Tips for buying a toy kitchen

Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 12:37 am

Toy kitchens are so much fun for little girls and boys. Toy kitchens provide hours of entertainment for children here are a few tips to purchasing the perfect kitchen for the child on your Christmas list. Before you even set out shopping for the toy kitchen you should keep one thing in mind the durability of the toy children like to climb and jump off things. You don’t want a toy that will cause injury by it falling over and landing on them, light weight plastic will not cause much more than a bump and bruise. If they hit their head on it will not cause an injury just a little bump. Your child’s safety is the most important thing when shopping for their first kitchen set make sure their are no rough or pointy edges or hard surfaces.

The first thing you need to do before purchasing the Kitchen set is make sure it is not on the recall list. While most toys on the list have been removed from the shelves some have slipped through the cracks and are still available. Visit the website at www.cpsc.com just to be safe. A report from the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) also advises against buying any toys at a yard sale or second hand shop because the toys in this case kitchen set may have been purchased before the recall.

While there are a lot of kitchen sets to choose from one other important tip to take in to consideration is the manufacturers suggested age. Many kitchen sets come with plastic food items, utensils, and other assorted kitchen items that may be too small and easily swallowed by a two year old.

If your buying the kitchen for your own child you already know how much room you will need to set up so they can play comfortably and what color they will like best. As well as what food items they will want and if they need a kitchen with a high chair attached or perhaps a dishwasher, will they need a phone or do they already have one. These are all things to take in to consideration.

The two best kitchen sets for children according to consumer reports as far as safety and versatility are listed below.

* Little Tikes Cookin Fun Interactive Kitchen- Price $ 99.99 this kitchen set is appropriate for both girls and boys all of the items make sounds except the phone and it comes with minimal accessories so you can purchase the larger items for the little ones.

* LifeStyle Dream Kitchen – Price $ 159.00 this kitchen set is recommended for children 16 months and up again minimal items and the ones it does include are large and safe for small children. It’s pink and blue so girls and boys a like can enjoy it.

Another important thing to consider when purchasing the toy kitchen is the height of both your child and the kitchen if you can find one that is adjustable it will serve two purposes; keep your child from having to stand on a stool risking the chance of them falling off and getting hurt and if it is of good quality it will last a long time preventing you from having to buy a new one in a few years.

Some kitchen sets come with a few accessories such as; pans, utensils, dish sets and even food. Keep in mind when buying extra accessories the child’s age. Same grapes and tiny tea cups are not appropriate for a child under three.

You could spend a small fortune in accessories alone. My choices are the shopping cart that comes packed full of food items it sells for about $10 and it’s well worth it as the child now has the “ability” to go grocery shopping as well it’s two toys in one. You can purchase everything from dish sets, food, tea pots, blenders, coffee pots, specialty food items like McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut take out. There is so much available to create a real life experience for a child and build their little imaginations.

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