How to Buy a Children's Tea Set

Children's tea sets, like toy dishes, are attractive to kids and adults alike. Many older children's tea sets are highly collectible while newer tea sets offer charm or functionality, and often both. Children's tea sets make wonderful birthday, Christmas and holiday gifts.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Look for a vintage children's tea set from the 1970s or 1980s with Strawberry Shortcake or other vintage illustrations. These tea sets may both provide creative play for another generation and invoke memories for parents at the same time.
2. Consider a sturdy plastic toy tea set for younger girls and boys. Preschoolers enjoy creative imaginative play, and can enjoy hours of fun with a good toy tea set. Try Little Tikes and Fisher Price for new children's tea sets, which make a wonderful gift for preschool birthday parties.
3. Find a porcelain or china children's tea set for little girls who would enjoy a tea party complete with warm tea. If the child will be having a tea party under adult supervision, consider a china tea set in miniature.
4. Recycle. Check Craig's List and local children's consignment sales for gently used tea sets to save money. Children's consignment sales are a good bet because a large variety of children's toys are available at once.
5. Search for antique salesman's samples. If you're buying children's tea sets for your own collection, look for salesman's samples at antique stores, on eBay and in older relatives' attics. Salesman's samples are prized for the attention to detail, as they were made in miniature to advertise the full-size product. Traveling salesmen could show more wares if they brought miniature versions of their items.

Tips & Warnings

• When purchasing an older tea set, especially if it is gold-rimmed, use a home swab lead test kit to determine if the toy is safe for children to use.