Would you get a 6 year old a toy kitchen for Christmas?

[WantAnOrange]

DS has asked for a toy cooker for Christmas. I'm stuck for what else to get him as his main present (he doesnt really ask for much) and I've found a lovely one from John Lewis. It's £100 but then John Lewis a pretty good quality and I have an 8 week old DD who it could get passed down to one day.

My concern is that he will grow out of it very soon?

Also, when I mentioned it to my dad he looked a bit

On the other hand I thought of getting him some 'real' kitchen stuff. He's a big fan of Jamie Oliver, who does a range of kitchen stuff.

Or should I just cave in to social pressure and get him an Innotab/ Furby/ Nerf gun?

Ah, I would get him what he wants he will always remember it and 6 isn't too old for pretend play. Like you say, if he grows out of it in a year DD will by then get a lot of use out of it too.

think ds got a toy cooker when he was about 6 - it was a wooden one and my parents painted it and painted trays of food too- he loved it and had lots of fun with it-then it got passed to younger cousin.

Can you gently probe what his 'vision' is - how does he see himself playing with it.

Nowt wrong with it - but at 6, with a fair wind of motivation, you could for sure start 'real' cooking.

I agree, plus if you get some 'real' cooking stuff (DS1 also huge fan of JO), downsized for kids (le creuset also do some bits), it's an easy transition from pretend play to making real things and putting them in the real oven. You might have a budding chef on your hands! If your dad makes a face remind him how much JO and Gordon Ramsay make...

At this age my kid enjoyed basically fixing their favourite meals - dd was moulding sushi & ds was flipping burgers!

All good points. He does lots of cooking with me anyway, even knows how to gut a fish! I just didn't want him to end up comparing with other kids who might be getting the top toys. I know this is shallow . I shouldnt pay any notice to Dad really, he has ishoos with buying, what some would call gendered toys. For his birthday, DS asked him for a dolls house and Dad said "How about a nerf gun?"

DS adores JO and has just discovered Heston too. He just loves to eat I think!

Could you get him a little cheaper one but then get him a real cooking set? Notonthehighstreet have a boys cookery set which is in a case with rockets etc on it. I bet he would love that

I would expect him to grow out of it quite quickly whereas if you can foster his obvious interest in cookery you could have the next Jamie on your hands. My DSs are seven and five and no longer even look at the expensive wooden kitchen which was a real hit when they were three and four.

Yet another option as well as getting him his own set of proper utensils would be to buy him a real smoothie maker or food processor, which he can learn to use.

Plus a chef's costume. DS2 gets his chefs hat out even to put cereal into a bowl!

This looks like it could be good. Kenwood children's mixer can be used to make cakes, omelettes and pancakes.

This looks like it could be good. Kenwood children's mixer can be used to make cakes, omelettes and pancakes.

There is a Heston blumenthal inspired kitchen chemistry kit (on amazon I think) where you make weird heston-y foods. Worth a look?

www.notonthehighstreet.com/poshtottydesignsinteriors/product/cake-making-set-for-boys

They are nice ideas but as we've already got the usual cooking kit and he's familiar with using them I don't think he would find it exciting. I asked him today if he still wants a toy cooker and he said "Yes, 'cause I put it on my list". Was a silly question apparently....

I'll have a look for the Heston kit though.

If that's what he really wants get it. Chances are he'll grow out of it just about when his sister grows into it.

By the way, if you're interested in the 'gendered toy' ishoo, you might like to take part in this survey

Interesting survey GrimmaTheNome. I loathe the way toys are marketed but my family completely buy into it.

Got my ds2 ine when he was 2.
He is 4 now and it gets played with everyday.
We have the ikea one.
Excellent.

I would. I bet even when he's outgrown it, he will LOVE playing kitchens with his little sister :)

I would think that a 6 year old (boy or girl) is far too old for a toy kitchen but then my DS was never into anything like that - only wanted to play with sports related stuff from about age 2 . I blame my sports mad hsuband.

Why not just get 'real' kitchen stuff and get him cooking proper meals?

we have a wooden toy kitchen we bought for ds3? anyway he is almost 8 and still plays with it, as do ds4 (4) and dd (almost 2)

letterbox have nice toy pots and pans, metal ones that look like real ones and there is a make that does nice play food, melissa and doug? we have their toy cupcakes, that come with a tray and icing and candles and pens to decorate (they are wipe of white board ones made to look like icing pens) they were bought for ds4 but ds3 also likes them.

lakeland does nice stuff for cooking with children a well.

as your dd will use the toy cooker as i dont think its a bad buy, and it is always played with my children that come round including older ones of 6+ :)

We have a family toy cooker, food, crockery etc in the play cottage. All three DC love play picnics and meals the elder two are boys 9 and 6. My youngest is a nearly 2 year old girl.

DS1 and DS2's friends also all play with this stuff when they're over.

I may have gone a little overboard with aprons, tablecloths, tea towels, sweet shop, play tills, chalk boards etc. But they do really enjoy it. We have more gender stereo type stuff too, this stuff isn't just one child's.

We already have the tea set and all the food which he still plays with. He had an elc cooker but it fell apart. I'm also a childminder so it would get a lot of use, I just wanted to make sure I'm buying something he'll get to use a lot.

Ragwort.
My ds1 is 9 and still Plays with it and my nephews who are 9 and 7 make a bee line for it when they come too.
The only children who don't seem to play with it much are the girls that come to play :)