Christmas Gifts Ideas

Melissa & Doug Food Box

Price: $11.98

This super-sized Melissa & Doug Food Box set enables kids to cut their food just like mom or dad. It’s perfect for encouraging hand-eye coordination. This Food Box set includes more than 25 pieces, including a child-safe knife and cutting enter, along with eight healthy choice selections for kids to prepare their own meals. Knives glide easily through each item, making a realistic crunching sound that kids like. Once cut apart, kids will delight in reattaching the disassembled pieces and starting all over. A handy stilted crate is included for simple storage.

Melissa & Doug Food Box Features

1. It contains 31 pieces
2. Realistic cutting sounds
3. Lets kids cook on their own

Customer Review for Melissa & Doug Food Box at Amazon

This toy is fantastic. I keep this in one of my bottom drawers in the kitchen. My son will take it out while I'm preparing for a meal and cut along with me. He was only 1 1/2 when we purchased this toy and caught on very quickly. The nice thing is that the pieces range in difficulty. The loaf of bread and watermelon are pretty easy to cut while the slices of bread and lime (or pepper or whatever it is) are more difficult. He is almost 2 and still using the set and it seems to have taught him how to cut and hold the pieces very well. And of course it helped me keep him busy while I was trying to get food on the table. As far as the durability goes, the wood pieces hold up very well. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because the velcro does start to wear after use making the pieces very easy to get apart.
* As a side note, we also have the cookie set and he doesn't play with it nearly as much. Not sure if it is too much of the same thing or he just doesn't like it. -- My little kitchen helper

My daughter received this for her 2nd birthday...she LOVES it!!! I think this is good for her fine motor skills working on using the knife. -- 2 YR OLD LOVES

My daughter loves it, and it is the first toy she goes to instantly. Great for developing fine motor skills,to learn colors, fruit/vegetables, and even putting "sandwiches" together. Highly recommend, a favorite in out house! -- Best toy for ages 18 months and up

We got this for our 3 year old last Christmas. It has had a ton of use since then, and I enthusiastically recommend the cutting food box to other parents! Pieces are painted pretty bright colors and they are sturdy. My daughter and I especially love the satisfying "crunch" noise made when you "slice" the pieces apart with the wooden knife. Putting them all back together again is fun, too. The storage box is an added bonus, however, it would be even better if there was some kind of lid on the top. All-in-all, the set is great value for money! Oh, one more thing: you may look at this and think "my kid is too old/will get bored with this - it's too simple to hold his/her attention." Nope. I had the same concern - that it would not hold the interest of my 3 year old. In fact, it's the simplicity of the set and refreshing lack of gimmicks that make this (and other Melissa & Doug toys) so wonderful for toddlers and preschoolers. Buy it! -- My 3 year old loves it!