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Organizing Kitchen Cabinets for Toddlers


For a while, I had two separate cabinets: one packed with baby bottles and breastpump parts, and another with toddler plates and cups. With my girls two years apart, it made sense at the time.


Now that both are past the bottle stage, I combined everything into one organized cabinet. Plates, silverware, sippy cups, snacks— all in one spot. Everything has a place, and I can find what I need without digging.


The right storage containers made all the difference.


A rustic organized cabinet
A rustic organized kitchen

Here's how I started organizing my kitchen cabinets for toddlers


What Goes in the Cabinet


Bottom shelf:

  • Toddler plates and bowls

  • Sippy cups and straws

  • Snack containers

Top shelf:

  • Backup supplies

  • Extra lids and parts

  • Items we don't use daily


The Storage Containers That Made It Work


1. Clear Bins for Pouches and Juice Boxes

I use these in the cabinet and one in the refrigerator. Perfect size for pouches, juice boxes, and those glass baby food jars.

Kids can see what's inside. Easy to pull out and grab what they want.


2. Snack Containers with Pour Spouts

These changed everything. I fill them weekly with goldfish, pretzels, crackers—whatever we have.

The key: Take everything out of packages. No wrestling with bags. Just open, pour, done.

I have a few of these in the pantry too. Makes restocking simple—I can see what's running low.


3. More Snack Storage Options

Same concept. Easy-pour containers. Refill weekly. No original packaging.


4. Divided Storage Container (My Favorite!)

This is my biggest cabinet hack.

I stack sippy cups in the back. Lids go in one compartment. All the little straws, stoppers, valves, and sippy cup parts go in the other compartments.

Before this, I had lids everywhere. Straws loose. Couldn't find matching parts. This keeps everything contained and visible.


How I Organized the Cabinet for Toddlers


Step 1: Empty everything out. Get rid of bottles, pump parts, anything baby-related you're done with.


Step 2: Sort what's left:

  • Plates and bowls

  • Cups and lids

  • Silverware

  • Snacks

  • Parts and accessories


Step 3: Put daily-use items on the bottom shelf. Backups and extras go on top.


Step 4: Use containers to group like items. Clear bins so kids can see. Divided containers for all those little parts.


What This Setup Does


Faster meal prep: Everything I need is in one spot. No searching through multiple cabinets.

Less clutter: All those sippy cup parts have a home. Lids don't disappear.

Easier to restock: I know exactly where things go. Unloading the dishwasher takes half the time.

Visual system: Clear containers mean I can see what we're running low on.


The Weekly Refill System

Every Sunday (or Monday when I forget), I refill the snack containers.

Takes about 10 minutes. Goldfish, pretzels, crackers, dried fruit—whatever we have. Pour them into the containers. Put them on the low pantry shelf.

Kids grab snacks all week. When containers are empty, we're out. Simple.


What I Learned

Clear containers matter: I can see what's inside at a glance. Makes restocking easier.

Grouped items stay organized: Keeping all sippy cup parts together prevents the endless search for matching lids.

Divided containers are essential: All those little parts need separate compartments. Otherwise they end up everywhere.

Weekly refills work: Daily refills are too much. Weekly is sustainable.

Let go of matching sets: We have three different types of sippy cups. The divided container keeps all the parts organized anyway.


Other Places I Use These Containers

Pantry: Snack containers on a low shelf

Refrigerator: Clear bin for pouches and yogurt tubes

Bathroom: Divided container for hair ties, clips, and toddler bath toys

Playroom: Clear bins for art supplies, stickers, crayons

Same organizing principles work everywhere.


Cost Breakdown

  • Clear bins (set of 4): ~$20

  • Snack containers (set of 3): ~$25

  • Additional snack containers: ~$20

  • Divided storage container: ~$15

Total: Around $80

One-time purchase. Makes daily life easier for years.


Before and After

Before: Two cabinets. Baby bottles mixed with toddler cups. Lids everywhere. Couldn't find matching parts. Restocking took forever.

After: One organized cabinet. Everything visible and grouped. Know exactly where things are. Unloading the dishwasher is faster.

Worth the hour it took to set up.


Final Note

This isn't Pinterest-perfect. Containers don't all match. Sometimes things get messy between weekly refills. But I know where everything is, and that's made daily routines easier.


See what fits your setup.


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