When my husband and I decided to buy my little girl a kitchen for Christmas last year, I didn’t know it then but, I had my work cut out for me.  There are dozens, probably hundreds of models to choose from.  There are wooden ones, plastic ones, non-gender ones, girly ones, ones with grills attached, and ones with seating attached.  There are kitchens that transition with age.  There are some that offer a lot of storage and some that have very little.  Some come with electronic sounds and some have old fashion knobs that click when you turn them.  The options were overwhelming!!!  Don’t get me started on accessories.  You know?  The play food, plates, blenders, toasters, dish towels, aprons…Ahhh!!!

From the picture above you can tell that I did finally decide on a kitchen.  It took weeks of researching and weighing the pros and cons.  This was the only big present we got her for Christmas and we only gave a few small other gifts so we shelled out the money for a new, fancy pants, wooden, KidKraft kitchen.  We love it!  Absolutely love it!

Because I’ve posted pictures with my daughter playing with her kitchen on Instagram and on Facebook I’ve had probably a dozen or so people ask me where I got it.  Requests keep coming in so today I decided to write a post and tell everyone about the kitchen we bought and why we love it.  For disclosure, I was not paid by any company to write about this product but I have included my affiliate links in this post so I can maybe buy a coffee with the proceeds from people who buy through my link.  It won’t cost anyone a penny more!

Now, here’s the kitchen I bought.  It’s called the KidKraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen.

Why I like it:

1. It’s wooden and built well so it will last.  Plus, it’s heavy enough that it won’t fall over on her (but it does come with wall brackets just in case!).
2. It doesn’t take batteries so there’s no need to replace them and no annoying noises.
3. It’s non-gender so if we have a son later down the road he can play with it too (I know boys play with pink things all the time but I figure why plan for it when it can be avoided?).
4. It’s attractive enough to have in our living room without looking like an eyesore.
5. It’s not a primary color and it doesn’t have to have matching accessories to look nice (Things like that bother me. Maybe I’m the only one!).
6. The sink was removable for cleaning. Nice bonus!
7. It had a towel rack and pegs for hanging towels or utensils (What can I say? I like details!).
8. It has a chalk board on the freezer and a water dispenser in the fridge.
9. The fridge has a shelf inside so you can put two large baskets inside to hold food.
10. The oven has a slide out cookie sheet that is removable (Two levels of storage inside!).
11. The dishwasher’s shelf is removable too (Two levels of storage inside!).
12. There is a detachable phone on the side of the fridge.
13. There is a small amount of counter space for food prep.
14. There is space behind the sink for accessory storage (We have a toaster and salt and pepper there).
15. There is a shelf above the sink for extra storage.
16. The sink head rotates and the handle moves up and down.
17. The stove and range knobs click when you turn them but that’s all the noise this kitchen makes.
18. The oven doors open to the left and the dishwasher to the right so you can play in both at once.
19. My daughter (who was 18 months when we bought it) can play with the lower parts now and the upper areas when she gets older.  This will be a toy she can play with for a long time.

To buy it:

If you’re interested in buying this KidKraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen you can buy it online at Amazon.com.  I bought mine from Walmart.com but they’re currently sold out of this kitchen at the moment.

The accessories:

We chose to go with different pots and pans but if you are wanting to hang utensils on the pegs in the back of this kitchen, this KidKraft Cookware Set is the only one with handles wide enough to fit.  It’s on sale right now at Walmart.com for $20.34 but keep in mind that those prices could change.

We have the Step2 Cooking Essentials 10-piece Stainless Steal Set.  It’s adorable!  I love that I she could really cook with them later on and we can throw them in the dishwasher when they’re dirty.  Isn’t the little stock pot just adorable?  We hung the two pot holders from the pegs in the kitchen and store the other pots and pans in the dishwasher when not being used.  Amazon.com currently sells this set for $29.77 + Free Super Saver Shipping.

I bought plastic play food so it would be quieter play than if I had chosen wooden food.  It’s much cheaper too!  You can read about how I got a great deal on my play food at Aldi here.

I hope to buy these plastic KidKraft play dishes soon for my daughter’s second birthday.  Walmart.com has them on sale right now for $15 and Amazon.com for $18.48 but the prices are always fluctuating.

6 Month Update: We still love our kitchen and recently reviewed out KidKraft Baking Set if you want to check that out here.

Well, I think that’s it!  I hope I gave you enough information without boring you to tears.  If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask!