Play Food: Wood vs. Felt??

[J2]

I bought some Melissa & Doug whole wooden fruit/veggies and the cutting fruit/veggies. I'm definitely keeping the cutting food but am wondering if I should return the whole wooden food and get some cloth/felt food that I've recently seen. The felt food was cute, though M&D is very realistic looking.

Any thoughts? I have a 1 year old and almost 4 year old.

[theretohere]

Originally Posted by J2

I bought some Melissa & Doug whole wooden fruit/veggies and the cutting fruit/veggies. I'm definitely keeping the cutting food but am wondering if I should return the whole wooden food and get some cloth/felt food that I've recently seen. The felt food was cute, though M&D is very realistic looking.

Any thoughts? I have a 1 year old and almost 4 year old.

It somewhat depends how your kids play. One of my kids likes to throw things- so for us felt food was a safer choice. Some of that play food is pretty owwie when hucked.

[minkleaf]

We've had the M&D wooden food for 3 or 4 years now. DDs are 6 and 2. I like it because it looks good and holds up very well. I'd worry a little about felt's durability. Luckily I don't have any frequent throwers.

[reillys_mom]

I like the wood food that comes in pieces to be cut/assembled. M&D aren't the only ones making them, but we have some of their pieces and it has really helped the kids learn how to really cut. The reassembly part is also a good lesson.

The knit or felt food can be hard if you have a little one who still sucks on or chews toys. If you don't then some of the cutest pieces are knit/felt.

I like having a mix since they bring different things. We have wooden eggs and I felted some "sunny side up" eggs for DS to fry in his pan.

[greenmansions]

We also have a mix of wood and felt - both are wonderful. My kids aren't throwers and weren't particularly into sucking on things so both worked well for us.

Our Melissa and Doug food chipped off paint pretty quickly. The Plan Toys cutting food set and Haba are better that way.

[KathinJapan]

We also have a mix. I have some super cute fabric food too. I think the advantage to the soft food is it can be easier to carry around on a plate. Lots of little ones like to put the food on a plate and serve it, the wood food seems to slide off easier than the fabric or felt food. It is all good. I would go with a mix if possible. Play food is one of the most popular toys in our house.
My girls are 6 and almost 3. But everyone plays with it.
Kathryn

[akingme]

I love that I had this question in my mind and type it in and there's a conversation about it here! Perfect.

I am still in the market for a great kitchen, but have been making some felt food and buying knitted fruits etc.

My instinct is that for my 15 month old, the softer food is better, but we do have a few of the velcro wood eggs from PB, and I think I'll check out the wood pieces for cutting at toy Garden.

Thanks!

[PatchChild]

We also have a mix.  A heads up for those thinking about felt food.  It attracts pet hair like crazy!  Pet fluff all seems to stick to it from everywhere.

[corrieoseal]

I think a mix is ideal.

Play food is a big favorite over here.

Ikea has felt food that is inexpensive and machine washable, which is fabulous. I LOVE some of our intricate felt pieces from Etsy sellers, but the Ikea stuff is a wonderful addition to any play food collection.

We also have some Plan Toy wooden food which is well-liked and you can "cut."

We even have a few plastic pieces that came with a Step2 coffee set and DD plays with those less, but still enjoys them to some degree.

Originally Posted by PatchChild 

We also have a mix.  A heads up for those thinking about felt food.  It attracts pet hair like crazy!  Pet fluff all seems to stick to it from everywhere.

See, we have two long haired kitties and no problems with cat fur on our felt food. A few pieces have needed a run over with the sticky lint roller, but I have several pieces that are cat-fur free after almost a year of continuous use. (Though I've heard lots of folks say that it's an issue for them with pets and felt food not mixing well.)

[elus0814]

This is a super old thread but it's a good question. We have a mix of wood, felt, and knit. Our wooden items are the majority and they are haba and plan toys. The felt items are all made by me, it's a wonderful way to give the kids variety without a big expense. The knit food is so cute but is larger then the others so looks a bit out of place, it's all from palumba.