How To Set Up a DIY Breakfast Station For Kids To Save Time in the Mornings!
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Simplify busy school mornings by setting up a self serve breakfast station for kids that will take one less thing off your to-do list!
Hi friends,
Let’s face it, school mornings can be the worst sometimes. We’re all tired, it’s early, there’s a million things to do and we’re in a rush to get everyone out of door on time!
One way to simplify a few of your tasks in the morning is to have your kids be self sufficient where and when they can be. A great place to start? Have them make their own breakfast!
Today we’re going to go over everything you need to set up the perfect breakfast station for kids! There are so many ways to set one up and actually make it functional for any space.. Let’s get into it!
How to Set Up a Breakfast Station for Kids!
1. Where to put your breakfast station
As mentioned earlier there are a ton of different ways to set up a breakfast station..
First, you’ll need to think about where you’ll want yours to go!
Some ideas include a small space on the counter, a tiered stand, a section of the pantry or even in a rolling cart!
Here are a few examples of what each of those options might look like:
1. The counter
Here’s a breakfast station off in a small nook of the kitchen counter. This breakfast station is perfect and complete with multiple cereal options, a basket for fruit and even optional muffins!
2. The pantry
This entire pantry is absolutely beautiful but I mainly love the small area for the cereal dispensers that are perfect for kids. Even if you don’t have a huge walk in pantry like this, you could totally set up a single shelf with all of the breakfast necessities!
3. Tiered tray
This example of a 3 tiered tray obviously is more set up for one-time use but hopefully you can still get the idea!
I can see adding oatmeal packets, pre-packaged breakfast bars or bagged muffins to the top tier. The second tier could hold room temperature fruit like bananas, apples and oranges. Add a couple smaller canisters of cereal to the bottom along with maybe napkins and stacked bowls and you’re good to go!
I think this option is the most space saving idea of them all!
4. Breakfast station cart
This particular photo is for lunches but again, I hope you can still get the same idea! A rolling tiered cart like this is perfect because it’s small can be moved closer to the table in the morning and then tucked away in a corner when breakfast is over.
Cereal dispensers could easily fit on the top shelf along with a basket for oatmeal packets or bars. Add some fruit options, loaf of sliced bread, peanut butter jar, etc. to the second shelf. The bottom shelf would be perfect for a few bowls, plates, napkins and silverware!
Now that you have an idea of where you want to set up your breakfast station, it’s time to start thinking about what all it should include.
2. Here’s what you should include:
It’s kind of a given that you’ll be including breakfast food but let’s talk about what kind of non-perishable breakfast foods would be really good options to leave out!
- Cereal
- Oatmeal packets
- Breakfast bars
- Pop-Tarts
- Muffins
- Donuts
- Croissants
- Sliced bread
- Granola bars
- Go-go’s
- Yogurt pouches
You can also leave out other items such as..
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
- Juice boxes/bottles
- Water bottles
- A toaster
- Napkins
- Kid’s plates
- Plastic bowls
- Kid’s silverware
- Kid’s cups
A good idea too is to also include a small note somewhere near by to remind them of rules such as to only chose one item from each section, not to pour multiple bowls of cereal, put the toaster back where you found it etc.
3. Here’s what you’ll need
First, it’s totally possible to set up a breakfast station for kids working with what you already have!
If you’re missing some key items or want to really to spruce it up a bit though, here are the best breakfast station finds to make it really come together!
Cereal Dispenser
These cereal dispensers are perfect for a self serve breakfast especially with younger kiddos who still have troubles pouring. You turn the knob and it will dispense cereal in a more controlled way.
Snack Bin Organizer
This organizer is a great all in one container for other breakfast items! Load it up with oatmeal packets, yogurt pouches, breakfast bars, etc. all in easy reach and well organized.
Rolling Cart
If you plan to do a rolling cart breakfast station for kids something like this would be your best bet! You can find these at IKEA, Target or Amazon and they’re all generally around the same price point.
Squirt Bottle
Okay, so you might not be leaving milk out but this is a great idea for truly self serve-ability! This mom hack is a way cool idea.. Add milk to the bottles and let kids squirt out their milk rather than try pouring from a large heavy jug!
For older kids, you could pre-make pancake batter for 2-3 days and add it to this in the fridge. Leave a mini waffle maker in the breakfast station and let them even make their own pancakes/waffles in the morning!
Organizing bins
Lastly, some general organizing bins! I put pretty much everything in bins these days.. it’s just an easy way to keep things together and is one of the most basic ways to stay organized!
These can become pretty pricy pretty quickly, I won’t lie. Before you buy from Amazon, I highly encourage you to check out your local Marshalls, Homegoods or Ross for better prices first.
