In our house, the kitchen is on the…shall we say…intimate side. While there’s ample room for our table that sits four, the cooking space is really meant for one person at a time. If one of my kids come to “visit” me when I’m at the stove, and the other tries to open the fridge, I can feel my shoulders tightening. And don’t get me started on prepping a big meal during the holidays; it’s not uncommon to see me shooing guests into the more spacious dining room. While I don’t see a major kitchen renovation anytime in the near future, it doesn’t mean my family doesn’t get a home-cooked meal most nights. Maybe my determination dates back to my younger days when I pined for a pretend kitchen that never materialized. We didn’t have a formal playroom, and my parents were of the mindset that if the toy couldn’t fit in your room, it belonged outside…where kids should be much of the time (sigh). Well, if you find yourself in a similar predicament in your own close corners, you no longer have to deprive your kid of a pretend kitchen. VTech’s 2-in-1 Shop & Cook Playset is this season’s best-kept secret from the kitchen. This is like no other kiddie cooking set we’ve seen, one that transforms from a shopping cart to a play kitchen faster than it takes to boil water! After your resident shopper has filled her cart with all of the ingredients for a “home-cooked” meal, you can help her flip the sides to reveal a portable stove burner, oven, sink and cutting board…all the basics to help her get a meal on the table and everything to help her clean up afterwards. So, don’t let cramped corners hinder your little cook. If your house is short on space, but your kid’s imagination is big, then this is the gift for her.
In a Nutshell: Ideal for apartments and other small spaces, this combo shopping cart/play kitchen will be a big hit this Christmas. A kid who cooks and does the dishes? We’re sold.
