Kids Activity Table Buying Guide

Kids Activity Table Buying Guide – Grandparenthood has been interesting, but sometimes I feel like I’m learning about children’s likes and dislikes over again. Maybe it’s the difference between girls and boys. I raised two boys and now I have this beautiful, talented and funny granddaughter (really, I’m not grandma exaggerating… much!). As a rule I feel like I’m re-learning what kids want and wadding through more choices than I ever thought possible. Take a kids’ activity table. How hard should it be to find a kids play table for my JillyBean?
Hard! Really hard.
I’m spending as much time deciding on a set of kids chairs and table for her as I am on deciding on a new color for the kitchen. There are many choices in the case of activity tables for children–outdoor, indoor, craft or just a simple table and chairs sets to go with a kitchen play set. I’ve narrowed down some categories and hopefully, my Kids Activity Table Buying Guide will help some other hapless grandparent, aunt, uncle or even parent.A Kids Activity Table by Any Other Name
It should have been a simple decision. At Christmas we bought the JillyBean a kitchen play set. Now she needs a kids table set to go with it. I wanted something PottteryBarn-like, but not at a PotteryBarn price.
I headed to Amazon to look around. I shop there a lot because they always have a large selection to to choose, no matter what you’re buying. Prices are good and there’s usually a reasonable (if not free) shipping deal. And no sales tax (a big draw if you live in Los Angeles County like I do–9.75% is a big ouch).
The first kids table I found was Amazon’s top-seller in the category–a Little Tikes picnic table.
Uh… that is definitely not a PotteryBarn-like kids table, but it is really cute and it would be great out on the patio, next to our big picnic table. That’s when I realized I have a big decision ahead of me. There are a whole lot of several types of play tables available and I have to decide which will meet our needs.
That means it is time to ask a few questions:
1. How will the table be used? Is it for tea parties and pretend dinners? Or, will it be used for crafts, too?
2. How easy is it to clean? If will probably be used for crafts, I foresee crayon marks, glue and glitter.
3. Do we need an outdoor table more than an indoor table?