Anyone bought a play kitchen and regretted it?

[ColdShouldersWarmTummy]

Thinking of getting one for DD's Christmas present (she'll be 18 months) as everyone seems to say they're great value and get played with for ages etc, but has anyone bought one and later realised it was a waste of money/space? We don't have a separate playroom so it would dominate one end of our (reasonably large) living room. I want to hear the good and the bad before committing. Thanks!

Not look

We got one at 18months and it's in regular use now at 4yo. We've got the IKEA one. Its not been played with just as a kitchen - it's now usually a coffee shop or a shop. Great buy for us.

It’s the opposite for me. I ummed and aahed for ages and ended up not getting one, just doing something with a cardboard box. I’m now pleased that I didn’t get one as it’d now be something to get rid of. But I’m sure it would have got lots of use.

Ours was a gift from our eldest's godfather when he was about 18m. It's a wooden GLTC one and wooden. My eldest is now 9 and the 7 year old plays with it along with my 3 year old. They repurpose it to a cafe, and use it in all sorts of ways. I bought the youngest the Waitrose trolley and JL wooden till last year and they invent fantastic games which use those too. I would really recommend Melissa and Doug wooden food to complement the kitchen

Not sure why I said wooden twice then 🙈

Mine didn't play with it. I also bought a large selection of fake tins, food etc. He just liked opening the cupboards, slamming cupboards and throwing it all onto the floor, after I'd neatly arranged everything

We have the wooden ASDA one in our living room, it doesn't take up too much space. My parents got it for DD1 the Christmas she was 2.

She's 4 now and she and 22-month-old DD2 play with it literally every day - it's the best 'thing' that they play with together and is heavily involved in a lot of DD1's games. They both get really excited whenever they get new pretend food for it.

Our DD3 is only five weeks old but I'm hoping she can get a lot of use out've it too when she's older.

@Wallabyone

Ours was a gift from our eldest's godfather when he was about 18m. It's a wooden GLTC one and wooden. My eldest is now 9 and the 7 year old plays with it along with my 3 year old. They repurpose it to a cafe, and use it in all sorts of ways. I bought the youngest the Waitrose trolley and JL wooden till last year and they invent fantastic games which use those too. I would really recommend Melissa and Doug wooden food to complement the kitchen

Is it wooden though 🤣

Mine was used as a climbing frame 😂 hoping to get some use out of it for number 2.

DS has the IKEA one, it's had loads of use from age 18m to now at 5y. We bought it 2nd hand on FB basically as new. Don't pay full price!

DD got hers at 15 months (Ikea one) and it’s fab. Played with daily over the past 11 months. We have limited space too but it’s absolutely worth it.

My DD (age 3) got one at the start of the first lockdown last year, and she plays with it most days. She's so into imaginative play now, and it gets used so much. It's lovely watching her! I'm hoping her younger sister will enjoy it when she's older too. We also store things in it, like play food, a toy toaster etc.

Ds had a cheap one just before he was 2 & he played with it until he was 6 or 7.

@ABCeasyasdohrayme 😂😭😭

Yes but I wish I had bought a full size one as it hurts my back with all that bending when cooking the dinner.

@MsTSwift

Actually we had ours in the house for about 9 years. That’s why it’s worth getting a better one that will appeal to older children and look too hideous rather than a toddler plastic one she will outgrow.

Yep hard agree - ours has been here 12 yrs & I would expect it to stay in play for at least 3 more for the youngest. suspect I won't be able to part with it then though so it will probably be scrubbed & rewaxed and kept for future generations

@Wallabyone yes ours is a cafe a lot of the time too! I just love watching the imaginative play so much. My 3 (almost 4) year old gets a little notepad and asks me what I want then promptly tells me they don’t have it. What sort of cafes have I been taking her to?! 🤣

DD had the Disney one that makes cooking noises and played with it constantly. She'd played on one at a friends house first so we knew she loved it.

I think it just depends on the child, like anything!

My 3 loved theirs, every visiting child played with it.
Even at aged 8 /9 some visiting kids played with it.

It was the single best present ever. My dh made ours and it was better than any bought one

But with other toys, one dc loved it and others didn't touch it. Toys are so dependant on the dc.

Oh mine did that. Take the order for the pretend food in their cafe then gleefully tell you it wasn’t available!

With hindsight (now have teens) best items purchased were the play kitchen and a mini bouncy castle that you plugged in and blew up

We got dd an Ikea play kitchen at the age of 2. Only recently did I manage to sneak it out of the living room on the premise we were making room for the Guinea pigs. She’s 9! It’s been in near constant use. Most recently it became her arts and craft station.
Absolutely and utter bargain.

5dc here, 2!girls 3 boys they’ve all had one and they’ve all been played with. Some of them had light up hobs and frying sounds and working taps! The accessories you can buy are brilliant!! The IKEA one is lovely.

To be honest ours is just a bit of a clutter magnet, they don’t really play with the actual kitchen but do play lots with all the food (fetching food for their cuddly toys etc)

Bought it when DD was 18 months, she's getting more and more use out of it every month (now 3). Brilliant buy as when she gets under my feet in MY kitchen I can tell her to go play in hers a brilliant buy. Suggest getting something you like the look of too and keep it in your kitchen.