All around the Internet right now, other bloggers are discussing some serious hot-button issues. Politics. Religion. Honey Boo Boo. Then there’s the mommy war posts: working moms vs. stay-at-home moms, breastfeeding moms vs. formula moms, and the great circumcision debate.
Over here on the Salty Mom blog, my own personal mommy war is raging and it is shaping up to be one of the most time consuming decisions I’ve made as a parent so far. More difficult than choosing a brand of formula or the time I had to pick out a safe convertible car seat. And I’m running out of time because Betty’s first birthday is in only 25 days. OMG.
My big *first world mom problem* today is:
Which of these kitchens do you guys like best?
Option 1: KidKraft Gourmet Corner Kitchen in Pink
Option 2: KidKraft Gourmet Corner Kitchen in Lime
Option 3: KidKraft Uptown Kitchen in Espresso
The fact that I have it narrowed down to three (or really two because Options 1 & 2 are the exact same kitchen in different colors) is nothing short of a miracle. My brain has been all-consumed with this for about a month now. Did you know that there are about 11 billion varieties of miniature kitchens out there right now? Because there are.
My personal preference is wood – or wood-esque – over plastic, so I first looked to Melissa & Doug because I generally love everything they have produced ever. Then a well-meaning friend who apparently has exorbitant amounts of money to throw around pointed me in the direction of the Pottery Barn Kids kitchen collection, which as a set costs more than pretty much every piece of furniture in my house combined. It is gorgeous (as one should expect for that price tag), but I want Betty to have more than just a sink to play with and that’s about all I could afford to get her.
So after I was done balking at that, I discovered KidKraft and their prices didn’t make me want to hang myself. That’s where I found the kitchen that you see in Option 1. Let me tell you about why I like Option 1:
- It is built with a corner, which to me seems more stable. I wouldn’t need to mount it to the wall. I have a probably-not-too-irrational fear of Betty pulling things over on herself.
- It looks like it has a fair amount of storage space.
- It comes with the hanging utensils that you see there.
- The price is REALLY reasonable and I can get free shipping.
- It has everything she would need in a play kitchen, plus the fun extra feature of a laundry area. Teach ‘em young.
And the cons of Option 1:
- It’s 36″ high and Betty was already 30.5″ tall 2 months ago. I guess she could pretend to be a giant chef later on.
- It’s mostly a noxious shade of Pepto pink. I do like pink a lot more now than before I had a little girl, but I still try to keep it at a minimum when I can.
That brings us to Option 2, which I like for almost all the same reasons as Option 1 with the added bonus of it being fabulously lime green! The downside is that the lime green is considered “Limited Edition” and will cost me about $40 more. Do I really like lime green that much? I better decide right now because it seems to have suddenly sold out almost everywhere in the past 24 hours. A lot of other moms must be birthday kitchen shopping right now too.
Moving right along, we have Option 3, which came as a recommendation from a couple other moms I know. Here are the pros:
- It’s got a sweet urban vibe. You know, if you like that kind of thing.
- It’s taller. I think this kitchen has about 5″ on the other two.
- There’s a place to hang paper towels.
- 4 stove burners instead of 2. I didn’t put this as a con on the other one because I doubt she would care that much or at all.
And the cons:
- I wish there were more color options. This is the biggest hangup I have over it. The brown really isn’t doing anything for me.
- I’d have to bolt it down. I was told that it didn’t seem tippy, but I’m not taking any chances.
- No laundry or bonus utensils.
- It’s the most expensive of the three.
As you can see, I have had my work cut out for me though looking at my pro/con lists right now Option 3 is seeming less and less attractive. What do you guys think? Any other suggestions or recommendations? God this would all be so simple if one of these came in purple.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
I vote for the lime green one! I love the color and the wood, Betty won’t miss 2 extra burners, the corner play area seems practical and paper towels for babies/toddlers seems like a bad idea. I may need to order that for my daughter’s 1st birthday that’s in 9 months
Becky´s last [type] ..That Tooth Fairy Lady
Yes, I did the EXACT same thing. Compared fifty-bajillion play kitchens for my child’s Christmas present. I am NOT insane. Whew. Okay – I say one or two if you have the room for it. Love both. But? $40 for green? And crap – I searched my blog and I did this exact thing. We got Kitchen 1 and it is the same brand as your one – still looks NEW even if it may be a bit dusty. http://www.mommysnest.com/2008/10/get-out-and-vote-for-kitchen-of-my-boo.html
mommylisa´s last [type] ..Her name is Uni-que!
LISA! You are the best for that post! Of course you also gave me another option to consider which makes my life harder again, but that’s okay. I’m really glad I’m going with KidKraft. It sounds like their products really stand the test of time.
My first instinct was the GREEN! Then I read it was $40.00 extra and thought well, that might not be worth it. But the Third different option seems good because she can grow into it. I’m pretty sure most girls want to play with this type of set up for quite a while. And the bonus with #3 is while it’s “dull on the color” you can accessorize with fun stuff (wonder if they have lots of fun purple kitchen stuff?)
I like the pink though too – I’m with you, you know my aversion to pink but she’s a baby girl, she will enjoy the heck out of it even if it was burnt orange, ya know?
Go with your gut. If you think the $40 extra for green is a winner rock it, if not I think the Pink is still fun. At first I thought the corner model would be a space zapper but when you said more stable it made total sense!!
Can’t wait to hear what Betty cooks up in her new kitchen!
Kelly @ Turned up to ELEVEN!´s last [type] ..48 Questions on a Friday!
Green! I love it! I picked that one before I read all the pros and cons and I still think that is the way to go. I think it’s worth it for the $40 extra. I love pink, but Option 1 seems like a lot of pink. Plus, if you decide to have baby #2 and he is a he, the green could still work! I wouldn’t worry too much about the height. Kids always seem to just go with the flow and that doesn’t seem to bother them too much.
I really like all three of them, but I’d go with the first one. My grandparents bought me and my sister a Fisher Price plastic kitchen when I was a toddler, and I definitely played with it long after I was too tall to “fit” it. I’m sure Miss Betty will love it even after she dwarfs it.
Megan B.´s last [type] ..The next step
I like #1! I had a play kitchen when I was a kid and loved it.
Heather´s last [type] ..Winter Food Love: Sichuan Hot Pot
I love the second one, I wish I had known about kid craft when I did my kitchen shopping! That green is worth $40, and I don’t have tons of money to throw around. ;]
Stephanie @ Babe’s Rockin’ Mami´s last [type] ..40 Weeks. And…
I feel so overwhelmed and stressed out about this decision. I sure hope you already have made up your mind by the time my comment comes in. I think the bigger question is why the hell is Pottery Barn so damn expensive. I mean seriously people. I got my daughter a Step2 or something like that kitchen– its plastic.. I feel that in the 5 years I’ve had kids, I throw away more things than keep them. So its hard to invest a lot into things unless its a motorized car or jeep– then I”m the same way with picking which is best– Ford 12 volt or whatever. Exciting for the birthday though!! YAY!! Sorry, that was more babble than help or a decent comment.
Janette @ http://www.thejohansonjourney.com´s last [type] ..Speedzone : Dragsters
I would not pay $40 for a different color. That’s bananas.
Get the pink.
Misty´s last [type] ..Let’s play a rhyming game!
Wow – you clearly put a lot of thought into this
I like option 2, but only because I think it looks cool. I am one of “those people” that buys things based on the way they look. Sigh. My kids have a Little Tikes, all plastic, kitchen and it’s served me well. It’s easy to clean and there is nothing sharp that they can hurt themselves on.
Considering my KitchenAid Mixer and tea kettle are both lime/candy apply green, that’s my vote! Although I will say I think the pink one won’t be as obnoxious looking when it isn’t sitting in a pastel pink room
I really like the first option in the lime green…however, I wouldn’t pay $40 more just for the color.
I think the lime green is worth the extra $40…love that color!!
Lime green all the way! It’s super cheery! You’re going to have to see it all the time so you may as well like what you see. Kid’s have their whole life to have dull brown and stainless steel!
My first instinct is the lime green. (Many girls go through an “I hate pink” phase at some point… rebellion or whatever). Plus the L-shape is very cool, AND it has a washing machine in the kitchen, which is very European.
Also more counter space!
The only reason I might be tempted to lean toward the chic brown one would be because of the height… but that also might mean she couldn’t play with it 100% for another 2 – 3 years??
#firstworldmomproblems!
Laura in Cancun´s last [type] ..Dancing Under the Stars in Tulum
Aesthetically I’m all about #3. It’s way less obnoxious in color than the other two. Plus if you added linens you could spruce it up and make it girlie. And if you decide to have another baby, and it’s a boy, they could totally play with it. I suppose the same could be said for #2.
For me it all comes down to longevity. Which one will she be able to play with the longest? If it’s #3 than the price wouldn’t matter as much, because she’d get more use out of it. More bang for your buck! Either way I’m thinking Miss Betty is a lucky lady with this awesome gift coming her way!!
Mrs. Match´s last [type] ..TTUT-Preggos Don’t Get Out of Tickets
Here are my 2 cents: I like option 2, but not for $40 more. If you decide to have more children and you’re worried about pink, little brothers are cool playing in pink kitchens. I would do this, but only because I’m a bit “thrifty” and think these are so overpriced: Head to a local consignment store and see if any other mamas are done with an awesome kitchen that costs at least half the price.
Mindy´s last [type] ..Cow Patties Cloth Custom Diaper Giveaway – 1000 Fb Fans Giveaway!
Before I read the pros and cons, the pink one was my favorite (we have two girls, and I LOVE pink), with number 2 being a really close runner-up. I love the other two as well, but after reading all the pros and cons, I vote for option one. I love the it has laundry facilities :p
I had a tough time picking out a kitchen for my daughter, but in the end, a good sale had me sold on the one I ended up getting. She loves it, so that’s all that matters.
Venassa´s last [type] ..Valentine’s Day Cards
We have this one-
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kid-Kraft-Large-Play-Kitchen/9916870
Jayme´s last [type] ..WW- Bearded Bacon