Table and Chair set for 20 month old

[mtrattner]

I am looking for a table and chair set for DD. We have seen a few in the stores but don't want one of the small sets. We would prefer this to be the one and only set we by, even though it might be big for DD right now. I was thinking a square one would be nice to accomodate 4 children but it seems hard to find.

I am open to B&M or online. Any suggestions?
TIA
Melanie

[scarletsmommy]

I don't know how you feel about unfinished products but I found some REALLY NICE sets at our local unfinished furniture store. In most stores you can pay a little extra and they will finish it for you. Good Luck!

[stefani]

Hi Melanie,

Have you tried IKEA?

We have a square one from KidKraft, but it is probably a "small" one according to you...

I think it is this, but in natural color. We got it from USA Baby store locally. I think you can get extra chairs. Look around the website, they seem to have quite a selection.

http://www.kidkraft.com/wfItems.aspx?k=2,19,160&i=1021

[Beth568]

I post this whenever the question comes up, but I really can't say enough to recommend Little Colorado. I buy unfinished table sets from them to paint and sell on my website, but they also sell finished sets in some nice basic colors.

They have two table sizes, both of which are larger than the more common tables. The regular table set (table is 28 inches wide, which is about 5 inches wider than the IKEA sets) looks like this:

http://www.littlecolorado.com/stock44.html

http://www.littlecolorado.com/images/4424sw_360x304.jpg

and their larger "Arts and Crafts" table (36 inches wide) is this:

http://www.littlecolorado.com/stock46.html

http://www.littlecolorado.com/images/4624na_432x318.jpg

Either of these tables pretty easily accommodates 4 kids, and the bigger ones are very comfortable for that many children. I've been very happy with the quality of the construction of these pieces. And the drawers in the tables are a nice feature.

My 4.5 year old and 18 month old are equally comfortable at these tables. The chairs are sturdy and the legs flare a little bit at the bottom so they're not too tippy. The chairs are still a big high for my younger DD, but I know she'll be fine on them within a few months, and the set is great for bigger kids. I think these are better quality sets than the ones from Kid Kraft.

It's hard to find a square table in a larger size - most of the bigger ones I've seen are rectangular, but actually they're easier to place in a room when they're that shape, I think.

[Tondi G]

check out this site... super cute stuff! www.MyRoomDesigns.com

I know Beth can't plug her own site but I can!

~Tondi
Mommy to Mason 7/8/01 and Aidan 5/4/05

[lotsofjoy]

You get a high quality product that is beautifuly handpainted and long lasting. This is seriously heirloom kind of stuff!

www.myroomdesigns.com

At least go take a look!

[lilycat88]

Thanks so much for pointing these sets out. I've been eyeing them for months for DD's 2nd birthday. One question. Do the unfinished sets come ready for finishing or painting or do they need additional sanding, etc. I would like to stain a set but didn't know how much additional work I would need to put in.

Thanks!

Jamelin
DD Susanna 6/29/04

[Beth568]

The unfinished sets are very nicely prepared. I do some light sanding before I paint them, but I don't have to put in tons of work to get them ready.

I don't know how difficult it would be to stain the furniture. The wood is quite clear (i.e. not a lot of knots or dark spots), but I think you'd need to be careful to do a light, light application to start so that you didn't have spots that soaked up a lot of color. The people at the company are pretty friendly, in general, and I bet if you called and asked for advice about staining they'd help you out.

[MamaKath]

We have one (rectangular, natural wood) from KidKraft. It was purchased at BuyBuyBaby. Two additional chairs were purchased for it also, so it would have 4. It has been used daily for over 6 years and looks brand new. We sit in the chairs (and dh and I are not small people by any stretch). It has gone through 4 moves, been in storage 2 times, etc. Was pricey but still will be used for many more years easily and then either stored or sold. I can't recommend it highly enough!!!!