Essential Kitchen Tools for New Parents

As new parents, we soon realize that time in the kitchen becomes more precious than ever before. Between diaper changes, feeding schedules, and trying to catch a few moments of rest, meal preparation can become overwhelming. On the other hand, we also know the importance of having a healthy and balanced diet for the well-being of the entire family.

This is where kitchen tools come in – the right tools help to streamline meal prepping and cooking which will save you a lot of time and effort. Getting organized will also help to reduce the mental load of deciding what to prepare for every meal. 

5 Essential Kitchen Tools for New Parents

As a new parent, time management is one of the most important skills that you need to work on. You will need to identify and even anticipate potential issues that take more time than is actually required. For instance, silicone bibs are easier to clean compared to cloth ones and this simple change will save you a lot of time in the long run.

Similarly, when buying baby items like pacifiers and storage containers, make sure that they are dishwasher friendly so you don’t have to spend time hand-washing them. This is especially true for sippy cups as some of them are not well-designed and have hard-to-reach areas. A review of the best sippy cups in the market will allow you to compare them before making a choice. Here are a few essential kitchen tools for new parents that will help you save time and keep things organized:

Slow Cooker 

A slow cooker is an excellent way to prepare your meals with minimal prep time. With a slow cooker, you can pop all your ingredients into the cooker and let the meal cook throughout the day. This eliminates the time you would normally spend in the kitchen standing over a stove and yet, at the end, you get to enjoy a healthy home-cooked meal.

Slow cookers are ideal for soups, stews, chili, and curries but you can also use them for lasagna, roasts, and even mashed potatoes. While slow cookers are safe for cooking food, you should not use them to reheat leftovers. 

Instant Pot 

There are times when you will need to quickly throw together a healthy meal and this is where instant pots are invaluable. Instant pots allow you to cook your meals much faster than traditional methods and can reduce cooking times by a whopping seventy percent! They are similar to conventional pressure cookers with the main difference being that they have multiple cooking functions that are programmable.

The instant pot will continuously monitor and adjust the temperature as required which means that you can set it and leave it to cook. You can also use stackable containers to cook two things at once such as chicken curry and rice. You can put your meal to cook, feed your little one and then come back to a ready meal. 

Food Storage Containers 

While food storage containers are not a high-tech tool, they are a complete game-changer for new parents! You can use food storage containers for meal prepping or batch cooking, depending on what works for you. If you’re new to meal prepping, you should start with a simple one-week plan before you consider moving on to a more ambitious one-month plan. Different things work for different people, so figure out which meal prepping strategies work for you and your family.

Make sure that your storage containers are BPA-free, stackable, and easy to label as this will make it easy for you to instantly identify what’s inside each box. Some containers have different compartments so that you can portion out each dish separately. Look for containers that are freezer-safe, microwave-safe, and dishwasher-safe so that it’s not just easy for you to store and heat your meals but also reduces clean-up time after.

Food Processor 

While most of us associate food processors with chopping and pureeing, it can be used to do a lot more. You can use it to slice or shred veggies and some even allow you to knead your own dough! This is the perfect kitchen tool to cut down on the time you spend in the kitchen. It’s best to use your food processor for meal prepping so that you can take care of all chopping, slicing, and shredding within a matter of minutes. You will be able to chop the veggies for your soups and stews, then slice your salad ingredients and finally shred cabbage and other veggies for coleslaw or homemade sauerkraut. You can also shred or grate cheese for homemade pizzas, lasagnas or burrito bowls. 

Bottle Warmer 

While the bottle warmer is not really a kitchen tool, it is essential for new parents who are bottle-feeding their little ones. You will be able to introduce the bottle once your baby is 3 to 4 weeks old. This will ensure that your baby still gets the benefits of breastmilk but mom is not forced to sacrifice her sleep.

The last thing you need is to wake up in the night to feed your baby and in your groggy state, try to make sure that you get the temperature right. Bottle warmers ensure that the milk is warmed to the perfect temperature every single time so that your baby doesn’t get fussy and immediately accepts the bottle.