a young one into the home, it can be helpful to clear out space for their kitchen items. Adding improved organization and storage options can help make it easy to navigate daily routines.

For example, in a cabinet, adding a bottle rack can make it easy to store bottles upside down in an organized manner. A special container for all sippy cup lids can prevent these from slipping to the back of drawers and shelves.

#7: Extra Kitchen Seating

Photo by @ostlerhousedesign

When it comes time to prepare a meal or clean up the kitchen, having extra seating that faces into the kitchen can help keep young ones within eyesight. Adding a highchair that fastens to a kitchen island or placing additional chairs along the kitchen bar can provide the perfect place for kids to hang out while the parents handle work in the kitchen.

As family members grow, these seats can turn into the perfect place to catch up after a day at school or playing ball. It can even become the ideal location for eating a quick snack or having a fast meal.

Shop Kingston Brass for Family Kitchen Upgrades

For those who are welcoming new family members into the home, Kingston Brass has all the upgrades and accessories needed. Shop their online catalog to find everything from large family-style sinks to pot filler faucets. With styles and designs to match any homeowner's preference, Kingston Brass makes it simple to upgrade the kitchen. Pick out personal favorites and prepare to welcome young ones into the home.