How To Find The Best Play Food Sets For Your Child

If your child has a play kitchen, or enjoys playing at keeping house, they could always use their imaginations when it comes to creating food and drinks to serve to their guests. However, nothing thrills children more than having something real and tangible to play with, so if you are buying your child a play kitchen it may be helpful to buy some play food separately which they can enjoy for years to come.

But how can you find the best types, which will last a long time and have enough variety to keep your child entertained? The first thing you should do is look online and try to find some sets with a bit of a difference. There are plenty of sets out there which offer a huge number of items for a bargain price, but generally you should avoid being tempted by these. The cheapest sets which offer a huge amount of different types of food will usually be cheaply made as well, which means you will find your child (and yourself) unable to identify what some things are meant to be! They will also be made out of inferior materials so may not stand up to the many hours of play your child is likely to spend on them. Instead look for slightly more expensive but well made sets which will last a long time. With no visible wear and tear after lots of play, you should then be able to pass these onto younger siblings and friends when your child outgrows them.

Look for sets which provide a good range of different foods so that your child can create plenty of meals. Sets which feature lots of greens and healthy foods are very popular at the moment as parent feel they should encourage their children to think well about eating healthily even when in their playtime. But do remember that this is your child’s playtime and try to allow for a good mix of everything. Kids love ice creams and burgers, so providing your child with a set featuring just salad is unlikely to go down well. Let them make their own choices in their fantasy life, as it is their time and imagination to do what they wish with.

Some of the more advanced sets actually feature foods you can ‘cut’ and ‘peel’ and these can be great for masterchefs in the making! The sets are usually held together with velcro so will still keep their durability over time, and can easily be put back together by children as well as you when you are tidying up! Cutting sets may also feature sound effects which can be hugely satisfying to children.

If you don’t want to spend too much money. Think about keeping back food packets and cans (safe ones with the lids removed) and giving these to your children to play with. It is a great way of recycling and gives kids plenty of options for their play.