Tag: Healthy Toys

I really do love Melissa and Doug products!  When I got my little on her kitchen, I was appalled at some of the items that were in the play food toys.  I really didn’t want her to have “junk food” items to play with.  I wanted her toys to reflect her healthy diet.  Melissa and Doug have solved that problem!

Melissa and Doug Play-Time Fruit comes in a fun wooden case.  It has 9 pieces of solid molded plastic fruit.  It really does look beautiful!  We also have the M&D Food Groups and love it.

Assembly Time:  No assembly required.

Value for Money:  This item runs between $13 and $20 bucks.  You can get the cheap plastic sets for cheaper, but I am happy to pay a little extra for well made items.   I wanted to keep the “Junk Food” like chips and soda out of her daily exposure.

Age Appropriateness:  The box says age 3 to 6 years, however I can see kids playing with these much longer than that.

Durability:  As I mentioned above, they are made molded plastic and very solid and durable.

Educational Value:  A great way for kids to learn to identify different kinds of fruit.  The fruit can be used to learn to identify colors and sort them.  The healthy options also prevent kids from thinking that things like chips and soda are a normal part of a healthy diet.  Keeping “junk food” toy items out of the play room helps enforce the idea that they occasional treats and not things that should always be found in a kitchen.

I love these products!  When I got my little one her kitchen, I was appalled at some of the items that were in the play food toys.  I really didn’t want her to have “junk food” items to play with.  I wanted her toys to reflect her healthy diet.  Melissa and Doug have solved that problem!

Melissa and Doug Food groups come in four wooden crates and have with 21 pieces of food from all four food groups.  The items are well made and the fruit especially is beautifully painted.  We also have the Playtime Produce Fruit.

Assembly Time:  No assembly required.

Value for Money:  M&D Food Groups runs between $18 and $20 bucks.  You can get the cheap plastic sets for cheaper, but I am happy to pay a little extra for well made items.   I wanted to keep the “Junk Food” like chips and soda out of her daily exposure.

Age Appropriateness:  The box says age 3 to 6 years, however I can see kids playing with these much longer than that.

Durability:  The toy food is wooden and has held up well so far.  There has been no hint of paint chipping or damage.

Educational Value:  The four crates provide a great way to work on sorting.  I placed index cards in the bottom of the crates and she place the food into the correct groups.  The healthy options also prevent kids from thinking that things like chips and soda are a normal part of diet.  Keeping them out of the play room helps enforce the idea that they occasional treats and not things that should always be found in a kitchen.