Can we talk play kitchens?

[BDKmom]

Looking to get the kids a play kitchen for Christmas, and I have a few questions.

What kind do you have and what do you like/dislike about it?
When and where should I look for the best deals?
How much should I expect to spend?
What accessories do you love?

Going to convert our guest bedroom into a playroom, so size is not an issue. DS will be almost 4 and DD will be 18 months at Christmas. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

[infomama]

We have had a Step 2 kitchen for 7 (?) years and it's still like new. It's a well loved toy around here.
www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=28747&es=237530000ESC&utm_source=CSE&utm_medium=weblink&utm_campaign=froogle&cvsfa=408&cvsfe=2&gclid=CK6L8eaAxrkCFahDMgodtFkAoA

I would stay away from wood food...go with felt or fabric.

[BDKmom]

Thanks for the input. Anyone else have any thought on the subject?

[mm123]

We have the Ikea one, and it gets a lot of play (DDs are 3 and 5). It is wood, somewhat minimalist, but it has held up well, doesn't take up a lot of space, and seems to hold a TON of stuff! We like it a lot.

Oh, and we have some of the Ikea accessories too- very cute stuff!

[YouAreTheFocus]

If I could do it again, I would stick with Step2 or similar (meaning PLASTIC). We had a small plastic one when DS was little, and then "upgraded" to a KidKraft, and he has really never been interested in it. Still likes the plastic ones he see's elsewhere though. Add it to my list of wooden toy regrets.

[maylips]

We bought the Kidkraft a few years ago for Christmas. I agonized about what to buy - mainly because that cool retro PB one to magically drop in price. We opted for the wood one because I knew it would be in a public place in our house so I wanted it to look somewhat nice. It gets some use - I thought more, but I suppose it's been a good value for what we paid. Our playroom is upstairs so it would have never gotten attention without being in a place where the adults are too.

Our wood pieces have not held up, either - paint chipping off, etc. My kids do love the M&D cookie set and the M&D cake set. They also make a TON of "soup." I got the pots and pans at Ikea.

[Philly Mom]

We bought the Step2 for DD. DH still has to build it. It will be smack in the middle of adult land and I am fine with it. We have kids. No shock to have plastic around. My friend has kids who are 4+ year olders than DD and they still play with their Step2 kitchen.

[amom526]

Looking to get the kids a play kitchen for Christmas, and I have a few questions.

What kind do you have and what do you like/dislike about it?
When and where should I look for the best deals?
How much should I expect to spend?
What accessories do you love?

Going to convert our guest bedroom into a playroom, so size is not an issue. DS will be almost 4 and DD will be 18 months at Christmas. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

http://www.meijer.com/s/kidkraft-suite-elite-kitchen/_/R-221804

we have the above that I got for 99$ after I saw a deal on here. I'm happy with it, and my 2.5 year old likes it. But he really plays mostly with the metal pots and pans. He doesn't play too much with the kitchen itself.

[jam224]

Looking to get the kids a play kitchen for Christmas, and I have a few questions.

What kind do you have and what do you like/dislike about it?
When and where should I look for the best deals?
How much should I expect to spend?
What accessories do you love?

Going to convert our guest bedroom into a playroom, so size is not an issue. DS will be almost 4 and DD will be 18 months at Christmas. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

I love, love, love the IKEA play kitchen we got for DD last Christmas: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49874533/. I love the price point ($100 for the whole thing), I love that the burners light up, I love the modern design (it's not glaringly pink), and I love that it grows with your kiddo (the leg height can be adjusted). Probably the only critique that I can think of is that the magnetic clasps for the doors are tough for little ones to do on their own. DD can open the upper microwave door herself, but she always needs help to open the lower cabinet doors. Not a dealbreaker for me though, because I'm usually always nearby anyway to help.

As for accessories, I agree that felt food is definitely the best way to start. It's soft and not as noisy as plastic and wood. That said, DD who is 2.5, loves her M&D cutting fruit (made out of wood). If you have an IKEA nearby, their kitchen stuff is fantastic and cheap:
-- Mini pots and pans ($9.99): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00130167/
-- Mini utensil set ($3.99): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80130168/
-- Vegetable felt food ($7.99): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70185750/
-- Fruit felt food ($7.99): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30185747/

For "servingware," we have the Green Toys Cookware and Dining Set: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Toys-Cookware-Dining-Set/dp/B0015466LM/ (which I'm pretty sure I picked up locally at Home Goods, so try checking there for deals). I love that it's food safe and dishwasher safe, just in case DD decides to actually eat out of it, haha. ;)

We also like:
-- M&D Felt Sandwich Set: http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Felt-Food-Sandwich/dp/B004C7S70W/
-- M&D Cutting Fruit: http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Wooden-Cutting/dp/B000NV9G88/

I have it all organized in cute little shopping baskets by Learning Resources. It looks like they redesigned them though, so here's the updated version: http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Sprouts-Stack-Baskets/dp/B00B2FNHSY/.

And I totally splurged on this purchase, but it's my very favorite accessory of hers; it's the PBK silver tea kettle: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/silver-tea-kettle-and-toaster/. You press a button and it sounds like water is boiling. You tilt the kettle to pour it and it sounds just like water is pouring. It's amazing! DD makes us coffee, tea, and soup all the time! :D

[kit]

I love, love, love the IKEA play kitchen we got for DD last Christmas: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49874533/. I love the price point ($100 for the whole thing), I love that the burners light up, I love the modern design (it's not glaringly pink), and I love that it grows with your kiddo (the leg height can be adjusted). Probably the only critique that I can think of is that the magnetic clasps for the doors are tough for little ones to do on their own. DD can open the upper microwave door herself, but she always needs help to open the lower cabinet doors. Not a dealbreaker for me though, because I'm usually always nearby anyway to help.

As for accessories, I agree that felt food is definitely the best way to start. It's soft and not as noisy as plastic and wood. That said, DD who is 2.5, loves her M&D cutting fruit (made out of wood). If you have an IKEA nearby, their kitchen stuff is fantastic and cheap:
-- Mini pots and pans ($9.99): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00130167/
-- Mini utensil set ($3.99): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80130168/
-- Vegetable felt food ($7.99): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70185750/
-- Fruit felt food ($7.99): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30185747/

For "servingware," we have the Green Toys Cookware and Dining Set: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Toys-Cookware-Dining-Set/dp/B0015466LM/ (which I'm pretty sure I picked up locally at Home Goods, so try checking there for deals). I love that it's food safe and dishwasher safe, just in case DD decides to actually eat out of it, haha. ;)


I could have written most of this post! IKEA kitchen is played with daily, consistently, for over a year now. I know you said space wasn't a big concern of yours, but even when it isn't, I think the small footprint of the IKEA kitchen is still a plus. We have friends who have a larger plastic kitchen, and it's probably as much fun/gets as much use/has about the same amount of storage as ours does, but just takes up more space. Plus, you never know what other larger items you may want for the playroom down the line that you'd want space for! We also noticed the cabinet door magnets are very strong. We actually put a few layers of scotch tape over them to weaken it enough to be used without our help.

Also recommend IKEA felt food, pots/pans and utensil set. Green Toys also has a great tea set too, one you can actually use with liquid. http://www.amazon.com/Green-Toys-5512754-Tea-Set/dp/B001543YEY

I may have to splurge on that PBKids tea kettle too...gets played with every time we go into that store...

[wendibird22]

We have this from Step2: http://www.step2.com/p/LifeStyle-Custom-Kitchen-II. We got it when DD1 turned 2 and 4yrs later it's still going strong. It's a smaller footprint but honestly that's never caused an issue. We did buy a Sterilite 3 drawer bin from Walmart to go along side it to store all the extra dishes, food, etc we've accumulated. My favorite accessory pieces are M&D play food and Ikea pots, pans, bakeware (the metal stuff).

My word of caution would be to not go all out on everything unless you are confident that your DS and DD will play with it. We bought much of the stuff for DD1 who HATES playing pretend and really never ever plays kitchen ever. DD2 however is all into it. So we spent a lot of $$ initially for stuff to sit unused. In hindsight I would've waited, started out small with DD1 and then be able to gift DD2 new things once she showed interest. Unfortunately it's all been hand me downs for DD2.

[AngB]

I think this is a good item to get used at least until you know how it will get used. I have two boys and DH was against getting them a kitchen at all (I guess that's for the BP!) I totally ignored him and got a decent Step2 one plus a few food and a pot and lid on CL for $35. For that price point, I don't think it can be beat, if they end up ignoring it then I can resell it for at least $20 I think. DS has played with it a little bit, not a ton, but he is train obsessed. I like that we have it as an option. I plan to put it in the basement in a few weeks when the 'new toyness' of it wears off and then bring them down there to play while I am doing laundry.