Kitchen/play table help

[martycw]

I'm looking for gifts (Christmas, then birthday) for my 22 month old. Considering an activity table (Land of Nod with the paper roll?) and/or a wooden play kitchen. I have a few questions, though:

1. Where to put this stuff?
It's all so big! Possibly the play table in dc's bedroom (fairly large) and the kitchen in our kitchen?? Is that what other people do??

2. Low play table or high play table? The floor size (maybe with mini bean bags) or the taller version with little chairs?

3. Kitchen color - is there one like the Pottery Barn red version or stainless version cheaper??

Thanks!

[martycw]

Follow up (and bump!) question: Could any of the pink/pastel kitchens be painted??

[Beth568]

There are some unfinished or natural wood kitchen sets out there that can be painted. You can absolutely paint one of the pastel sets, though depending on the finish and how you prepare it, you may have some issues down the road with the new paint not adhering well to the surface. If you give the whole thing a careful, light sanding, it will work better.

We have our play kitchen in the family room, which is adjacent to our kitchen (it's all one open space). That way, DD can be "cooking" while I'm making dinner, and she also enjoys making food for her dolls and then moving around the rest of the play area to feed them.

We have our play table in the family room, as well. My girls use it for snacks and sometimes for lunch as well as for art projects. If your DD's bedroom is large, though, a table would be nice there. It just depends whether you're willing to have art supplies and/or food in the bedroom. My older DD's bedroom has space for a table, and I think she'd be fine up there with crayons and markers, but I know her 2 year old sister would drop them on the floor and we'd have marker all over the bed, on books, clothes, etc.

As for table size, it depends on how you think your kids will use it. I like the higher tables to get food up off the floor, and I also think the high table is better for bigger kids. But if you and your little one are used to sitting on the floor for play and projects, a low table would be fine, too. I think it comes down to your style preference. :)

[DAKnits]

At Tuesday morning, they have a KidKraft kitchen Island in primary colors for $75. It looks really nice.

I have my kitchen in the family room play area. I have a small Nilo play table next to it.

I find it hard to art projects on a table with a lip, so when we're downstairs, we use the family room coffee table for coloring and playdoh and also when DD eats with her friends (I pull up two kid sized chairs to the coffee table), and I use the Nilo table with an Alex tabletop easel on top of it for painting. The Nilo table is on top of those rubber tiles so I don't have to worry about paint getting the floor stained (unless I'm in the kitchen and I see DD starting to leave the area and walk aroud the room with a wet paint brush!!!). I don't want all of the art supplies in the family room area b/c that's where DD plays with her friends and who knows what mischief they'd do together! So I put the bulk of the art project supplies in the playroom closet.

In DD's room, I have a small folding table and chairs so she can color and do small puzzles. I really like the table and chairs in there, we use it all of the time.

In the playroom, I have the Alex Super Art table right now -- most of the art projects will be done in there.

HTH!