I love to cook and bake and it brings me great joy when my kids want to help in the kitchen but sometimes I need to whip something up quickly, or it can be too complicated to have little hands helping out. It can be hard to tell them they can’t help as it’s something we love to do together but thankfully the Little Tikes™ Cook ‘n Learn Smart Kitchen™ has taken away some of the heartbreak when I tell the littler kids they can’t help right now. I can tell them to go whip mom up some pizza, or some corn on the cob with carrots in their kitchen and off they go, happily to oblige.
Over the last 13 years of being a mom and the 2 years prior when I lived with some nieces and nephews I’ve grown pretty aware of other kitchens and play sets, and let me just say – none look as posh as the Little Tikes™ Cook ‘n Learn Smart Kitchen™.
Others felt super cheap, flimsy and usually didn’t last very long but even just looking at this kitchen and even the accessories it comes with (and it comes with a lot)! you can tell it’s build good and to last.
The Cook ‘n Learn Smart Kitchen
The kitchen has interactive accessories that come alive with the integrated App that is downloaded to your tablet with iOS7 and above or 4.3 or higher Android mobile device.
Features:
- Kids will enjoy the realistic play features
- Kitchen has sizzling and cooking sounds
- Kids can “cut” the fruits and veggies to make a meal
- Oven light goes on when the door is opened
- Kids can “grow” fruits and veggies in the kitchen pots
- The interactive kitchen App includes 4 modes of play
- Free play-Traditional role play, the app recognizes and responds to the item they are using with fun animation, encouraging phrases and fun food facts
- Recipes-Open the app’s recipe book and follow the steps to make one of many delicious meals
- Music-Choose from classic nursery tunes, each with special written lyrics that teach letters, numbers, and how different plants grow and become food
- Games -There are both toddler or preschool modes and three different games to play in the app
- Kids can keep track of their progress with fun stickers and trophies that can be located in Reward Fun
- The App must be synced to the kitchen every time kids play
- 46 accessories included
- On/off switch on burner
- Requires 4 “AA” alkaline batteries (not included)
- Tablet pictured is not included
- Assembly Required
- The Cook ‘n Learn Smart Kitchen™ will launch and run on all Android devices 4.3 or higher and all Apple devices running iOS7 and above. Devices must support Bluetooth LE for the app to sync with the kitchen
Justin is a little bit protective of the kitchen. He wants it as only his, and is working on his sharing. He just turned 3 in September so it’s a work in progress. When Jackson wants to play with the kitchen it turns into tears because they both want to play with it so badly and neither want to share. So, we have to rotate who plays and when. Who knew a toy could bring that much joy but also that much passion for it – these boys love their kitchen! Justin has no problem sharing with Jayden though, I think the big problem with Jackson/Justin is they both want the same things at the same time. So, while Jayden will use whatever isn’t in use the other two boys see each other with something then the other wants it right away no questions. So for now we rotate kitchen duty!
We haven’t tried the app that you can sync to the kitchen yet. Only because not even a week before the kitchen arrived our iPad screen got smashed and I have yet to get it in to be repaired. I will be doing that soon though, and then I’ll be able to update here with our thoughts. If you don’t have an iPad no need to worry – it works, and is just as entertaining without it!
We didn’t put batteries in right away as I wanted to see no batter play vs battery play and although no battery play was still a huge hit, the second those batteries went in hours of play ensued. It’s pretty fantastic. Jayden got a kick out of when you have the toy on and open the oven it makes a sound, so not only does it make a sizzling sound when cooking the oven also makes a cool sound when opening! Big hit with the boys.
The assembly wasn’t too hard. My husband got it together fairly quickly. Putting the stickers on was a whole other story, that man can do many things but putting small detailed stickers on products just isn’t one of them. They are on, but not straight. Maybe its just my OCD being crazy, but it bugs me to see. The kids? Don’t care at all, to them it’s perfect so that is all that matters. Plus it doesn’t affect the function or play at all.
The ACCESSORIES
The kitchen comes with utensils 2 plates, a pan, a pot and lots of food like carrot, corn on the cob, tomato, apples, pizza, eggs, hamburger with bun, broccoli, and even has hanging tomato plants!
The apples and tomatoes come apart, so the little ones can even use their utensils and cut them open which is a huge plus for Justin who loves to cut things with daddy when cooking in the kitchen – now he can on his own too, and safely!
PRICE AND WHERE TO BUY
Price: $199.99
Recommended Ages: 2+
Where to Purhcase: Toys “R” Us, Indigo, Sears, Walmart
If you are looking for a play kitchen that will not only entertain, and engage but will also be fun and last longer than a few weeks you will for sure want to check out this kitchen! It’s simply one of the best toys we’ve ever gotten for our little ones, and know it will provide entertainment for years to come!