Play Kitchen and accessories for DS

[Mamma2004]

Okay, I talked myself out of the kitchen we saw at Costco before the holidays, in part because DS was only 18 months old but also because I would have preferred anything but the pastel finish. (DS is constantly mistaken for a girl, despite his boyish clothes and BIBS with sayings that announce his gender!)

As his 2nd birthday approaches, DS gets SO excited to play with friends' kitchen sets so we think that may be his big gift.

I have researched old threads but since new models are introduced all the time, I would love to hear from those of you who have found play kitchens in recent months.

What have you loved? If money were not an issue, I would JUMP at the gorgeous retro red set offered by Pottery Barn. DS actually HOWLED when it came up on the computer screen yesterday! (Is that a good thing??) At any rate, we want something that is going to last, especially given the play dates that we host every week. We want it to be safe, sturdy and FUN for DS. He loves the knobs, doors and "accessories" such as cookware/bakeware, utensils, play food - all of it! If we decide on one of the more expensive options, we will pool our resources with the grandparents to go in on the purchase together.

I have also been searching for play food and there is such a range.

Please tell me what you all think. Thank you!

ETA: Part of my dilemma is the inability to find these sets IRL. It is so hard to judge quality and safety from the Internet, KWIM?

Thanks again,
Stephanie

[holliam]

I just wanted to put in a rave for the retro red PBK set. It is just fabulous. I love the color and design features. My daughter plays with it every day, and it just has so many cool features. I choked at the price, but I decided to just bite the bullet because there was no other set that I loved as much. It's the sample kitchen they always have in the stores (but in pink) so it gets a ton of wear and tear and it just still seems to look good.

I looked at so many kitchen sets in person, online, etc., and I am really thrilled with this set.

Holli

[Mamma2004]

Oh Holli, did you have to post your rave review? :-) I am so tempted to just go ahead and splurge.

I keep hoping, however, that others will chime in with more reasonably priced options so that we'll be able to make a more informed decision. Again, it's just difficult when I am comparing online images rather than touching and seeing them in person.

If I can't have my dream kitchen, I'll just live vicariously through DS!

Stephanie

[ellies mom]

Target now has a really cute one (in blue even) for about $80. It is more compact than the Costco one. Our Target has it set up in their new "wooden toy" aisle. So you should be able to check it out.
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000CCXF7G.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS384_.jpg

[jillc]

Hi Stephanie,

After reading through all of the wooden kitchen set threads obsessively around Christmas time, I decided to go with the Constructive Playthings set & we really like it. DD plays with it all the time. Someone posted a picture of their kitchen set in a previous thread & that really helped me decide.

One reason that we went with this one was color - it's white. It's in a very visible spot in our house & we didn't want, say, a big pink kitchen set jumping out at you as you walk in our front door. :)

It's also relatively inexpensive. I think around $155 for stove/oven/sink/cupboard & freezer/fridge.

I definitely overbought play food. (www.Gummylump.com & www.kaplantoys.com, I think) I bought 4 Melissa & Doug sets of wooden food & have only opened two of them & there still seems to be a lot to play with/store in the kitchen. I also found a great basket of plastic eggs, meats, & cheeses at a local teaching tools type store (Lakeshore Learning). They had lots of very cool food group baskets.

Hope this helps. Good luck!
Jill

[babymama]

We have the KidKraft Island Kitchen in pastel colors from Target. I got really good deal on it in January (regularly $149, I bought it for $60).

I love the look of it - very compact, two sided (like a kitchen island) and pretty colors. DS loves the multiple doors to open and the various knobs to turn. DS's favorite thing is the phone. It's got a microwave, a dishwasher, a stove, an oven, a phone, a chalkboard, a sink, and a clock

The quality is good, but not great. We've had it assembled for about 1 month and already DS has broken off one knob. The "burners" were supposed to be glued on the "stovetop", but they had come unglued before we put it together. The burners also have little wood slats on top of them that also have come unglued.

The design for the phone is very clever - with a magnet that comes undone if it cord is yanked too far. DS would have broken the phone by now, if not for the very practical design.

It cleans up very well. DS loves to write all over it with chalk, and I've been able to wipe it clean with no problems.

Overall, I'd give it the thumb up. I have to admit, if I had paid full price, I would have been pissed about the quality issues we've had.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000AQADE2.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS260_.jpg

Thanks,
Lydia
Mama to Santiago, my 2 yr old monster
and new baby girl, Solana, born 12/26/05
I'll figure out how to update my avatar someday!

[EagerlyAwaitingBaby]

>Target now has a really cute one (in blue even) for about
>$80. It is more compact than the Costco one. Our Target has it
>set up in their new "wooden toy" aisle. So you should be able
>to check it out.
>http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000CCXF7G.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS384_.jpg

I saw this kitchen IRL at Target and it is VERY cute. Perfect for a DS. I already bought DD the Costco one but I totally would have considered this one had I not already bought the Costco one.

[The Review Mommy]

Stephanie,

Yes, it is hard to find these IRL! ;) I was able to see the Elves & Angels wooden kitchen that’s been talked about before on these boards. I couldn’t believe my local Mom and Pop toy store had it! I walked in and was blown away by all the stuff I thought I could only buy over the internet. Let me tell you, it was absolutely breathtaking! I snatched one up and dealt with upset DH later-He-He-He! :D

Here is a list of my favorite Wooden Kitchens and Playfood:
Nova Natural (exclusive food)
http://www.novanatural.com/category.phtml?category_id=379
Play Store Toys
http://www.playstoretoys.com/playframes.html
Magic Cabin
http://www.magiccabin.com/magiccabin/welcome.asp?sc=1004&body_sc=1004&occ=1004&firstEntry=YA
Toy Garden (also has felt and knit foods)
http://www.atoygarden.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=6
Waldorf Treasures
http://www.waldorftreasures.com/naturaltoysandgames/naturaltoysandgames.html

Here is a list of my favorite European Wooden Kitchens and Playfood:
Maukilo
http://www.maukilo.com/categ_kitchen.html
Oompa (with reviews) we like the basket from Haba, page 6.
http://www.oompa.com/cgi-bin/category/Play_Food_VIE
Moolka (super cute Erzi and Djeco sets)
http://www.moolka.com/jzv/cats/254/Toys/Kitchen_Play/cookware

Here is a list of my favorite Plastic Kitchens and Playfood stuff:
I love teaching supply stores such as these two for toys. We love our cash register, phone, and other pretend play sets. The quality really stands up through rough play.
Learning Resources
Cash Register-
http://www.learningresources.com/Category.pasp?txtCatalog=Toys&txtCategory=Cash+Register&txtDisplay=Cash+Register
Foods
http://www.learningresources.com/Category.pasp?txtCatalog=Toys&txtCategory=Play+Foods+Pretend&txtDisplay=Play+Foods
Lakeshore Learning
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/IWCatSectionView.process?RestartFlow=t&IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&pcount=0&Catalog_Id=1&Section_Id=227&RememberSectionId=222&Parent_Id=222&Page=1
Small World Toys
http://www.smallworldtoys.com/swt/Webvision?qid=productinfo31&ItmCls=SLXXX&s=0&e=10&IsLogin=X&Login=consumer&Password=c99st8321&loc=productinfo

And of course Pottery Barn Kids:
http://ww2.potterybarnkids.com/index.cfm?src=shpak%7Ccplafrn%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fk%2Fs hpak%7Ccplaboy%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fk&gnd=&cid=plagrl&area=shp&age=k&&curPage=all&prevpage=1

I went with something I really loved for a kitchen. It’s big and needed to blend with the rest of the house. I couldn’t afford to buy a whole set, and lets be realistic-I didn’t have the room! I’m happy now that I just bought the stove/oven, though I was tempted for a while to go out a get the icebox too, but I came to find that we only needed the stove. So, by all means start out with one piece and keep it simple! I kept having to tell myself “Quality vs. Quantity� because it is so easy to over buy stuff like the playfood. Just get the ones you love and know DS will to. We are loving our Haba basket of food, balancing scale, and classic PBK grocery cart. These toys are not only fun but teaching DD! ;)

You can get great deals for really nice wood and plastic kitchen stuff. (Scroll down the page)
http://www.kidsurplus.com/preschool.html

HTH, Have fun Shopping!
-Rebekah

[Dcclerk]

We have this one, and it is fantastic. I really prefer it to the vast majority of the painted wood ones (except the gorgeous PBK retro ones). In fact, we had the Childcraft one originally (still in the box), and I took that one back because I liked this one so much more. It is simple, relatively well-made and a good size. My kids absolutely love it. It even comes with a pan, spatular, woden spoon and cooking sheet.