The best kids' table overall
Italian design firm Musaka's unique MUtable All-In-One Children's Play Table isn't a table at all, really: It's four tables in one. This durable, handsome table can be adjusted to four different height settings, ranging from 17.7 inches off the ground — an elevation perfect for toddlers — all the way to 23 inches high — perfect for kids well into their elementary school years. The chairs are also adjustable, for the record.
In its most basic configuration, the MUtable is simple a sturdy three-legged table with a solid top that's perfect for eating, art, and other things that get messy, as the smooth surface wipes clean easily. But that smooth cover can be removed and replaced with four different double-sided game board inserts, which feature cutouts that accommodate puzzles, a surface designed to work with LEGO bricks, and both blackboard and whiteboard surfaces. So it's almost eight tables in one, from another perspective, what with the eight surfaces the inserts create.
Perhaps best of all, the middle of the table can be opened completely revealing a hole into which kids can slide toys, art materials, and other items when playtime is done. Don't worry, they fall into a waiting collection bag for easy out of the way storage.
We have had our MUtable for several months now, and already I'm certain we'll have it for years to come. It's already perfect for our four-year-old son, and will surely be a hit with his infant sister once she gets a bit older, too.
Other parents have left similar sentiments on the brand's website, with one mom praising "its design and robustness" while another calls it "great quality." Yet another gave a five-star review with the headline "Fantastico!" The table is made in Italy, remember.
Pros: Grows and adapts with kids, sturdy wooden construction, available in multiple colors
Cons: Quite expensive
Buy the MUtable All-In-One Children's Play Table from Mutable-Design for $249The best outdoor kids' table
We got a Step2 Naturally Playful Kids Picnic Table when our son was about 16 months old, and the thing sat outside for the next two years, enduring rain, sun, cold, heat, acorn impacts, bird messes, and all the rest of it, yet every time I'd spray it off with a hose and give a wipe down with paper towels and cleaning solution, the table looked as good as new.
Made from durable molded plastic and rated to support 300 pounds in total, this table is nothing if not tough. Which is good, because kids tend to be less than gentle with their things.
The bench seats a large enough for three small kids on a side but are ideal when used by two children at once, and the surface of the table offers enough room for snacking or shared play activities. And when the sun is out, the included umbrella blocks an impressive 97.5% of the sunshine's UVA and UVB rays.
With dozens of reviews posted on Amazon, the Step2 Naturally Playful Kids Picnic Table scores a solid 4.6-star average rating.
One mother with kids aged two and four called it "a great place for [kids] to sit and eat with friends outside and even color and do arts and crafts." Another mom called it a "great table" that has "held up well" over the course of heavy use.
A product reviewer from Ezvid noted the Step2 Naturally Playful Kids Picnic Table's "heavy-duty plastic" and "comfortable contoured seats."
Pros: Reliably resists damage, minimal assembly required, sun umbrella included
Cons: Textured surface requires extra time for cleaning
Buy the Step2 Naturally Playful Kids Picnic Table on Amazon for $90The best kids' dining table
With the KidKraft Farmhouse Table and its matching four chairs set up for a holiday dinner, the kids won't feel like they're being demoted when they are sent to their own little seats away from the grownups. This handsome furniture has a pecan veneer that looks like genuine hardwood, and the table and chairs have simple, crisp lines that will complement many different interior designs.
And of course, the Farmhouse table need not be relegated to holiday meal usage but can be an everyday spot for snacks or meals. At just under four square feet, the tabletop is a good size for play projects as well as eating, offering plenty of room for a kid to spread out a puzzle, art materials, and more.
Just note that lovely as that pecan veneer looks, it does scratch rather easily, so tell the kids to be careful and/or be ready for it to show some wear and tear on the sooner side.
Target customers have given the KidKraft Farmhouse Table a 4.5-star rating overall, with one customer noting its "beautiful color" and "excellent quality," while another called the "table and chairs extremely sturdy" and even able to accommodate adults.
In a video review from HayNeedle, a product tester called the KidKraft Farmhouse Table "sized just right" for kids and said that parents would "love the easy assembly" of the furniture.
Pros: Styled to match full-size furniture, five-piece set, chairs can support adult weight
Cons: Surfaces scratch easily
Buy The KidKraft Farmhouse Table and Chair Set at Target for $116.99The best folding kids' table
Let's not pretend the Lifetime Kids Folding Table is the most elegant piece of furniture ever created. Instead, let's accept it for what it is, which is a high-density polyethylene tabletop supported by four tubular powder-coated steel legs that lock securely in place during use. When folded flat, the table measures just a few inches deep, and the 24-by-24-inch square can be tucked away just about anywhere.
And speaking of anywhere, you can let the kids use the Lifetime Kids Folding Table just about anywhere and for anything, including outdoors and for messy projects. Its plastic components are UV-protected and easy to wipe clean, while the metal legs and locking mechanisms are rust-resistant.
If you're willing to forgo style for performance, go ahead and get this table. It will be the best forty bucks you've spent in a long time.
As evidence of that, note that with hundreds of reviews posted on Amazon, the Lifetime Kids Folding Table has a stellar 4.8-star average rating.
One mom calls it "solid, sturdy," and "highly recommended," adding that she was impressed by how it "isn't wobbly at all" and required zero assembly, as the table it ready to use right out of the box.
Pros: Folds down flat for storage, durable construction, great low price
Cons: Not very stylish
Buy the Lifetime Kids Folding Table on Amazon for $40.12 (originally $49)The best low-cost kids' table
If you're looking for forever furniture for your home, you're probably going to want to look beyond the Tot Tutors Kids Plastic Table and Chairs. That's partially true because while the vibrant chairs may appeal to kids, most adults will find the mismatched, colorful chairs a bit less charming.
And it's largely true because this low-cost kids furniture simply wasn't built to last forever. Something is going to break eventually here, but before that happens, the kids should get a few good years out of this set.
The Tot Tutors Kids Plastic Table and Chairs are easy to assemble, using a snap together system that an adult can easily handle. Once assembled, the furniture is lightweight enough to be moved from place to place without effort, so you can let the kids use the table for an outdoor tea party and for indoor play or snacks.
It comes in multiple different color varieties, including a white table, a yellow table, and two shades of blue table. All four chairs are always of different colors no matter which table color you choose.
With more than 1,150 reviews posted on Amazon at the time of this writing, the Tot Tutors Kids Plastic Table and Chairs has a fine 4.1-star average rating. One shopper loved that it took her a "grand total of three minutes to put together" the set, while another said she loved the "bright, colorful" chairs and table that were perfect for the childcare business she owns.
Note that a few adults called the furniture too lightweight, saying it was easily bumped out of place or knocked entirely over in the course of play.
Pros: Very affordable price, available in multiple colors, easy to assemble
Cons: Lightweight and easily jostled
Buy the Tot Tutors Kids Plastic Table and Chair Set on Amazon for $42 to $50 (prices vary by color)
