Kitchen Toys – 5 Things to Consider Before Buying
If you’re thinking about buying some kitchen toys for your little ones, you might be overwhelmed with the options available both online and offline. There are many things you will want to consider before making your purchase. Whether you are the parent of a child or children, a grandparent, a relative, or just a friend, you want to make the best decision by choosing a gift that will last for hours or even years of enjoyment. The following article will share with you the top five things to look for:
Price
Kitchen toys, such as the very popular kitchen sets, are made by various companies and are sold in various stores. Some products are made by companies that are known for their quality and other products are not as well known. Many times affordable price can mean cheap build, and other times it can mean a bargain. Knowing what to look for and the companies to trust is the key to making sure you get the right price. If you like the price of a kitchen set and aren’t sure if it’s worth it, you can go to Amazon and read some of the testimonials there, or ask a friend if anyone has bought the product before. This will prevent you from buying the product and finding out that you had to throw it away because it was too cheap. Some people can’t afford a high price of entry, but with all the options on the market today, there should be no reason why with a little research, you can’t make sure you make the best choice for your budget.
Sustainability
This is a big one. I have two rowdy boys who love to hit things or throw them. Because of this, I always need to make sure that the items I buy are going to hold up to abuse. While I may not have a big budget for some kitchen toys, like a set, this doesn’t mean my kids have to do without them. There are some affordable toys out there that are built to last with strong plastic and parts that close properly and won’t break off their hinges, and products that won’t fall over when picked up, even if they weren’t designed for that purpose. Some companies like Step2 or Little Tikes or even Fisher Price are known for always creating durable products that will last for years no matter how many children may pass through.
Size
We all live in different environments. Some people live in small basement apartments, some perhaps in a semi-detached house, while others may live in spacious houses. You will want to buy something that will fit in a specific room. If you decide to buy a giant 6-foot kitchen for $400 and your daughter or son barely has space left in their playroom or bedroom, you’ll soon want to throw it out, trade it, or put it in the backyard. This could cause problems if your child really likes it. While most products will list their dimensions, it’s often hard to figure out if you don’t know how to convert inches to feet or centimeters to inches. You can find free online converters if you need to check. But many times people buy things thinking that they know the size, but when they compare themselves with their children they realize that the toy will not be something that is big enough to play with for a long time. This is fine if you are buying a specialized kitchen for a baby. If you buy a $40 play kitchen set and your little one has a 2-year-old to play with it, then it’s well worth the money. If, on the other hand, you buy a $300 kitchen for an 8-year-old and find that there isn’t much room for him to play and do things, you know he’s going to be playing with toys for too many years.
Features, Educational Considerations, and Entertainment Value
Depending on what age you are shopping for, there will be certain things you will want to include. If you want something for your baby or toddler, you want something that is engaging, makes lots of sounds but at the same time allows them to learn things like various shapes and where they go, practice eating using a fork and spoon, recognizing different noises like opening and closing doors, a pot making bubbling sounds on the stove, and other fun and exciting things. There are some kitchen toys you can buy that will teach you another language like Spanish, as well as other language options. While you may be looking for all of these features, you also don’t want to buy something that requires a ton of batteries and will drain them faster than you can buy them. If the batteries run low and there are still features your child loves in the toy, it won’t be as urgent to run out.
Ease of assembly
You will need to assemble most of the kitchen toys you buy. Many of them will come in plastic molds, you will need to take out each piece, then you will need to screw all the pieces together and finally stick the decals where you need them. If you need special equipment, it takes days to assemble, or the average non-skilled person can’t figure it out, you’ll want to stay away from the item unless you like a challenge. This is where reading customer reviews can be very helpful. If you find that too many people complain that it was a nightmare, it may not be a good choice. Especially if it’s a Christmas or birthday gift, you don’t want an impatient child waiting hours to play with his new toy. There may be many other considerations that you can think about before deciding to buy the right kitchen set or other kitchen toys, but with these top 5, you should be able to make a decision that works for you and allows your child to explore their imagination while they play for hours and days.
