While it’s right to say many toy cooking sets you see around today are not worth putting money on due to their low quality, there are some that have been receiving rave reviews from parents due to their thoughtful designs.
There is no doubt that this cooking playset is one of such. But to say it is the best, are we not going over the board?
To determine this, let’s look at the criteria we can use to determine if a pretend kitchen is among the best.
[amazon box=”B00592BOAO” title=”KidKraft Uptown Kitchen” button_detail_target = “_blank” ]- Fridge, freezer, oven, stove, dishwasher, and sink make this versatile!
- Perfect for older children
- Made with MDF and Wood. Built to last!
Contents
What do Toy Kitchens do?
Play kitchens are toys. Ever since the ancient man made playthings from bones, woods and other materials available to him to entertain his kids, man has always produced all manners of toys.
Many people believe that toys only have this entertainment value. That is not true. Even the simplest hand-tied wooden playthings have some inherent value other than entertaining your kids.
Toys help in the healthy growth of your kid. They help in determining how your kid interacts with his or her surrounding. They help in the development of kids’ basic senses.
Toy cooking sets are not left out. They do all of the above and more.
One way kids acquire important life skills is by watching and imitating their parents. Cooking toys allow your kids to pretend they are you and do the things you do. And don’t think it’s only about cooking. Cooking toys are good for the all-round development of a child.
Coming back to the Espresso playset, how does it do this. How does it help your child grow? And what features does it have to make us believe it’s one of the best in 2020?
Benefits of the Uptown Toy Kitchen
This KidKraft toy set packs some excellent features for the parent and child. Let’s look at some of these.
Multiple Kids’ usage
The Uptown pretend kitchen allows for a considerable number of kids to play at once. You may not see anything special about this especially if you only have a child. But for those parents with more than one kid, this is a big plus. Even for single-child homes that often have other children coming over to play, it’s also a big plus.
It’s a proven fact that children benefit a lot from playing with other kids. And that is even more pronounced if their object of play is an Espresso Uptown playset.
The cooking toy interacts with kids and allows kids to interact with themselves.
One kid may be preparing her play food on the burner while another is baking his favorite cake in the oven and another, doing the play dishes. Though doing different things on the same machine, they will still interact with one another somehow.
This feature of the Uptown Espresso will help improve your kid’s communication and relational skills.
Storage Space
Children’s kitchens come with accessories and for kids to get the maximum benefits extra accessories are always sought by parents.
One common problem with these toys is inadequate space to keep all the accessories. Not finding a solution to this will leave the holding room untidy, littered with scores of small parts and pieces.
Using the Uptown Espresso playset provides the needed solution.
It comes with adequate storage spaces all over. Each pretend units that the toyset is made up of has its own space to store accessories.
The microwave, oven, dishwasher, fridge and freezer are storage areas behind their doors. And the manufacturer didn’t leave it at that. Above the sink, beside the microwave is an open storage shelf for more accessories.
The set comes with pegs to allow you to hang the pots, pans and ladles so as to free more space for other play utensils in the storage areas.
That is why we believed that the KidKraft Uptown play kitchen is designed with the thoughts of both parent and child in mind. There is nothing to worry about when it comes to where to store all the accompanying and extra accessories.
And if you’re buying separate pretend units like blenders, coffee and espresso makers, toasters, etc., you can keep them on the board on top of the play set.
Interactivity
When it comes to engaging the little ones, it’s only few toy sets that can compete with the Uptown toy kitchen.
From the biggest unit to the smallest part, it has been thoughtfully put together to bring your child’s imagination alive.
Let’s see some of the ways the KidKraft Espresso Kitchen interacts with kids:
The doors to all the component units open and close. This enables your child to pretend to ice their play drinks, bake their favorite pastries and use the dishwasher. All the units doors have specially molded latches that make opening and closing comfortable for kids. Stuff like this adds to the quality time your kid will have with this toy kitchen.
In addition to this, all the knobs on the play units turn and click into place like you have it on the real gadgets.
With a chalkboard on the freezer, your toddler will love writing down his or her favorite recipes. Don’t be surprised when you find them using the board to draw their favorite TV characters.
Enough pretend appliances
The number of units that constitutes a play kitchen is another factor that will determine how well it engages kids. The Uptown toy kitchen comes with a considerable number of pretend units to wow your kid. They are:
- Microwave
- Freezer
- Refrigerator
- Oven
- Dishwasher
- Ice maker
- Electronic phone
- Gas tops
- Sink
The Look
It’s easy to say that when buying toys, one should not go for the look. But it doesn’t hurt anyone if a toy set looks marvelous in the home. And don’t forget that looks play a role in how your kid will take to a piece of toy.
The KidKraft Uptown Espresso set is a beauty to behold.
Whether you’re placing it in your child’s bedroom or playroom, it will surely stand out in a good way. Its modern look is a complement to any room’s decoration in the house.
The main structure is made of wood, painted in espresso brown. The door to each constituting play appliance is made of silvery plastic.
The way the colors have been combined makes the Espresso kitchen something many moms will covet in their own kitchens. Another pretend kitchen that boasts of such look is the Melissa and Doug Wooden Chef kitchen.
[amazon box=”B00592BOAO” title=”KidKraft Uptown Kitchen” button_detail_target = “_blank” ]- Fridge, freezer, oven, stove, dishwasher, and sink make this versatile!
- Perfect for older children
- Made with MDF and Wood. Built to last!
Issues with the KidKraft Uptown Toy Set
Though the manufacturer has ensured that the Espresso Uptown is one handful of a toy with the awesome features, there are still one or two things you should take note of before buying.
From reviews online, you will notice the major complaints against the Espresso Playset have to do with package shipping and not manufacturing.
Replacement Parts
When the Uptown Espresso kitchen first came out, there were complaints on the difficulties encountered when sourcing for replacement parts.
But the manufacturer has aptly taken care of that. You can now order for replacements through the same channel you order for the playset.
Conclusion
Is the Uptown Wooden playset the best children’s kitchen in 2020? I’ll leave that to you to decide.