Advice on Play Kitchens

I got my (then) one year old the Grow With Me play kitchen last year and she loved it. She is very much on the petite side so all of the other kitchens were just way too big, she couldnt reach or play with the top. We still haven't even opened it to the next level yet as she is still just too short at age 2. She loves the kitchen and unlike the regular sized one her cousins have she can actually use and enjoy all of it.

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Our step 2 kitchen is posessed. The burners make noises at all hours of the night. Once the batteries ran out it was fine. Kids love it. But don't buy it just for the sounds~

I say go for the wooden one. I bought my kids Educo My Creative Cookery Club (Amazon $95) and both my 4 1/2 y/o boy and 2 1/2 y/o girl love it and use it all the time. It is more basic than what your looking at but they use their imaginations and make the noises themselves rather than a button doing it for them. It's also small enough that I keep it in my kitchen/dining area so they can cook with me :)

We have the Dream Kitchen and we are it's second owners. This kitchen is great and the kids love it. It is very well played with and is very durable. You would never know that my kids were it's second owners as there is not a mark on it. My kids have not touched it in a while so when we pass it on it is still in remarkable shape. I don't know anything about the KidKraft kitchen. All I can say is that I love the Step 2, it is durable, cleans easily and is gender neutral.

We have the Step 2 and like it a lot BUT my MIL bought the Diner set and the kids love that a lot more! It has a diner, jukebox, little place to sit, etc. and is double-sided....as a thought :)

Nothing Kidkraft. Its made from pressed wood and one spill of any liquid its toast. Best kitchen and worst ever I bought. Stick with the plastics, easy to clean and dont get ruined from a wet rag or juice spill.

My daughter is totally in love with her Kidkraft retro kitchen! We bought it a few months ago for her second birthday. Her 5 yo brother and her cook up a storm together. I wanted something durable and I preferred no sounds. Plus the separate refrigerator made more sense as far as space in her room goes. My SIL bought a kidkraft for her daughter two years ago and it still looks brand new. And I have seen that thing take a beating! :) I am extremely happy with our purchase.

just my two cents - remember that *you'll* have to listen to all the sounds of the toy, so if you think the kitchen toy sounds would drive you batty, go with the soundless one :-).

I used to recommend the largest Lifestyle step 2 one like I bought my 2 year old. Then we brought home a used wooden one with a stainless steel bowl for a sink to give to a friend. My daughter and all her friends preferred it because more fit in the sink. The step 2 won't hold the wood play food in the oven or mic either.
The diner is great for toddlers and maybe some K kids, but school aged kids are too big. We had one of the first ones and resold it because it was too small.

I have to admit I am totally biased here - I work for KidKraft in Dallas! I started buying our products even before I started working here. I know we don't have the sounds, but the quality is truly amazing. And we have an awesome customer service with any questions!! You can always compromise in buying accessories with sounds. PM me if you have questions :)

I got a really nice wood kitchen, off freecycle. My son LOVES it! He couldn't care less about noises and all that. Kids won't even notice no sounds and buttons, if they aren't there. You don't have to worry about all the nasty chemicals, that are in the hard plastic kitchens, either. Go with your gut!

We have a Step 2 kitchen and it's amazing! I highly recommend one. We have the Step 2 Lifestyle Party Time Kitchen. It's big enough that both of my kids can play with it, but ti doesn't take up the whole room. It's very very sturdy, which is very important! It was really easy to put together too. I have no regrets :)

Of the 2 kitchens from Step 2 that you listed, I would get the Dream Kitchen. It's bigger than the Custom. If space is limited, go with the smaller one though. I think the one we have is the middle size of the two that you had listed. Look at the measurements to make sure which ever one you pick will fit in your house :)

We had a step2 kitchen with the sounds, etc., and my son loved it for a couple years. The nice thing about the step2 products is that they are so durable. If you have or are planning to have younger kids, or have someone to hand it down to, I'd go with the step2. They last forever. Plus, they are nice with the cool features they have.

I do like the look of the wooden kitchens, but for my rough-and-tumble little boy, durable hard plastic just made more sense. And even after he beat it to death for 2 years, it looked like new when we gave it away, all but for the Shrek sticker he put on the refrigerator door, which I left when we handed ours down as his one contribution to the piece!