Play Kitchens

Nothing is cuter than watching your little one play pretend. And the best pretend play might just be kitchen play! Cooking and eating are basic everyday functions in any home and imitation is the most sincere form of flattery :) We recently introduced real water to our play kitchen sink and it has added hours of play a day.

We LOVE the eco friendly, made in the USA, real, unfinished wood kitchen and icebox from Elves and Angels. We purchased the "Christina's Kitchen" in 2008 and the "Jacob's Icebox" in 2009. They arrived flat packed and were pretty easy to assemble.

I did have to shop around each time for the best price and shipping options. You can google to price compare. Or here are a couple sites to start out your search:
http://www.novanatural.com/
http://www.blueberryforest.com/

I also came across this etsy shop and loved some of their variations. We added this etsy creation to our kitchen line up at Christmas time last year and are thrilled with it.

If you want something that will be a useful piece of furniture after the kids outgrow their play kitchen, this etsy shop has a great idea.

A few friends have gone with various Pottery Barn or Ikea play kitchens and have also been very pleased. My only caveat on these is that I can't speak to their eco-friendliness and I know they are definitely not made in the USA. They are really adorable though.

And while I normally try and avoid some plastic toys, I will give props to Step 2 and Little Tikes who make most of their toys in America and use recycled and safe plastics. They do outsource some manufacturing to Asia but their websites will tell you which toys are made where. I have seen these play kitchens in action and the kids really enjoy them. There are lots of things to open, close, push, pull, twist and turn.

If you are looking for something that doesn't take up valuable floor space, there is this tabletop style in wood from etsy or something like this in plastic from Target.
Of course, if I were purchasing a play kitchen today for Ella & Kaya, I think this one might be my pick. Mama digs it!