Craigslist.

This one: Hape Tabletop Cook and Grill Kid's Wooden Kitchen Play Set with Accessories https://a.co/d/fjdxGeJ

The upright piece pulls out and you can store it on a shelf or in an under-bed bin.

I bought some of the play food/kitchen accessories from ikea to go with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the ones that look like they’re made of wood but are lightweight are made of MDF, which off gases formaldehyde and other chemicals for the first year or two. With a used one, not only is it cheaper, environmentally friendly, and already assembled, but you’re not exposing your 2 year old to chemicals unnecessarily. If you must buy a new one, the plastic ones from Step2 are less aesthetically pleasing, but they’re made of food grade plastic.

Even the Pottery Barn ones that are Greenguard certified?

If it’s made of MDF.

The Ikea one. It even comes with little risers so it can get taller as your kids do.

Anonymous wrote:All of the ones that look like they’re made of wood but are lightweight are made of MDF, which off gases formaldehyde and other chemicals for the first year or two. With a used one, not only is it cheaper, environmentally friendly, and already assembled, but you’re not exposing your 2 year old to chemicals unnecessarily. If you must buy a new one, the plastic ones from Step2 are less aesthetically pleasing, but they’re made of food grade plastic.

+1

The wooden toy fad has sadly just lead to a lot of formaldehyde exposure through particle board. Safe plastics are safer than wood glue and lead paint.

Anonymous wrote:All of the ones that look like they’re made of wood but are lightweight are made of MDF, which off gases formaldehyde and other chemicals for the first year or two. With a used one, not only is it cheaper, environmentally friendly, and already assembled, but you’re not exposing your 2 year old to chemicals unnecessarily. If you must buy a new one, the plastic ones from Step2 are less aesthetically pleasing, but they’re made of food grade plastic.

Even the Pottery Barn ones that are Greenguard certified?

All of the ones that look like they’re made of wood but are lightweight are made of MDF, which off gases formaldehyde and other chemicals for the first year or two. With a used one, not only is it cheaper, environmentally friendly, and already assembled, but you’re not exposing your 2 year old to chemicals unnecessarily. If you must buy a new one, the plastic ones from Step2 are less aesthetically pleasing, but they’re made of food grade plastic.

Kidkraft - absolutely look for one second hand.

Can confirm, the ikea one took a really long time to assemble. But it is great!

If you get one used, it'll be already assembled. This is what I kept thinking as I assembled ours, hah.

We got ours (Ikea) when our neighbor (who we barely new) rang our bell one night and told us (a) they were moving away; (b) they were desperate to get rid of the kids' play kitchen and hoping the kids would not notice with all the chaos surrounding the move; and (c) could they bring it over to our house immediately in the cover of darkness while their kids were asleep.

Kids played with it for years, until they didn't, and we put it on the street corner with a FREE sign.

I am working on a theory that there has actually only ever been one toddler play kitchen ever sold, and that parents just pass it around so much that it seems like everyone has one.

ikea

Agree with garage sales or Facebook/Nextdoor. You’ll be glad you went got an inexpensive one when you realize exactly how much use it actually will get. We personally had the Ikea one. DC loved it and passed it along to younger cousins.

Go to some neighborhood garage sales. You can usually pick one up cheap.

I want to get a play kitchen for our two year old that they can grow with and future siblings will use. Any recommendations? I’m eying the IKEA one, because it is cheaper, but oh my gosh there are so many options out there! It feels like a big purchase since some go up to hundreds of dollars! Post your recommendations please!