Open dishwasher door as toddler workspace

“Stumbled across this idea by accident this week when my four year-old wanted to help with the cooking. She’s kind of a wild stirrer and flour has a tendency to end up all over so I was feeling resistant to having her help. The dishwasher happened to be open and I got the idea to just set the bowl on top of the open dishwasher door. It was just the right height for her to help add ingredients and stir, and the pile of flour and sugar that usually ends up on the counter ended up on the dishwasher instead, making clean up as easy as closing the door. It was definitely one of those ‘how did it take me so long to think of this?!’ sort of moments.”

It’s worth reading the conversation following this ParentHack tip for the ‘over-protective parent’ argument that ensues (’it’s unhygienic’, ‘the door will break’, ‘toxic detergent’ etc). Here’s my favourite quote:

“Nothing wrong with the dishwasher. If you’re concerned about the hygiene of a clean dishwasher door, you should be concerned about the clean dishes that come out of it. If your dishwasher isn’t cleaning all the detergent out of the cup, you are either loading it wrong or it’s time for a repair or a new dishwasher. And if there’s detergent residue on the door, simply don’t allow your child to lick the spilled flour off the door and wash their hands when they are done.”

Dishwasher door as self-cleaning toddler workspace (via Boing Boing)