Play Kitchen for Toddler Twins

This summer, I've been introduced to the wonderful new world of pretend play and big kid toys; starting with our play kitchen. I confess that I bought the play kitchen just because it was listed on Kijiji at the right price and looked well-kept. We've had our kitchen for over a month now and I love it so I thought I'd share what to consider when buying a play kitchen for twins. In case any twin parent is considering getting one for their sweeties *cough*Ms M*cough*

Kidcraft Corner Play Kitchen

1. Standing / Playing Area: The play kitchen needs to have enough standing room for two toddlers to play side-by-side or it will be hell. It can be a corner kitchen, a very wide kitchen or one with 2 play sides. If buying used, dimensions can still be checked on Amazon. If buying new, words like "family" or "deluxe" in the play kitchen's name normally signify that it's a bigger size meant for 2 or more toddlers. (or lookout for a photo that shows 2 kids playing side by side in the kitchen. A lot of parents submit personal photos of their kids playing on Amazon so that's easy too). Of course the area available in the house to spot the kitchen is also an issue to be considered. Generally, the corner units take up less space than the wide ones.
 
2. Doors and cupboards: Sugar and Spice now have this default habit of splitting things into yours and mine. With the play kitchen, one person takes the cupboard section and the other person takes the microwave section. Plus just the presence of things to open and close makes them happy
3. Utensils and extras: At 20 months, the girls need just a couple of pots and spoons. As they grow older, I'll throw more things in. One tip: the girls prefer the utensils that are more like the real deal e.g metal pots and larger cooking spoons
4. Budget: New or used? A simple online search and I see kitchens ranging from $40 to over $300. One advantage of buying used is that most sellers will also be selling the accessories and utensils - that may be a disadvantage if you don't need them though. I have over 50 pieces of play kitchen accessories that I may not use thanks to the generosity of the lady who sold to me
5. Green play kitchen options: Some parents would prefer a wood kitchen over plastic. Ikea sells a very nice wood play kitchen (that's just had it's price reduced by $20) and here's a great list of eco play kitchens and utensils
6. DIY? I found a pinterest board with DIY play kitchens. Some of those look doable for the craft-inclined. Not I, can't sew a hem to save my life!

And in conclusion, here are the little chefs doing their thing. Happy shopping!

GASP! is that a metal pot in the microwave? ;)