If you haven’t been served pretend food by your toddler, are you even a toddler parent? Whipping up pretend meals is practically a toddler rite of passage. That’s why play kitchens and pretend food will always be a mainstay toy for toddlers. And while we love their ability to imagine the wackiest entrees (octopus pie with extra sprinkles, anyone?), we know that few play kitchen accessories can help engage and immerse them in pretend play. We’ve rounded up our favs for sparking their culinary creativity and taking their play kitchen to the next level!
Tasty Treats Chef Accessory Set
Every pretend play scenario is more fun with a costume, right? The chef’s hat, apron, and oven mitts in the Tasty Treats Chef Accessory set will have your little feeling like a real chef. Plus, they’ll look *chef’s kiss* adorable.
A Coffee Maker
Kids love to imitate what they see us do in the kitchen in real life…and if you’re like most parents, that includes starting the morning with coffee. With the Modern Metallics Coffee Set or Pastel Coffee Set, your toddler can brew up their own cup of joe and add in a few sugars and creams until it’s just right – all the fun of a morning coffee ritual minus the caffeine.
A Tea Set
Maybe tea time is more your toddler’s speed. If so, we bet your little one would love to host tea time with you using the Let’s Pretend: Tea Time set. This compact little set functions as a full service tea cart, complete with tea cups, cream pitcher, tea pot, tea bags, stirring spoons, and even the faucet and burners to get the kettle boiling. It’s the perfect play kitchen add-on for any family that loves a good cup of tea – or any kid who loves to throw tea parties with their dolls and stuffies!
Breakfast Foods
You know what they say: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Sets of pretend food usually have a ton of fruits and veggies, but if your little one wants something extra special to go with that tiny mug of coffee, we recommend a few fun breakfast add-ons like our Toaster Set or Fruit Smoothie Set! Or for an extra fancy brunch, go for the Create and Cook: Avocado Toast.
Baking & Dessert Sets
For many kids, helping out with a batch of cookies is their first real kitchen experience. It’s only natural that they’d want to recreate those memories in the play kitchen. It’s why our baking sets are some of our most popular kitchen accessories. With the stand mixer, rolling pin, baking sheets, cookie dough ingredients, and, of course, pretend chocolate chip cookies, they can take the lead and whip up their own batch of cookies!
For a little more variety on the pretend dessert menu, you can add the Create & Cook: Apple Pie and Peach Popsicle sets to the collection.
An Ice Cream Shop Setup
Nothing turns an ordinary day into the best day quite like a trip to the ice cream shop. We have a feeling your kiddo will love mimicking the simple magic of a trip to the ice cream parlor with the Ice Cream Shop Play Pack. In terms of pretend ice cream toys, this set is the equivalent of a double scoop with extra toppings! In addition to your typical ice cream scoops, it comes with a popsicle stand, trays for brownies, magnetic images to make their own menu, a hanging sign to “advertise” their little business, a cash register insert to check you out, and more!
A Complete Cookware Set
If your play kitchen doesn’t come with dishes and cookware (or if you just want a few extras), a cookware set is a must. Our 27-piece set covers all the basics your kiddos will need to cook and serve meals from their tiny kitchen, including pots, pans, and a full set of dishes and utensils. Find it in metallics, pastels, bright colors, or primary colors. If you prefer the look and durability of metal pots and pans, you can opt for the Deluxe Cookware Set instead.
If you’re still looking for the perfect play kitchen too, take a look at our full line of wooden play kitchens. Most come with basic play kitchen accessories to get started. And be sure to check out the Create and Cook Kitchen Set, which comes with all three of our Create & Cook food sets: Avocado Toast, Apple Pie, and Peach Popsicle.