>
0

« The Best Bookplates: "Mine. Mine. Mine." | Main | Great Easter Egg Decorating Ideas: Procrastination-- Eggs »

The Best Tea Party Sets: Like the Boston Tea Party, only less important.

Published 04.03.2007 | Permanent Link | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

A very nice lady named Sara emailed me to ask, "I'm looking for a tea set to give my niece. I don't even know where to find something which isn't plastic and decorated with princesses."

We all know how I feel about character themed items, so I felt compelled to save Sara. I found a few styles of tea sets which make no attempt to imply that Disney controls the world of tea.

teasetwood.jpgMy daughter is a pretty careful child, she's never broken her toys or participated in that thing called 'Rough Housing'. As a 3 year old she invited a friend who is a boy over for a tea party. He threw the ceramic teapot and three of the cups across the room in a fit of joy. My daughter sat, stunned and horrified. This little wooden set is unbreakable, which is important depending on the age and destructiveness of your child. It comes with a small cake, tea bags and even tiny sugar cubes. Sweet!

vintagecottagetea.jpgIf you're concerned about breakage, but don't want to spend $45 on a tea set (which, by the way, will get you High Tea at the Waldorf) you could try this set from Schylling instead. This service for four is tin, which though possible to break, is kind of difficult. The green with pink plaid has a very 1940's feel, which a child may not appreciate but I do.

fifiteaset.jpgJack Rabbit Creations offers this nearly unbreakable enamelware option called The Poodle Party. The set comes with a service for three and a very cute teapot. Plus, everyone knows poodles like to party.

coffee.gifMaybe your child is more of a coffee drinker, there's a set for that too. It's plastic but it's character free. It's also durable for little people and comes in a handy bucket for storage. My daughter had a set like this and used it as a toy in her wading pool. Though you have to get over the fact that your child is drinking water they're also sitting in, which is gross but sometimes when faced with gross or having a 2 year old entertained for an hour you'll go with gross.

classictea.jpgAlex toys has this porcelain option for the older or more careful child. I like this set because it's classic but also because it comes in a cute wicker case. It also includes 4 polka dot napkins and a polka dot tablecloth, because everyone knows it's gauche to serve tea without cloth napkins and a tablecloth.

landofnod.jpgThe sets I've shared are pretty girl specific and tea parties are for everyone. This less girl-y set is the one my daughter had many years ago, the set which was thrown with jubilation. It comes with pieces in blue, green, orange and yellow and is a little larger than the other sets I've shared, this is ideal for the tea connoisseur.

retromoderntea.jpgThe best tea set I've found is this porcelain one which is quite similar to Russel Wright's pottery from the 1950's. Sara, I'm not sure how much more modern (retro-modern) it gets. In fact I'd like the pitcher for my own kitchen which would be a great idea if I drank tea.

Tags:


Comments (16):

maggie said:

We have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Schylling-Ladybug-Tea-Set-Basket/dp/B000FGIVVY/ - and even though it's porcelain, it's pretty sturdy and my 3 year old LOVES it. And then she takes the napkins and tablecloth and wraps her dolls and bears in them, as blankets. So, multipurpose tea set!

Posted on April 3, 2007 12:23

andrea from the fishbowl said:

Tea parties are great. It's one sure-fire way to keep kiddies entertained. Boys too! Here's a question... what do you put in the teapot? Real tea? Hot chocolate? Water? The closest we've come to real tea is very milky and sweet chai tea. They liked that... but now that the warmer weather is here we might have to switch to iced tea. (Or sweet tea as some people call it.)

Posted on April 3, 2007 13:12

melissaS said:

I do water because I am anally retentive and then I don't have to care if they spill water all over the table (with an absorbant tablecloth over it!)

Oh yes, I am big fun as a mommy.

Posted on April 3, 2007 13:17

kaleigh said:

Lemonade at my house, although we're now too old for tea parties and the kids really do drink tea. Sigh.

Posted on April 3, 2007 14:15

Chris in MN said:

If you have access to an Ikea, they make a very inexpensive white with blue trim china set.

Posted on April 3, 2007 14:51

sheila said:

My daughter has the porcelain set. We used it for tea parties initially (with water), but now she uses them for a variety of things completely unrelated to tea. Its a great set!

Posted on April 3, 2007 15:34

chris said:

I only let my children have water in their tea set too. I am mean like that.

We have a tea set from IKEA. It is breakable, but cheap. And so far even my rough 2yr old son hasn't broken any of the set.

Posted on April 3, 2007 15:41

Lindyloo said:

IKEA, cheap and cheerful!!

Posted on April 3, 2007 15:42

Shawna Barrington said:

Fiesta also makes a cute (though expensive) one.

http://www.dinnerwareusa.com/shop/catalog/handler~event~familySelected~pf_id~834.htm

Posted on April 3, 2007 17:31

Virginia said:

Too old for tea parties? Nonsense. My 17-year-old started out with an unbreakable set when she was 2 and drank very milky tea. Since then she's collected a variety of china and porcelain miniature or child sets which are displayed in her room. 2 years ago she asked for a real china tea set for Christmas and we bought her a tea set from Royal Dalton china which we use every Sunday for "afternoon tea" with little sandwiches or cookies. Since then we've added a sandwich tray and a 3-tiered cake plate. The china pattern is something she plans to add to every year. Tea can be such a sweet tradition no matter your age.

Posted on April 3, 2007 17:50

Kerry said:

We just bought one of our children a real china set from the goodwill. It was practically free, and the child thinks it's the cat's meow.

Posted on April 3, 2007 19:12

cce said:

My five year old has shattered her fair share of china teas sets and we've just melded together the remains and made a sort of eclectic set that she plays with and throws and stamps upon. With the eclectic mix in mind, I now collect real tea cups for her to have when she's a mom. It's a fun way to remember trips with Mom and an introduction to antiquing. In our wanderings, we have acquired fifteen cups and saucers so far. Some of them as nice as Spode and Wedgewood and others just no name cups with fetching patterns. Our collection is on display in the butler's pantry and on her birthday we pull them down and have tea and crumpets.

Posted on April 3, 2007 19:37

Melanie said:

I love, love, love that modern tea set, it's adorable!! Maybe I'll buy one for myself, even though the last thing I need is more cups. (are? Are more cups? Grammar goes out the window when I get sleepy.)

Posted on April 3, 2007 22:29

bgirl said:

Greatness! We have "real" tea a few afternoons a week with my grownup tea set, and for some reason it doesn't bother my son at all that it is extremely girlie. He would baulk at a princess set, though, I'm pretty sure. (I'm not really sure, I'm just saying that to make him seem tougher. You know, because he's 6 and that's so important?)

Posted on April 4, 2007 09:33

melissaS said:

No he would baulk at the princess set because he reviles the hijacking our child's imaginations with liscensed characters.

That's it. I'm sure.

Posted on April 4, 2007 09:40

jackie said:

i LOVE children's tea sets. fyi, ikea has a great plain white porcelain set for something like 8 dollars. i have given this set to many children and have heard no complaints form them or their mothers. just a cheaper option for y'all...

Posted on April 4, 2007 10:02



alphamomlabs

About

This column is no longer activel adding new content. It was written by Melissa Summers who can be found at her personal weblog suburbanbliss.net.

Disclaimer

This column is only for entertainment purposes. Any recommendations or information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for advice by a trained professional. For a full statement of our site policies, please click here.


© Alpha Mom, Inc. All rights reserved. | Legal | Privacy