Stepping Up

Double Duty in Tight Bathroom Spaces

• What: KidKraft Step n’ Store
• Why: Easier access for little ones, extra storage for you
• Where: Amazon

Lifting my child to the sink got old fast, so I needed a solution. I didn’t want the stool to go up so high they could get into other things, like my lotion. But my back needed a break. Soon after my first child (finally!) potty-trained, I ordered the KidKraft Step n’ Store.

Your bathroom probably isn’t the biggest room in your house. (If it is, you can stop reading now. You’ve clearly got everything figured out.) Sometimes getting any kind of step stool into tight spaces presents a challenge. So why not let your step stool do double – or even triple – duty in there?

I love my bathroom stool with built-in storage underneath. It has two steps, with storage underneath the top one that’s easy to access. Handle grips cut into both sides make it super easy to move back and forth between the toilet and sink. It comes in a variety of colors to fit with any decor. As an added bonus (because I couldn’t have achieved this if I was trying to), the wide space between the two legs fits around my pedestal sink. That means I’m much less likely to stump my toe on it getting in and out of the bathroom. (Only if all three kids plus the dog and the cat come into the bathroom with me do I manage that, and I don’t think it’s the stool’s fault.)

Kids can also use it to help them reach the toilet as well. All three of my kids can push or lift it without an issue to move it between the sink and toilet as needed. That increases their potty independence, and helps build self-confidence in bathroom skills.

I can fit a full size pack of wipes in mine, along with a random assortment of bath toys and other things that have somehow found their way in there. In more than three years, it has never tipped over. That’s because it has a low center of gravity, which helps keeps stools right side up.

I had no trouble assembling it by myself with an active preschooler and a mobile toddler. My only complaint: the super slick feet on the bottom of the stool, especially on tile floors like ours. If you decide to give it a try, make sure to throw a pack of rubber foot pads to go with it and save yourself a second Amazon order after it arrives.