What do you think about play food without the kitchen?

[Tammy]

DD is 2 and I'm not sure she would play with a kitchen yet. I'd love to get her one, but don't want to spend the money to just sit around (rarely in local ads).
I thought about some play food though. I saw some M&D cutting food and maybe she'd like that (minus the small food). Do your younger ones play with the food and not the kitchen?

[mspersnickity]

My 3 year old DD plays with her play food on it's own way more than with the kitchen, cutting food especially.

[brittone2]

Something to consider might be a table-top sized kitchen (Alex makes one as do a few other companies...Haba did at least at one time, maybe Melissa and Doug?).

DS got the most use out of his kitchen from age 2-3 (that and the train table took up most of his playtime). DD is not yet 2 so she's just starting to get interested.

You could also try making one out of a cardboard box or similar to see if she's receptive.

[Fairy]

I say why not? Kids are creative, they don't need the setting to enjoy the toys. All they need to do is be able to pretend.

[cpapay]

We got DD play food last Christmas when she was 2 and she has had a ball playing with it. She has turned one of my cupboards into her "refrigerator" and sets up her own restaurant. I think the imaginative play value is great.

carrie

[ellies mom]

Mellissa and Doug have a stove top that kind of like a tray. The one we have came with two pans, two utensils and a few pieces of food. I think it was like $20-25. We kept it in a cupboard in the kitchen so DD could play with while I was cooking.

When she was 2, we bought her the M&D cutting food and the four food groups. She is 5 and it still gets played with.

[Neatfreak]

Oh, for sure! My DD had quite a collection of play food (regular and cutting) and even pretend pots and pans before she had a play kitchen. She's pretend to go grocery shopping or make dinner when I was in the kitchen.

[hillview]

I'd do it. FWIW I'd buy SOME not a lot. I went over board and we have way too much and it is a pita and hard to keep organized. Try a little and see if it is used a lot maybe?
/hillary

[Melaine]

I think the playfood is a great idea even without a kitchen. What about a little grocery cart to play shop?

[boolady]

We saw DD expressing interest in play food/kitchen play at school and at friends' houses, so this summer, we bought an inexpensive set of food and inexpensive set of dishes to see if her interest was going to last. She loved it, played with it every day, and as a result, we got her a kitchen for her 2nd birthday a few weeks ago.

[BeachBum]

I'd do it. FWIW I'd buy SOME not a lot. I went over board and we have way too much and it is a pita and hard to keep organized. Try a little and see if it is used a lot maybe?
/hillary

I agree. My DS is 3, and while he does use the kitchen he uses the cutting food, and a few pots way more. We probably could have skipped the kitchen all together.

[brittone2]

Just back to agree w/ less is more in terms of playfood. DS had a nice amount, and then several family members bought additional sets (they knew he liked his kitchen), and it was too. much. Really too much! He played better when there was a manageable amount. Less to clean up, less to look through to find certain things, etc.

Don't forget that you can also try some freebie stuff like keeping your empty boxes from pasta, mac and cheese, spice jars, etc. and see if DC enjoys playing with those.

[KrystalS]

My DD is almost 5, shes had her kitchen since we was 2. The kitchen is basically for storage. She does play with it if friends come over but never on her own. She plays with her dishes and food all the time though. I know most people on this board prefer the wood kitchens, which is what we have, while I do like the kitchen I think my DD would have enjoyed one of the plastic kitchens that make noise when you cook.

[fivi2]

just to be the lone voice of dissent! My girls are almost 3. The kitchen and the dishes/pans get a ton of play. The food was totally ignored until it finally disappeared. They pretend blocks and pieces of paper are food. They love the sink and the cabinets. I am giving them cutting food this year - only because I bought it last year and never gave it to them, but other than that they haven't had any toy food for months and the kitchen still gets daily play. (We are replacing our kitchen this year because the cheapo plastic one has not held up. some plastic ones are great, this one just happens to be a bad one!)

[The Review Mommy]

Truly, this is one of the *BEST* ideas I've heard on this board! ;) My kids play with the food and the kitchen but not always "together". Yes they have used blocks, balls etc for "cooking" but they also play with the food tons.

I would get "A" set of playfood and be done with it. The greatest hits in my home are the M&D cutting food and the Learning Resources Smart Snacks combo for sure. Tied for 1st! Then a close second the Birthday Cake. You could always add the cake latter on. M&D has a wonderful set of pots and pans with a stove top tray. Nice idea since its easily moved around the room. Kids love pots, pans, dishes etc...
http://www.melissaanddoug.com/dyn_prod.php?p=2610&k=87163&name=Kitchen%20Accessory%20Set

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Snacks%C2%AE-Amazon-Exclusive/dp/B000RQ71D6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1226206025&sr=1-4

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Birthday-Party-Cake/dp/B000090W81/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1226206076&sr=1-1

Buying a playstand vs a "kitchen" is a great idea too. Theres one in a local kids shop in the middle of the room that stores toys (like a bookcase) and a table top stove. You can add playsilks on top to create a playhouse. We sort of have something like this now. You could build your own.
http://www.playstandplans.com/

If your ok with plastic hands down the MUST HAVE here is the Learning Resources Smart Snacks set. I picked one up for $20 at Tuesday Morning. The Amazon price should dramatically go down. ;) We are buying another set for a cousin who went absolutely crazy for them when she came to visit. She is 18 months old and rarely plays with "toys". Her Mom was floored. We like them so much that we are waiting for the Amazon price to drop down on the giant set. MIL has had this set for 15+ years, looks new and DD1 plays with it too. Its very realistic looking (second to none) and life size. Its safer to have around the 14 month olds and does not get chewed up by them like the M&D sets.
http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Giant-Play-Food/dp/B000BZ6U0I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1226206122&sr=1-2

We have 2 kitchens. The first was an Elves and Angels big kitchen with shelves and dishwasher rolling drawer. We skipped the fridge. Good idea. She loves the dishwasher, and I like the looks. Honestly we could have done with out it. So if your budget is tight I'd say skip it. Our 2nd kitchen is plastic and made by Step2 which DH impulsively picked up recently at Sam's. I was set on getting them a wooden Kidkraft but the Step2 is actually really great. It appeals to the youngest of children because of the smaller size (the wooden one looks more like furniture) so they can see the oven, stove top, microwave etc as they are just "passing" by. Its a nice distraction I think, so it gets played with quite a lot. The kitchen has a microwave and phone with simple delightful and quiet sounds. I really like it and its way fun to the kids. The stove top is darling! Their are 2 pans/pots that when placed on top quietly bubble or sizzle. There is a slight flickering light during this. Very cute. My 14 month old twins favorite thing to do is place the pot on it and look down into the pot as it bubbles. I really like the durability of it too. DD1 is a bit big for it but has used it sort of like a playstand in that she has done shows with puppets etc by throwing a blanket on top of the counter. She also plays store and uses the Learning Resources cash register there. The twins like to sit and climb all over it, its sort of like a little playhouse too so I think its an open-ended toy and do not consider it just a kitchen. If I was looking for just a kitchen I would buy the Deluxe version in a heart beat. It has many features and surprising amount of storage for a plastic kitchen (ours does not) it also is big enough for the whole family to play with at once. My twins played with one on a playdate and I would recommend it. Walmart has a smaller Step2 kitchen on rollback right now. Maybe worth a look. I sent the info to a few friends and would jump on it if I were still looking.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5903083