Play Kitchen Advice

[rmrusso]

Hi! I am a FTM and would like to buy my 17 month old son a play kitchen. Everything goes in his mouth, so I really need something safe. Which kitchen/brand would you recommend? Also, when and where can I find sales and coupons? Thank you so much!!!

[FedBaby]

If everything goes in his mouth, I would avoid plastic because of the plasticizers that may be in them that are hormone disrupters.

We went with Melissa & Doug. Hopefully their paints are ok and not full of lead. ;) Price-wise, they were priced more reasonable compared to some even "better" ones.

Here's the one we got:
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Corner-Wooden-Kitchen/dp/B003KYTT7S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1289390925&sr=8-2
Except we got it at TRU a while ago and I don't see it there (at least not online) any more.
I should note that we have not put it together yet, since DD will be getting it this year for X-mas. (Welcome to the joys of parenthood @ X-mas -- guess what we'll be doing on X-mas eve after she's in bed!)

We've gotten the Melissa & Doug pot set, which supposedly fit properly, as well as the pantry and fridge sets. Of course all are still in the basement awaiting X-mas (and hopefully awaiting a relative wanting to give them to DD and give us the $$) I got some of those at Michaels/AC Moore with their 40% off coupons and at Kohls with a coupon and free shipping combo.

Only thing is their standard fruit and veggies "baskets" are now plastic instead of wood, which they were a few years ago when I got them for my sister's kids. Apparently the wood ones were really heavy (relatively speaking) and there were issues of them becoming missiles. (I caleld M&D and asked and that's what they told me. I told my sister and she was suprised, but also agreed that it wasn't a bad thing.) They do seem like they're really good quality plastic ones, though, although I don't think I've asked what kind of plastic they are. (I better do that.) They also have a ton of the cutting fruits and veggies that are still wood, though.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Felt food from Etsy (just search "play food" or something like that) is a great option . Wood food is heavy and not my personal favorite...maybe because a piece of M&D toast dinged my floor when ds2 lobbed it at it. :)

Beth

[Seitvonzu]

oh my favorite topic- kitchen play! (i love christmas time -- lots of kitchen talk :)

we have a wooden elves and angels kitchen that my inlaws got from www.novanatural.com... it's beautiful, simple, sturdy. it's also VERY heavy and LOUD. that said, we still love it....just took some time to get used to.

as for food-- we do have lots of M&D. we *do* love it-- the diversity of the sets is neat-- there is a lot to choose from and the play value is very high (which reminds me that i've been meaning to pick up the sushi for FOREVER and keep forgetting). the favorite set, hands down in this house, is the ice cream cones. i try to put it away from time to, but it keeps coming back. we have the cutting food, the cookies, the fridge foods (still haven't come out, they are BIG and HEAVY... i've been waiting), the ice cream set, the food groups (finally got that,i LOVE the little crates, it's in reserve), and the apple pie set (i meant to get that out when we went apple picking , but we've had a busy fall). the food is BIG and very heavy. i would say it's more fun once a child is older-- my child would barely deal with the pots my mother in law got her AT ALL until 2.5 at least. i still put those red pots away when we have playdates...in fact, the stock pot is in complete hiding right now (i just cleaned up our kitchen and can't find it!)

we also have a little bit of plastic food that's slipped in from grandparents. when my child first got her kitchen at 22 months --that's what she loved. she still really likes it, but has started to play more with the heavier stuff too. some of her playmates are a bit younger and i've noticed in general they like the plastic or fabric stuff too. until recently--my daughter is almost 3 now.

we also have a wee bit of pottery barn soft food and that is very popular. especially their "spices" -- they have shakey sounds and are just really cool :) that reminds me-- i bought a pumpkin pie last year on clearance- time to get that out! :) we also have the IKEA fruits and veggies. these might be a good option for you (they also make a "breakfast" set and desserts(we have this in reserve))-- they are soft and could get yucky ...but read the thread on that in around the house-- you can wash them! wonderful! :)

my pediatrician assured me that mouthing would really drop off around 18 months-- so you might not have to worry so much. the M&D stuff is really fun, so i don't mean to discourage you, but it is SO heavy. you're child might just need to wait a little while on that....i thought at first "what a waste!" but then it really was something my lu had to grow into more (and hopefully more... we have so much!)

oh- and one last thing... we are a "more is more" family with play food (mostly because i love it...) -- but honestly? kids don't need all that much. so if you are interested in only wood- go haba which is smaller/lighter/ and beautiful quality-- i'd say get eggs, the tangerines in a bag (they come with 6 in a mesh bag), the milk bottles in a crate and/or go PLAN which is smaller again and good quality-- a fruit/veggie set (they have a bigger one for 1.5 plus), meats, breads, etc. very nice stuff! oh, and the teaset is LOVELY and a big favorite around here-- comes with tea bags, cups, spoons, sugar (hide until older), etc. it's wonderful, neutral and fun :) a mix of these two companys can provide more than enough. you could even supplement with things like yarn "noodles", etc. :)

[mamaAnn]

If you are planning on more kids and using the kitchen for many years I would suggest getting one of the really nice ones from Novanaturals.com mentioned above. They are more expensive but so much more durable and will last. I didn't want to spend the money for my first and got a plastic one. It eventually broke, got a 2nd plastic one because it was on sale. It broke over time as well and I never liked it. Now I just bought a smaller wooden one for the last child. If I would have bought the nice one in the beginning I would have been happier and I ended up spending the same amount of $$ in the end!

I agree that the fabric/felt food might be a good option. Much of it is washable.

[Seitvonzu]

the other thing about felt/fabric food is that one time is enough to break kids of sticking it in their mouth-- (esp older kids)-- unlike wood and plastic, the texture is pretty unpleasant-- imagine sticking a tennis ball or cotton balls in your mouth- yuck!

when lu was little and wood stick her blocks in her mouth my mother told me, totally serious, "wood tastes good." rotfl --- nevermind how silly she sounded, it's true- especially unpainted-- wood smells, feels, and yes, even tastes "appealing"-- fabric not so much!

if you do go the m&d route, ac moore has a really good selection and runs 40% constantly. their retail sometimes runs higher (like on the ice cream cones)-- but it usually still ends up cheaper than other places. i *did* end up getting apple pie & food groups from amazon because i never see those at our local AC moore (which is actually not that local to me, so it's gas, tax & a special trip which adds up) & i really wanted them :)

and on the kitchen-- i actually think that one you posted is really cute :) i've looked at it at toys r us and while it's not huge, it looks very "playable" to me. i DO prefer wood kitchens and wanted something that i could imagine my kids playing with for years, and possibly my grandkids. very specifically, i wanted "something worth moving" if we should leave our current home/state. i actually think that the camden rose hutch kitchen at palumba (with the matching fridge) is BEAUTIFUL-- but the price tag for both pieces is about 200 dollars more than what we got. the inlaws bought our set, but i wasn't going to push my luck ;) oh-- plus the oven on the camden rose (at least when i bought) was completely dangerous and could have caused the whole thing to topple...we had friends that had it and --yikes! i was always a nervous wreck near that thing until the girls got older.

that said, my mother has a step two lifestyle (or whatever, there are tons of different models- -it's a midsize/price one) kitchen (plastic) and it's very fun & durable. she got it from a friend whose 3 granddaughter's played with it and it still looks nearly brand new (i haven't really inspected it, but nothing is visably wrong with it). i don't think ALL plastic kitchens have to be complete junk... sorta just depends on use / priorities. not everything needs to be an heirloom.... our kitchen is IN my kitchen and we spend a lot of our time in our kitchen...

[coolae]

seitvonzu (since you're apparently the play kitchen master!)--do you know of any novanatural.com-type kitchens (of similar quality) that come in a slightly more modern look? i love how sturdy they seem but am not a huge fan of the decorative curvy edges :)

[Seitvonzu]

coolae-- i think "enthusiast" is a better term than master ;) sometimes people who like a more modern look like the kitchen stuff by plan toys... it's kinda pricey (and in pieces) so it can be more. we have a washer by them that is really fun. popular at playdates, all the kids like it!

[FedBaby]

i *did* end up getting ... food groups from amazon

How big are the pieces in the M&D food groups? Are they the same size as all the rest or are they smaller? (I keep trying to figure that out, but haven't seen them anywhere live to know!)

Thanks for all the great tips!
I'm definitely going to be checking out the felt/fabric foods since DD's getting a kitchen for X-mas this year.

Does anyone have any specific recommendations on providers of felt/fabric foods?

[KrisM]

Felt food from Etsy (just search "play food" or something like that) is a great option . Wood food is heavy and not my personal favorite...maybe because a piece of M&D toast dinged my floor when ds2 lobbed it at it. :)

Beth

I got rid of all the wood stuff. If someone throws it at someone else, it hurts. And, if they play in the sink with it, to wash their veggies, the paint starts to wear off. We have a mix of felt and plastic now and it's much nicer than the wood :). We do have the M&D cookies.

[rmrusso]

Thank you all so much for the advice. I feel much better informed. I'm starting to look for the sales! Again, many thanks!!!

[Jenn27]

We got a beautiful veggie set from this Etsy seller:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/honeybee69
They are life-size and washable and very nicely done. We also UAE some Ikea soft food. DD has also loved the M&D cutting fruit since about 13 months!

[Seitvonzu]

i would say that the food groups food is much smaller than "typical" m&d food-- has to be to fit all the variety into the little cartons. it's not as realistic as some of the other play food, but i like the size.

and yes, the paint on the M&D can chip...that doesn't bug me as much as the weight. i give plan foods the edge on that-- they weigh less, the color is more "fast" and the cost is moderate. but the diversity is lacking-- haba/erzi are much smaller but SO MUCH MORE money. m&d is huge , but a great price point. this is why we have such a diversity of stuff!

you can also get fabric/felt food at Pottery barn kids (online and in store)-- it's very expensive though...so we only have pieces we've picked up on sale (peppermint bark, spices, & a pumpkin pie---too cute!). IKEA has the 4 sets now too. etsy is a good resource, but i've never ordered there- -i knit , so i have TONS of knitted fruit/veg and the felt offerings seem expensive to me. oh wait, i lied-- we DO have etsy food- i got a pancake set that is cute as buttons.

ifyou are in the least bit crafty -- felt food is pretty easy --there are TONS of free patterns available. and if you don't get hung up on expensive felt, it can be very cheap!

[cicada]

Has anyone seen this little tikes kitchen in real life and have any opinions on it?

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4082056

[FedBaby]

i would say that the food groups food is much smaller than "typical" m&d food-- has to be to fit all the variety into the little cartons. it's not as realistic as some of the other play food, but i like the size.

and yes, the paint on the M&D can chip...that doesn't bug me as much as the weight.
...
IKEA has the 4 sets now too.
...
ifyou are in the least bit crafty -- felt food is pretty easy --there are TONS of free patterns available. and if you don't get hung up on expensive felt, it can be very cheap!

Thanks for letting me know how big the food groups are. It's also really good to know that M&D are so heavy!

What's the size like on the IKEA food?

I think I'm going to have to look for felt food patterns, too...

THANKS so much for all the great tips and info!

[farm-o-rama]

We bought the Hape one for our son - $88 with free shipping - and it still looks good and is very popular after 2 years of loud and rowdy boys playing with it. :) I'm a big fan of Plan Toys food - it looks great, doesn't chip, is made of sustainable rubber wood, and the paints are non-toxic. To me, it's worth the extra cost; the other painted wooden food we bought has chipped and not held up as well as our Plan Toys stuff. Also, if you're crafty, you can sew or needle felt food from natural wools - I make anything the kids want, like cheeseburgers, cupcakes, donuts, cookies, etc. :)

http://www.amazon.com/Educo-My-Creative-Cookery-Club/dp/B000A6L6WK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1289629676&sr=8-3

[essnce629]

Has anyone seen this little tikes kitchen in real life and have any opinions on it?

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4082056


I saw this one on display at TRU today. It was VERY shallow. The shallowness is a complaint I read about it in reviews on Amazon too-- not much play food can fit in it. It also didn't seem to be very well made-- it was peeling in parts (the backsplash area is covered in paper it seems) and I saw chips in it. I think it's all MDF material. And it was up high on a display shelf, out of reach of little kids, so it shouldn't have been falling apart.

[coolae]

hey folks. i figured i'd tell y'all about a great deal i got on a play kitchen yesterday--
$24.99 for the kidkraft razzleberry at tuesday morning (extra 50% of clearance)

http://www.amazon.com/KidKraft-53195-Kidkraft-Wooden-Kitchen/dp/B002USOJ66/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_0

my DD is only one so i figure this will be our first step kitchen to see if she likes the concept (esp at this price!), then we might upgrade to a bigger one when she is older.

thanks for all of the play food advice. i seriously want to get so much just for ME!

[JoyNChrist]

If you have the space, I LOVE our Marvel island play kitchen (http://www.heirloomwoodentoys.com/Marvel-All-In-One-Kitchen-Island-pr-18587.html).

DS1 got it for his second Christmas (21 months old) and it's still holding up beautifully. Kind of modern looking and very, very cool.

The only thing is that you need to be able to have access to both sides, so you either need a large place to put it or a roomy corner.

We like the M&D play food, FWIW.

ETA - We didn't pay $300 for ours. I want to say it was $200...maybe $250 but definitely no more than that.

[Seitvonzu]

joynchrist-- that is such a cool kitchen! i love it :)

coolae-- i'm definitely the play food addict around here. definitely. just today while my non-napped key-up toddler was being extra shy with some guests, i broke out the PBKs pumpkin pie i bought for her to serve them (she was talking about making a pie with a real pumpkin she had)

[cicada]

I saw this one on display at TRU today. It was VERY shallow. The shallowness is a complaint I read about it in reviews on Amazon too-- not much play food can fit in it. It also didn't seem to be very well made-- it was peeling in parts (the backsplash area is covered in paper it seems) and I saw chips in it. I think it's all MDF material. And it was up high on a display shelf, out of reach of little kids, so it shouldn't have been falling apart.

Thanks so much for the info! I haven't had the chance to get to a toy store, but I think I'm going to have to for a kitchen...

[FedBaby]

We also UAE some Ikea soft food.

Can anyone say how big the ikea fruits & veggies are?

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70185750

[twowhat?]

Can anyone say how big the ikea fruits & veggies are?

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70185750

They're a good size. The banana is the size of an apple banana. The apple half is about the size of a clementine. The watermelon slice is about the size of a slice from one of the small seedless watermelons.

The egg (sunny side up) is life size, as is the sausage. The bacon is a bit smaller than life-size (unless you are the type to cook bacon until it's completely shriveled up). The sandwich is about half the size of a real sandwich.

The tomatoes are about the size of a clementine. The garlic is the size of a real small bulb. The head of lettuce is about the size of a grapefruit.

Hope that gives you an idea!!

And we also have the Melissa & Doug Cook's Corner Kitchen. It sat in our garage for a YEAR (through a very hot summer and then cold winter). We assembled it today and were happy to find that despite that, all the pieces were in great condition and fit together nicely. It's a VERY nice compact kitchen. The girls just LOVE it and the IKEA pots and pans work perfectly with it!

[ahisma]

I love our playfood from here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/fairtradefamily

[charmcitymom]

Hi,

I've been looking for THE kitchen for DS. I'm getting lots of resistance from family but I really want to get him one. I've seen him play with them before and he really enjoys it.

In any case, I'm looking for one that's relatively simple and straightforward. I don't expect to get too much food or stuff - so just the basics really - and some felt food for added fun.

Hautelook has the Educo kitchen for $100 with the pots and food (http://www.hautelook.com/product/1342052) . Seems like I can't go wrong. Unfortunately, I've been dragging my feet on this and now only the green and orange set is left.

Does any one have this kitchen? DS is 15 months old. Is he too young? Many of these say 3 years and above so it's hard to tell if he'll be okay with it. He's 32 inches tall now. I could save this for his birthday (of course I did get him a table and chairs I was saving for then!) or for next Christmas.

I'm just not sure and since I'm not getting much support from my family, I'm hesitating.

Thanks!

[gobadgers]

DS is 15 months old. Is he too young? Many of these say 3 years and above so it's hard to tell if he'll be okay with it.

I don't have it, but I love that kitchen! It may be that some of the accessories are choking hazards, so you may just have to save some of the smaller pieces for later. 15 months old is a good time to start in a play kitchen, IMO - it's one of those toys that will get play for a lot of years (and in many different ways).

We have the IKEA play kitchen and love it. It has a little more modern, streamlined look. It was $140 (including a little hutch with a microwave), and so far so good - it's gotten a year of abuse and still looks brand new.

[charmcitymom]

It was available again in the white and I took it as a sign! I got it! I will save it for a while since DS already has more than enough Christmas gifts. I figured I couldn't go wrong since it came with kitchen supplies.

[larig]

I don't have it, but I love that kitchen! It may be that some of the accessories are choking hazards, so you may just have to save some of the smaller pieces for later. 15 months old is a good time to start in a play kitchen, IMO - it's one of those toys that will get play for a lot of years (and in many different ways).

We have the IKEA play kitchen and love it. It has a little more modern, streamlined look. It was $140 (including a little hutch with a microwave), and so far so good - it's gotten a year of abuse and still looks brand new.

:yeahthat:
I love our ikea kitchen. I totally don't mind that it is right in the middle of the living room. I wanted a modern, clean lines kitchen and the ikea one worked.

[JenRay507]

I lurked here a lot trying to figure out what I wanted in a play kitchen, and I got this one for my DD for her 2nd birthday: http://www.novanatural.com/elves-angels/wooden-kitchens/sylvies-kitchen It is a beautiful piece of furniture!
I wanted wood, storage, and with a little counter space. My mom made her an apron and potholders, and my mom and I made her a bunch of felt food (apples, carrots, strawberries, cookies, pancakes, bread, lettuce, cheese, fried eggs, etc.) I did get her the M&D cutting food too. I got the Green toys teas set, and the ikea pots and pans. (If only friends had not gotten the 10,000 pieces of cheapo plastic dish set as well, I would have been very happy with the quality/safety of everything!)
Anyway, she plays with it quite a bit. (she is 3.5 now). But my 12-month old son plays with it all the time! Mostly, he likes to bang things around, and take all the food and dishes out. But I am so pleasantly surprised how much he likes it, and I love to watch them "make" things together!

[scriptkitten]

We love our educo/hape kitchen!! I love that it has a nice modern look!

[charmcitymom]

We love our educo/hape kitchen!! I love that it has a nice modern look!

I wanted to see what kind of accessories would work well with this kitchen. The set I got has the Educo Chef Cookware and Chef Cuisine. What other items work well with this kitchen? I'm planning on getting some felt food.

Any suggestions on what works well?

Thanks