Melissa & Doug Food Groups
by Melissa & Doug
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List Price: Our Price: $10.36 You Save: $9.63 (48%) Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of Melissa & Doug Food Groups
Customer Review: Buy Melissa & Doug's plastic food instead
Summary: 2 Stars
We bought our almost 2-year-old son toy food from Melissa & Doug for Christmas and his birthday in January. Unfortunately, this food group set was the one item that we really weren't happy with. The reasons why we don't like the food group set as well as Melissa & Doug Playtime Veggies and Melissa & Doug Playtime Fruits are:
1) This set is wooden. The pieces feel much more artificial and are stiff and cold compared to the fruit and vegetable sets which are made of a durable plastic.
2) These pieces are not life-sized, especially the fruits. The banana is barely any longer than the onion is wide. This makes them less educational. By contrast, the fruit and vegetable sets are life-size.
I haven't had enough time to learn whether the paint will chip or if there will be knicks and scratches in the pieces, but if they get chewed on, I wouldn't be surprised. I would not recommend buying this toy food set. I would, however, very highly recommend Melissa & Doug Playtime Veggies and Melissa & Doug Playtime Fruits.
Customer Review: Very nice
Summary: 3 Stars
I wanted good wooden pretend food (hate plastic toys) and I wanted a nice starter selection for a good price without having to buy, say, a separate veggie or fruit set. This is a basic food groups set so you get (4) little wooden crates filled with meats, veggies-n-fruits, dairy, and grains.
That said, after receiving the product, I can confirm that buying separate sets would have yielded superior pretend food, but would have quadrupled the investment. Besides, the kids love it and engage in all the rich, imaginative and independent play parents love to peripherally watch while reading the newspaper or something.
In summary,
Pros:
-All wood, nice all-in-one selection
-Kids like it a lot
Cons:
-Made in China
-All the produce is smaller than life-size -- even the egg and lemon (whereas the individual sets include many life-size items)
-Paint from some of the produce arrived scuffed onto other produce (enough to induce a mildly annoyed "come-on" but not enough to initiate a return or obsess over)
Customer Review: Kids Love This Set
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this food because I was trying to replace some cheap plastic food that I had with my kitchen play set. The kids were not interested in the plastic food and I was worried about some of the chemicals that might be in it. Well they loved this food. The two year old I watch couldn't play with it enough. I think the weight of it seemed more real than the plastic food. None of the pieces are small enough to be a choking hazard so it is even safe to leave lying around if you have a small child. I also like the variety of this set. It has enough diverse pieces that it is a great starter set for any kitchen. The wooden crates are a bonus, they are small enough to fit in my play-set kitchen fridge so you can put the crates in the fridge and it keeps the food from rolling all over the place. This is a great product I would recommend it to anyone.Customer Review: A terrific value
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this food set for my daughter when she was 18 months old. She's 26 months now and still plays with it regularly.
She loves: Making obnoxious noises while pretending to eat the different pieces. She particularly enjoys the wedge of cheese, the "grilled" hot dog, and assembling the hamburger with the bun and "grilled" meat.
I love: The relatively low price for the amount of pieces included... not to mention the sheer fact that it's not plastic and cardboard!
I don't love: The orange and apple pieces are almost perfectly round, meaning they make great thrown projectiles. Until my kiddo learns to control her urge to throw balls in the house, they're hidden away in the junk drawer.
All in all, one of the most satisfying toy purchases I've made for my daughter in the last year. :)
Customer Review: Surprised At Poor Quality
Summary: 3 Stars
I have always been a fan of Melissa and Doug products, believing that they are of higher quality than a lot of the plastic toys out there. However, I purchased the food group set for my daughter for Christmas 2010, and am shocked to see that in under a month, lots of the paint is chipping off. My daughter is 16 months old and tiny. She plays with these toys daily but she is not hard on them. Within a couple of weeks I noticed that the paint was chipping off of the egg. I thought maybe it was a fluke, but inspecting them again today, I've noticed several pieces with chips. I worry, because who wants their child ingesting paint? If it wasn't for the chipping, I would give this product 5 stars, but this problem may keep me from purchasing Melissa and Doug products in the future.