Our family spent the evening with another large family (12 children) we’ve been friends with for many years. I am always inspired when I visit their home, not only by their faith and joy, but by the little tips and tricks they have put into place to make their home run smoother. It made me realize there are many things large families do that are a matter of efficiency and survival that would be great to share with others, no matter their family size.
So, I decided to start a series here on Raising Arrows entitled Large Family Hacks for that very purpose!
Today’s Hack is from last week’s visit with our friends. Over the years, they have been slowly building their home debt free, adding to it a little at a time. One thing they added in the bathroom was a built-in step stool that is the perfect hack for a large family!
This step stool can hold up to 150 pounds! It is housed underneath their bathroom sink on a metal track.
The reason this is so great for a large family is because there are so many ages and stages in a large family. You might have teenagers and toddlers and everything in between trying to use the same sink. Having a step stool you can slide under the sink eliminates the “kick the stool out of the way” game.
Additionally, large families need even their littlest ones as self-sufficient as possible. Having an easy way to reach the sink to brush teeth or wash hands is a great way to give little people something they can do on their own!
It would even be a great addition for fixing little girls’ hair so you don’t have to bend down so far!
There are a lot of different plans out there for this type of thing. This one from Ana White calls for making use of the toekick at the bottom of the vanity. This one I found on a woodworking forum has some extra perks built in. This one has storage space inside the stool! (I’m always looking for more storage space!) No matter how you build it, it would be a great addition to any bathroom you want to make small child friendly!
Visit the Large Family Hacks page
Samantha Hatcher says
I’m always trying to find ways to make life easier. I’m really excited about this series. Please post pictures when you build one.
Amy says
Unfortunately, I won’t be building one since we rent. 🙁
Evelyn says
Is there space under the sink you could store a stepping stool and just take out/put back as needed? This is a great idea however our bathroom wouldn’t be able to do this anyways!
Amy says
I just rearranged under the sinks, so yes, quite possibly I could make this work!