I'm planning on buying my 18 month old a chair and table set for Christmas. Which would be better wood or plastic.... the price varies quite a bit. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
We went with a miniature card table set for our kids and love it! I got it at Big Lots for around $20. It's nice because it folds and goes away easily, but has safety tabs so it doesn't fold down accidently and hurt someone. It cleans up well. The kids love having their own color chair that is "theirs", too. Have fun shopping!
We have had both, I personally prefer the little tykes picnic style table. We have 2 in different sizes. NO chairs to push in/out, trip over, fall over, easy to wipe off. But not that pretty, since its plastic. We take ours camping and it is great for all the kids.
At about 18 months old we purchased a table/chair set for our twins. I opted for the plastic kind because I knew they cleaned up really easy - and I was right! A baby wipe or a couple spritzes of mult-purpose cleaner has removed anything that has gotten on this table. (i.e. markers, crayons, food, playdough, etc.) I have to say, the wooden tables are a bit cuter and nicer to look at, but my thoughts were that maybe when they are a little older and have out grown the plastic table we'd get a nicer wooden one. This is the one I purchased at Babies r us (but the sell everywhere else too!) and my kids love it and sit at it all the time! :) Best wishes.
My children are using the wood set that my parents got for me as a small child. They are still in amazing shape, and have been used as stepstools for adults as well. The plastic kind my neighbors purchased recently and a chair is already broken. Hope this helps!
One of the best purchases I made was one of those plastic picnic tables... I think is made by Little Tykes. I have 4 kids -- 6y, almost 4y, 22 month, and 2 week old.
http://www.amazon.com/LIttle-Tikes-Easy-Store-Table/dp/B0...
Basically like that one but mine is older, it doesn't fold.
My parents have a wooden Kinderkraft table and 4 chairs at their house -- I personally like the plastic picnic table design better. I like it because it's easier for smaller children to get on and off the seat, no chance of the seat tumbling over or slipping out from under them, and the plastic is GREAT for crafts - painting, finger paints, washable markers... it cleans up much easier. No paint to chip, no wood to stain.
I picked ours up used and have gotten tons of use out of it. Definitely a thumbs up from me. I'm sure your child will like whatever you decide -- hope my input helps.
This depends on the wood. Plastic is a safe route to go as it is more scratch resistant, but either way your 18mo won't care much. We have a black fermica incased particle board table for my 2 yo boy with a blue plastic chair and I have a white wooden table and chair set for my 7 yo daughter; both have worked well so I would say go for the better price (or wichever one looks best in the room).
We bought a plastic table and chairs for my daughter when she was about 18 months. Maybe it was just an especially cheap kind, but it was not at all sturdy. If she leaned the wrong way on the table, the legs would bend, and we couldn't sit on the chairs to do things at the table with her because they would buckle. It started breaking within a couple of years (since she was our first, we would have liked to use it through all our kids, but it didn't last through all that.) My SIL bought a wood table and chair set for her kids which cost more, but was very sturdy - the kids could stand on the table even (not that I recommend it!) and adults could sit in the chair to interact with the kids. It lasted until their kids had grown out of it, which seemed like a good investment to me!
We have both. I got a plastic set first at a garage sale for $2. And then later came across a pretty wooden table set for $30 (again at a garage sale). I love them both. The plastic one is great for art projects because it cleans up easy and I am not worried about damaging the wood. It's also light weight so I can move it from my daughter's room and out on the porch when I need it. But the wooden one stays in my kitchen. My kids eat breakfast and lunch on it. I really like it a lot. It's sturdier too. Sometimes the plastic chairs slip.
