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Organization

How to organize dishes for kids so they can find what they need (and even help put them away!)

March 18, 2021

If there is one area of the kitchen that is the most difficult to keep organized, it’s all the plastic cups, plates, bowls, and silverware that belong to the littlest inhabitants in our homes.  Kid dishes tend to accumulate over time, so once your kids are toddlers you are swimming in a sea of mismatched plastic.  

The cupboard or drawer holding these items can get junky real quick.

But there is a way to fight disorganization and keep this cupboard in check.  After 7+ years of motherhood, I feel like I’ve cracked the code on organizing kid dishes and it’s time to share my secrets.

Keep reading for my best tips (and hard-earned wisdom) for taming the plastic.  

This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualified purchases.

Gather every single item on the counter and put like things together

You can’t organize something if you don’t know the full extent of the problem.  Even though kid dishes are brightly colored plastic, they tend to end up everywhere: mixed with the adult glasses, hiding in the Tupperware, and thrown in with the silverware.  

The most important step is to gather all of it and place it on the counter.  Only now can you actually SEE what you have.  From here you can group like things together.  

organizing kids dish drawer

Make some decisions

Now that you can see everything you own, it’s time to make some decisions about what to keep and what to toss.  I always go group by group and pick out the items I know we like, use, and can easily wash.  Everything else is donated. 

Sometimes it helps to ask yourself probing questions to help identify which items you can let go of: 

  • Do you have 10 different sippy cup types from desperately searching for one your child will drink from?  It’s time to pick the one or two styles they like and donate the rest. 
  • Are any of your plates scratched up, stained, or warped?  Don’t feel bad placing those in the donate pile.  Plastic is sensitive to heat and pressure and easily damaged.  It’s OK to replace as needed. 
  • Do you have too many cups or water bottles?  Consider reducing the number to something that will still satisfy your needs, but will also save space in your kitchen for other items.  

We had over 8 water bottles for 2 kids.  That seemed excessive to me so I decided to pare that down to the minimum that would work for our family.  That worked out to 3 water bottles – one for each kid plus a spare.  

Don’t be afraid to replace or adjust as kids age

Kids will outgrow items as they get older.  At some point, baby spoons become rarely used as you reach for the larger toddler spoons.  Sippy cups give way to real cups.  It’s OK for your collection of dishes to change over time. 

Consider packing up items that aren’t being used anymore to save for future kids.  Sometimes creating space for items you currently use is better than holding space for items you don’t. 

Select a low drawer or cupboard for organizing your kid’s dishes

While it may seem counterintuitive to put cups and plates in a drawer, this is one of the best hacks for organizing dinnerware for kids.  Not only is it one of the few safe items in a kitchen (hello, it’s not breakable!) but it puts the items at their level.  

It encourages independence when kids are able to grab a cup or bowl for themselves.  As they get older they can help prepare snacks or set the table as a way to gain responsibility.  We have started asking our 7 and 3-year-old to help unload the plastic items from the dishwasher and both are able to do this task. 

organized kitchen drawer of kid cups and plates

Use smaller bins to divide the space

Plastic is light and easily knocks over or slides around.  In order to keep the space organized, use smaller bins to divide up the drawer or cupboard.  

I love love love IKEA and pick up a few of these Variera bins each time I go.  I find so many uses for them, but in particular, they work well in my deep IKEA cabinet drawers.  

I used two large and two small bins to divide my drawer into compartments for plates, water bottles, cups, bowls, and bibs.  Each item has a home and the bins keep the items together so they don’t slide around. 

I even use smaller flexible plastic organizers inside the larger bins to corral loose items like sippy cup lids, plastic silverware, and straws.

kid dishes in a drawer

our favorite sippy cups / plastic utensils / bibs / snack cups

Even if you don’t have a deep drawer, the same concept can apply to cabinets.  All kid items can go in a bin and then be placed on a shelf that is easily accessed.  

Stack plates and cups vertically

If you need to maximize space in a small kitchen, vertical stacking can help.  Just like with organizing baking pans and food storage containers, if you stack and flip vertically you can fit a lot more in a drawer.  

Plates can be flipped on their side and stored in a smaller bin to keep them vertical.  This is especially helpful if you have different types of plates, like divided and regular.

For sippy cups that can stack, like our Take n’ Toss cups, I like to separate the lids from the bases and store them in small dividers.  This makes it easy to grab a cup and a lid and know they will work together.

Ikea bins organizing kid dishes

divided plates / blue plates / miracle 360 cups / waterbottles

For cups that can’t be stacked, like our Miracle 360 cups and Thermoflask waterbottles, I find it helpful to keep the lids with the cup.

Let’s take a look at this drawer in action:

@smallishhome

Organizing kid dishes! #kitchenorganization #kitchenstorage #organizingtips #kidsorganization #homeorganization #parentsoftiktok

♬ ABC – Jackson 5

Remember, you don’t have to put up with unorganized cabinets overflowing with plastic kid dishes.  The trick is to minimize your collection to what you actually use and vertically organize what you keep.

This is guaranteed to bring a new sense of calm to something chaotic.  And couldn’t we all use a bit of that in our lives?

Did you know I share my videos on Tiktok and Instagram?  Come check them out and give me a follow if you’d like to see more.

Happy organizing, friends!

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Hi! I’m Lisa and I dig smallish homes. I believe they bring families together and provide a constraint on the accumulation of stuff. I’m obsessed with rethinking room design and storage solutions in order to live the life I want in the house I have. I hope you stay a while!
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The soup is my own homemade gluten free/dairy free tomato soup and I have a blog post with the recipe + sources for items included in my soup board. It’s simple, hearty and takes less than 20 minutes to make.  Be sure to check it out!  #soup #easyrecipe #kitchenorganization #stayorganized #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizing-hacks #declutteriing #declutteryourlife
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2) Turntables make it easy to access cleaning supplies with a spin.
3) Take things out of their original packaging to reduce bulk and make it easier to see what you have.
 
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Spring is just around the corner, but I’m over h Spring is just around the corner, but I’m over here still making cozy winter soups.  I added a soup board to my kitchen, including wide mugs and various toppings and it was just what we needed to make our weeknight dinner special.

The soup is my own homemade gluten free/dairy free tomato soup and I have a blog post with the recipe + sources for items included in my soup board. It’s simple, hearty and takes less than 20 minutes to make.  Be sure to check it out!  #soup #easyrecipe #kitchenorganization #stayorganized #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizing-hacks #declutteriing #declutteryourlife
#Ad Let’s organize my new small-space coffee bar #Ad Let’s organize my new small-space coffee bar! Adding a large wood turntable was the key to a tight corner in my small kitchen. It’s so much easier to fill up the water with a quick spin than squeezing in between the counter and cabinets. Plus, how cute are those marble ceramic canisters? They’re perfect for holding coffee pods, sweetener and spoons!#QVCpartner #loveQVC #coffeebarorganization #kitchenorganization #asmrorganizing #nespresso #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizing-hacks
 #declutteriing #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
#Ad QVC finds that make spring-cleaning a breeze! #Ad QVC finds that make spring-cleaning a breeze! The fluffiest microfiber cloths that grab dust, shine stainless steel appliances, plus they’re machine washable and dryer safe. The Broombi. A unique broom with a flexible blade that cleans dirt and hair from all hard-to-reach surfaces and cleans up with a quick rinse in the sink. With these finds you’ll be done with spring-cleaning in no time!  #QVCpartner #loveQVC #springcleaning #cleaningtips #cleaninghacks #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedhome #decluttering #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
#Ad 3 Tips for Organizing Under Your Sink!  1) Ta #Ad 3 Tips for Organizing Under Your Sink! 
1) Take advantage of vertical space with clear stacking drawers.
2) Turntables make it easy to access cleaning supplies with a spin.
3) Take things out of their original packaging to reduce bulk and make it easier to see what you have.
 
I’m loving these clear plastic drawers from @QVC and now want to add them under all the sinks in my house. They slide easily and are nice and deep! Can’t you just see them under a bathroom sink as well?
#QVCpartner #loveQVC #underthesinkorganization #kitchenorganization #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizinghacks #declutteriing #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
#Ad Tea Organization! I’ve been searching for th #Ad Tea Organization! I’ve been searching for the perfect solution for storing and organizing tea, and think I’ve found it in these stacking divided boxes. I used one for herbal and one for caffeinated tea, and now it’s so easy to find just the right flavor. What’s your favorite tea? Please share as I’m always looking for new flavors to try! 
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