- Play kitchens are great for encouraging independent pretend play in young children.
- My daughter gets immersed in imaginative play with the Tasty Jr. Bake ’n Share Kitchen, whether it’s while I’m cooking or any other time of the day.
- The kitchen can be adjusted so even the youngest toddlers can reach the countertop.
- It comes with more than 40 accessories, from utensils to play food, and you can enable the Little Tikes Play Big Alexa skill to enhance your child’s play.
Toddlers love to imitate their parents and caregivers, and for my daughter, Ellie, that often means pretending to prepare food and clean up the kitchen. She already has a Kitchen Helper, which allows her to safely stand at the counter to help me in the kitchen. But when I’m working with raw meat or using the stove, I don’t bring Ellie up to the counter for safety reasons.
I started looking for a play kitchen so she could imitate me while I cook, even when she’s not in her Kitchen Helper, and also engage in pretend play anytime she feels inclined. Then Little Tikes sent me the Tasty Jr. Bake ’n Share Kitchen to test.
I couldn’t wait for her to try it out, and she was clearly excited, too, because when I first showed it to her, she played for an hour straight without any prompting from me.
The design of Little Tikes Tasty Jr. Bake 'n Share Kitchen
This is an excellent starter play kitchen for even the youngest toddlers. It's designed to grow with your child, and the countertop isn't too high for little ones to reach. The first mode is wider with a lower countertop, and the second mode is narrower with a higher countertop. No matter which mode you choose, it doesn't take very long to assemble the kitchen and only takes a few minutes to switch modes.
The first mode provides more counter space for your child while the second mode is more compact and great for smaller spaces. At 18 months old and about 2.5 feet tall, my daughter can play with the kitchen in the second mode.
I like the smaller size because I can fit it in my kitchen, giving her something to play with while I'm preparing food or cleaning up. It also comes with more than 40 accessories, including utensils, pot and pans (one that even doubles as a shape sorter), plates, cups, a spatula and pizza cutter, coffee pot, and recipe cards.
The kitchen is plastic, making it extremely easy to wipe down. It's also very lightweight, so it wouldn't hurt my daughter if it got knocked over.
My daughter is beginning to engage in independent and imaginative play, and this kitchen fosters that. Often when she plays with her toys by herself, I have to encourage her with prompts. But because she regularly sees me and my husband cooking, she doesn't need a lot of prompting when using the Tasty Jr. kitchen.
Ellie likes to play with this kitchen so much that it's hard to tell which parts are her favorite. She enjoys putting items in the oven and taking them out, as well as preparing, serving, and pretending to eat the food. The pieces are large enough that I don't worry about any choking hazard.
The play kitchen even works with Alexa
If you have an Alexa device in your home, you can enable the Little Tikes Play Big skill to enhance your child's play. Once you enable the skill, Alexa will guide your child through preparing different drinks and meals, such as hot chocolate or pizza. This is an excellent screen-free use of technology that can spark creativity and even more independent play.
The cons
I do wish the kitchen was designed more thoughtfully. It doesn't have enough space for all of the accessories, especially in the smaller mode. For example, it comes with pretend play recipe cards that can be hung on a hook, but there's no hook to be found on the kitchen. Perhaps most frustrating, the cubby designed to hold plates and cups isn't entirely level, often causing the dishes to slide off.
The bottom line
My daughter plays with this kitchen almost every day, and at 18 months old, it's just the right size for her. Although some of the features, like the Alexa skill and recipe cards, are engaging for older children, this kitchen is primarily geared toward toddlers.
If you're looking for a play kitchen for an older child, you might want to look elsewhere. The Naomi Kids Gourmet Kitchen Set ($120) looks more realistic and is designed for kids up to 10 years old. Hape also makes a more minimalist play kitchen for toddlers if you want to keep things simple.
Ellie already has way too many toys, so I was on the fence about getting her a play kitchen. But after this kitchen arrived, I quickly realized it's one of the best toys she can have. It's become one of her favorites, and I know that she'll continue to love it as she gets older and engages in more independent pretend play.