New Poll

[lhafer]

I know you are all sick of me!! Sorry!! I can't figure out how to edit my other poll!

These are the 3 I'm looking at. With their Pros/Cons. DH says I should focus more on my DD2 (will be 20 months at Christmas) vs my 5 year old because he thinks the 5 year old won't play with it that much. She didn't really like a previous plastic one we had - but it was plastic/bulky and she was an only child back then.

FAO Schwarz Bake Shoppe - $99 (on sale).
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4205510

Pros:
- Love that it's not just a kitchen alone.
- Bake Shoppe piece can be used along with the kitchen, or separate, and can be moved away from the kitchen.
- It's on a killer sale right now.
- Has a couple of shelves on the back of the kitchen for storage.
- 5 yr old would be able to set up a cash register on the bake shoppe side and "sell" cookies, etc.
- Both girls played with it in the store and seemed to enjoy it.

Cons:
- It's all pink - DD1 said she didn't like all the pink (I was shocked, as today she declaired it was "Pink" day, and is wearing all pink!!)
- It's on the small side, but DD1 would still be able to play with it comfortably for a while
- the kitchen side didn't have much storage for pots/pans, etc.


Kidkraft Large Play Kitchen - currently $125 with some wooden accesories at Walmart in a bundle sale.
http://www.kidkraft.com/toys-and-playsets/kitchens/kitchens/53181

Pros:
- It's big, taller and wider and bigger kids can play on it. Meaning, DD1 could play with it and DD2 will grow into it. But it's not so big she couldn't play with it.
- This is usually a customer favorite on all the sites I've read reviews on (4-5 stars consistantly on all the sites).
- Very good bundle price on Walmart - it comes with some accesories that are at least $20-25/piece for a much lower price. The kitchen itself usually runs $150+ not including accesories. This deal is the kitchen PLUS some accesories for $125. And the accesories are nice quality wooden accesories.

Cons:
- It's made of partical board/MDF, and not real wood. But most people say it has held up very well.


Kidkraft Retro Red Kitchen - $150
http://www.kidkraft.com/toys-and-playsets/kitchens/kitchens/53173

Pros:
- Made of REAL wood, so it's heavier and very sturdy
- Love the look of it in general, and LOVE the red!!
- Gets very good reviews (4-5 stars) on every site I review it on.
- Resale for this would be great because this one's geared towards boys and girls because of the color.

Cons:
- A bit more pricey than the others...tends to be $150 (unless I can find a sale in the next couple of months)
- ***Quite a bit smaller than the other one. It would probably be too small for DD1 to comfortably play with, but it would be perfect for DD2. Think this one may just be too small. (This is a major con for me - but it's my favorite looking one of the group).

[Canna]

Of the three you picked, I think I like the red one the best. But if I were in the market for a toy kitchen today I'd probably get the IKEA one. I don't really care for the look of all the pastels. I do think they make it look a little more babyish.

We have a dark blue Target toy kitchen that we bought about 5 years ago (they no longer sell that model). Like this:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bab/2585523607.html
It's not huge - and I think that's a plus, actually. It's easier to place in a space. It's still plenty big enough for my very tall 3.5 year-old and 6.5 year-old to play with. At a tag sale I got an institutional Kaplan unit that is just kitchen shelves and extra counter.
Like this:
http://www.kaplantoys.com/store/trans/productDetailForm.asp?CatID=2%7C0%7C0&PID=FS12064&area=grabber&WT.srch=1

It's actually really cute and we have it next to our kitchen. The open storage for the plates, cups, toy spices, etc. really led to more play (versus having everything tucked away inside the kitchen unit itself).

[katydid1971]

FWIW I bet they are all made of MDF and not real wood. (Your con to number two)

[lhafer]

Of the three you picked, I think I like the red one the best. But if I were in the market for a toy kitchen today I'd probably get the IKEA one. I don't really care for the look of all the pastels. I do think they make it look a little more babyish.

We have a dark blue Target toy kitchen that we bought about 5 years ago (they no longer sell that model). Like this:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bab/2585523607.html
It's not huge - and I think that's a plus, actually. It's easier to place in a space. It's still plenty big enough for my very tall 3.5 year-old and 6.5 year-old to play with. At a tag sale I got an institutional Kaplan unit that is just kitchen shelves and extra counter.
Like this:
http://www.kaplantoys.com/store/trans/productDetailForm.asp?CatID=2%7C0%7C0&PID=FS12064&area=grabber&WT.srch=1

It's actually really cute and we have it next to our kitchen. The open storage for the plates, cups, toy spices, etc. really led to more play (versus having everything tucked away inside the kitchen unit itself).

I don't really like the pastels either. I hear a lot about the Ikea kitchen.

Is there some reason I should look at the Ikea kitchen vs the FAO Schwarz Bake Shoppe? Looking at them - they look almost identitical, except the FAO one actually has some knobs, while the Idea one has adjustable feet.

So basically I could get the kitchen and the "shoppe" for less than just the Ikea one. Figuring, of course, you can get by the pink color. But, who's to say I can't paint it whatever coloer? It doesn't have to stay pink!!

It's hard to tell in the picture, but the countertop on the FAO Schwartz one is a light gray - make to look like granite and looks really nice.

[lhafer]

The other think I can look at (and the 5 year old LOVED this) is find an EUC Rose Petal Cottage with accesories on CL. There are a few of them in my area. She called it a "little town" and was all gungho about it.

[BabyBearsMom]

I voted for the 2nd one. I think the bigger size means your kids will get more time to play with it before they grow out of it.

But I am with PP, I really like the Ikea one. I played with it last time I was in the store, and if we had room for it in my house, I would have bought it. It was very nice. I know a bunch of people who have it and they really like it. A friend of mine has had it for 2.5 years and through 2 kids and it still looks great. I also like that it isn't pastel.

[weech]

We have the 3rd one in white and love it.

[rolypoly27]

I like everything about the Large Pastel Kitchen, except for the "Pastel" part. :)

I really like the clean look of the Ikea one and they have lots of accessories to go with it. But I do wish it had a regular "gas" stovetop and a fridge.

[YouAreTheFocus]

If I were you, I'd get the tru bake shoppe. Looks like a great deal--a lot of bang for your buck. I like that it has two pieces that could be used alone or together. My toddler would LOVE to play store with the shoppe side.

[MMMommy]

My vote is for the Large Kidkraft Kitchen. That has been a beloved play kitchen for durability and size over the years (with moms in general). I also like the pink FAO one for its versatility. I think it depends on whether you prefer a big kitchen only or a kitchen/play store combo. What features will interest your DCs the most?

I think the red Kidkraft kitchen is too small scale with the height being only 35.7" versus 42" on the Large Kidkraft Kitchen.

[arivecchi]

We have the red kidkraft kitchen and we all love it. I love that it is not this gigantic plastic thing that takes up a lot of room. It's red, it's gender neutral, it's retro. :p My tall 4 year old either bends a little or kneels with his little brother - so it's smaller size has not been an issue. I think I got mine for $99 from Amazon during the Christmas sales. I would keep an eye on it in Amazon if you choose this one. It has lots of room for storage and looks really nice in our basement.

[lhafer]

So poking around the internet on my search for my girl's new kitchen, I came across this thread. This guy is a genius!! LOVE the kitchen he built from Ikea parts. He said he spent about $400 on parts to make it, but it's a totally awesome kitchen!! On page 2 he has some pics of the kitchen completed.

http://www.ikeafans.com/forums/ikea-hacker/33829-play-kitchen-progress.html

[Uno-Mom]

So poking around the internet on my search for my girl's new kitchen, I came across this thread. This guy is a genius!! LOVE the kitchen he built from Ikea parts. He said he spent about $400 on parts to make it, but it's a totally awesome kitchen!! On page 2 he has some pics of the kitchen completed.

http://www.ikeafans.com/forums/ikea-hacker/33829-play-kitchen-progress.html

Wow. That's a lot. I was blown away by similar homemade Ikea kitchens. However, I have not time or talent for that. And I would like to stay married. DH and I do not collaborate well on that kind of thing (don't get me started on the time we decided to tile our kitchen counters ourselves).

We got the "real" Ikea kitchen. 100% satisfied. I think I'll really appreciate the extendable legs as Sprog grows. My only issue is the plastic hardware, but you can replace it cheaply with the exact same Ikea hardware in metal. I thought the stove part would be lame, since it's plastic, but it actually looks just like a flat top range.

[BabyH]

I like the 2nd one. It's just so cute! And FWIW, we have a Kidkraft playhouse (I think it's treated real wood though because it's for outdoor use) and it's awesome. Very well built and I think it could stand up to anything!