Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Wooden Pantry Products

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Always had good luck with Doug & Melissa products. This one was no exception, but I will point out that I was a little surprised and disappointed that the "boxed groceries" (cereal, sugar, crackers, etc.) were only labeled/printed on one side of the package with the back side being just solid-color paint. A big deal? Not at all, but then again these aren't exactly cheap-o toys either, so these are the kinds of details that get noticed.

I should begin by saying that these toys are really nice when compared to some of the cheaper plastic or cardboard items you find in stores. They are sturdy wood, nicely decorated, and my son really loves playing with them, which ended up being my problem. DEFINITELY follow the age guidelines on these (which I didn't, so the rest of the review is really about my poor judgement, but here it is anyway). We got him the Melissa & Doug shopping cart for his first birthday (which is AWESOME, by the way). Our in-laws bought him these to go in it and I didn't give more than a passing thought to the 36 month age requirement. Of course he decided the ketchup and salad dressing bottles looked like something he should suck on, and the paint started chipping off in his mouth. The sugar looks like it's chipping already, too, and he just bangs that one around. So if you have older kids that are more gentle and use their toys for imaginative play, these could be great. If you have younger children... I'd recommend finding something geared toward that age group, and don't make my mistake!

This is a great addition to our play kitchen, store, and shopping cart.

Pros:

Wooden - no worrying about cardboard boxes getting bent.

Graphics - great graphics on the front of the toy, but nothing on the back. I thought it would have been nice to put some information about the food on the back like on real food. Especially in a society where reading labels is a big part of knowing what you are eating.

Shape of the items - pretty good representation of the real items they represents. For example the spagetti is just like a pack of spagetti you would find in the grocery store.

Great value for play food that will last.


Cons:

Nothing on the back of the items

Heavy wood could cause pain if dropped on a little foot.

Heavy paint smell out the package... Would be a little worried if my little one put it in her mouth, but she is 5 and I don't have to worry. I point this out if it is purchased for a younger child.

These items are cute and accurately depict things in Mommy's pantry. Quality wood, nicely finished and painted. My granddaughter loves playing shopping and cooking with them.

This food is fun to play with. My daughter loves to play "kitchen". The only drawback is that because it's wood, it's very solid and my daughter was playing with one of the items, dropped it on her toe, and split it (her toe) open where it fell. Now I always have her wear shoes.

My 15 month old daughter and 2-1/2 year old son love this product. I purchased it, in addition to another M&D "wooden food" product, as well as the Kid Kraft vintage kitchen. The kids love to organize (and re-organize) the products, stack them, and cook with them.

I purchased all these toys for my kids, looking for the following characteristics: toys that would last them many years of use (as I said, my kids are 1 and 2 years old); the toys have minimal wear and tear, and are educational, durable, and easy to clean; and they are eco-friendly (wooden toys that I keep for years and do throw away after limited months/years of use). For all the above reasons, they are a great value.

Also, keep the box (with plastic insert) that the product came in: for an additional activity, my son absolutely loves to put the products back in the box. You have to figure out where and how each piece fits back into the plastic insert.

pretty realistic and my daughter likes them. I think she'd like them better if they had some kind of functionality, like removeable lids. But I bought them knowing they were just decorated blocks of wood, so no point loss there. The overall product is well designed and constructed.

These items sit beautifully in my girls' play kitchen as the plastic and paper versions get crushed, bent, torn, and thrown away. Definitely worth spending the money for fewer pieces. The writing on the products is simple enough that the girls are asking what the labels say, and are starting to "read" them. Since they are solid wood, they are heavy. I initially worried about them falling on toes, getting thrown, etc, but the weight has actually taught them to handle with care, just as we do in our "real" kitchen. I wish I had never bought the 100-piece flimsy set - too many poorly made pieces only clutter the shelves and get in the way of these classic pieces.

My daughter just got these from her Aunt MoMo & Uncle Gee (aka Godfather) for her 1st bday. She loves carrying them around with her! Her kitchen should be here this week and these will be fun to play with in the kitchen in addition to her playing with them at her play table...lol :D They really look like the really deal. No plastic at all! They feel like solid wood!

Our set didn't come with the pretzels...we got a yellow bottle of salad dressing instead. No big deal for us. The paint/chemical smell was definitely obvious to me, which is never the case with Plan Toys items. I can smell them when I walk into my daughter's room. That said, I *am* six months pregnant, so maybe I have an increased sense of smell. We'll see if my husband notices when he gets home!

The M&D pantry set is pretty good, all things considered, compared to plastic play sets, and the price is less than Plan Toys. M&D items have more writing on them than Plan Toys, which are more abstract (if you are looking for something other than English language, Plan Toys is the way to go, example the M&D ketchup says "Tomato Ketchup" on it, whereas the Plan Toys ketchup has a simple, abstract drawing of two tomatoes.)

The M&D paint is painted on, versus Plan Toys which is more of a stain in the wood. The M&D stuff is definitely going to chip over time, but for right now, for a few short years, it's a good set for us.