Play kitchen for twins

I'd like to get a play kitchen of some size for my boys (age 2-1/2). Any recommendations for something that two can play with?

 

We have this one: http://www.littletikes.com/toys/inside-outside-cook-grill-kitchen.aspx

We have had it since our oldest got it for Christmas when he was 2.5 - they all love it and it has been great to allow for multiple kids playing with it and not crowding each other all on one side.

 

We have this one: http://www.step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1788 Our two got that for their second birthday.

Both of our kids love to play with it. We got it through Walmart and they had an extra package of play food to come with it. Good luck with your kitchen search!

 

I found a great deal on Craigslist for a neat wood one... here's a link to a similar. It's simple enough, yet sturdy. I actually got 3 pieces to my set but am only using 2 at the moment. I have a great wide - maybe 4 ft wide piece that has the stove top, ovens and sink. then an 18" wide fridge.

anyway, I just showed you the picture of an idea to look for, not sure if you can buy like this for new, but I paid about $30 ea. piece and I'm really pleased with the simple wood look. Also, ours is quite high, I can tell that it will last for many years and not be too short. maybe your online garage sales would have something similar. I just kept looking for "wood kitchen" "wooden kitchen" "wood stove" etc.

kitchen pic

 

http://www.amazon.com/Kidkraft-Deluxe-Lets-Cook-Kitchen/dp/B001EO1T74/ref=sr_1_7?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1310593298&sr=1-7


We have this KidKraft kitchen and like it a lot. We had to replace the knobs once, but the company replaced them at no charge. It is large enough for two kids and has lots of storage.

 

We have this one...defintely large enough for two kids. But, if I had to choose again, I would probably go with one that is a bit smaller/less expensive. I have a friend that bought this one for her trips and had to get rid of it because her kiddos grew too much to enjoy playing with it!

I think they are at a good age, too. Our kiddos received it when they were too young (~18 months) and I finally put it away for ~6 months because they were not playing with it! Now they play with it A LOT!

 

We have this wooden one. And we aboslutely LOVE it! The kids love it and have played with it every single day since they day they got it.

I will say that it was time consuming to set up (for my dh) but it's so incredibly sturdy. It has a good amount of storage which is nice. I have no complaints.

Good luck!

 

We inherited a portable one:Educo "My Mini French Kitchen" Although it's obviously not big enough for two kids to play directly with it at the same time, it has worked out fine for us. We have a large collection of play food and various pots & pans (the Melissa & Doug set is great), and that's mostly what they play with anyway. They seem to be more interested in arranging and "serving" food than in actually cooking it.

Now that they're older, they also carry the stove itself around, so they can go "camping."

Our neighbors have a big play kitchen with all the bells & whistles, and the kids mostly seem to do the same thing they do with ours -- carry the food, pots, and utensils all around the house.

So, I wouldn't say that for 2 kids you necessarily need a big one!

ETA: Here's a better link. It appears that that exact one isn't available anymore, but my point is still valid! :ibiggrin:

 

We got our boys the Kidcraft Retro wood kitchen for their 2nd birthday about a month ago. And they love it! We have it on the other side of our kitchen island, so while we cook they can "cook", ha. The only thing that has been an issue is that sometimes one of them will decide to slam one of the doors. Repeatedly. So I keep masking tape on the island and whenever they do that I tape the door(s) shut. The "fridge" cabinet has been taped for 2 weeks or more now :lol: I guess with it being at their level it is easier for them to slam. Anyway, once they grow out of this stage I don't think slamming doors will be an issue (and its probably an issue for most kitchens with doors/cabinets). I love the retro look of it, especially for boys When I told people I was getting them a kitchen for their bday some people were like "Oh, I thought only girls got kitchens." Pfft. So I had to explain to them it is not some pink, pastel colored kitchen! And besides, they may grow up to be on Top Chef someday

ETA: When I purchased it from Amazon it was on sale for only $115. Not sure how often it goes on sale.

also, I think everybody has recommended a different kitchen. So we may not be helping you narrow down your choices too much, LOL. GL!

 

Thanks for all the responses! I wondered if anyone would think it odd that I was buying a kitchen for my two boys, but it doesn't seem that that odd to me. I'm still totally undecided about which kitchen to get! First, I was thinking Step2, then I read all these reviews about how small the cabinets are and poor quality. Then I was thinking Kidcraft but maybe the boys would like one with more sounds. Now I'm thinking Little Tikes *holds head*

 

Now I've passed through Melissa & Doug, made a brief stop at Plan Toys and a briefer stop at Waldorf, and right now am in Educo land... *grimace* Sometimes the Internet makes decisions a lot harder!

 

I have this one and all 3 of mine can play in/around it. It is a bit big and in order to have access to the "market" it sticks out from the wall but it's a big hit with everyone so I'm happy with it.

PS. I know my girls are still young but my almost 4 year old little boy plays with it more than the girls do and when I bought it this past Christmas I was thinking more of him then his sisters so it's not weird at all buying a kitchen for 2 little boys...they'll love it!

 

I agree...this is what keeps our kids the most entertained! If I had to do it again, I would go with a smaller kitchen(probably wood, but that is me) and then buy some kitchen accessories to go along with the food/pots/pans. Our neighbors have a little hand mixer and blender that I think are great. My kids spend less time at the play kitchen and more time bringing us food, setting food at their little table or lining up all the food and pots around the perimeter of the room!

 

We got a medium Step 2 and wish we had gone for wood instead. They still like it though.

 

We have exact one and personally I went with one that matched our home decor and I simply do not like plastic ones.
Good luck choosing one, as it took me months to hunt one on craigslist half the price in great condition.

 

We are fortunate enough to have the Complete Kitchen Center in the second row of the link below. We have a grandma who owns a specialty toy store though! Anyway, I picked that one because they could play on both sides, not just next to each other. I love it and the quality is amazing. However, the one next to it for nearly half the price looks just as good for the features I was after. I have 3 kids, 3 year olds twin boys and a 2 year old girl and it works really well to spread them all out around it. You do need to make sure you have the space for it but I just put it with one of the short sides against the wall and I don't really think there's any difference in space, especially with the smaller one.

http://www.guidecraft.com/products/134265

 

We just got our boys this one. They love it! It is easy to put together, and I felt it was a good stable unit.