Tradie mum’s ‘awesome’ toy kitchen hack

A Melbourne mum has put her great tradie skills to the test, after upcycling two toy kitchens and adding an “awesome” surprise feature.

A Melbourne mum has put her plumbing skills to great use after morphing two toy kitchens with a surprise feature.

Jackie Suniga, 30, wanted to create something practical for her daughter Arya’s first birthday and after seeing a bunch of TikTok videos on functional toy kitchens, she decided to make her own version.

The second-year apprentice plumber, together with her chemical technician fiance Ben, upcycled a toy Kmart and Ikea kitchen they bought off Facebook Marketplace, adding the “awesome” feature of running water.

Jackie Suniga, her partner Ben and their daughter Arya. Picture: Supplied

“We’re very practical parents who don’t like giving her [daughter Arya] a tonne of useless toys, so I thought at least this is something practical for her,” Jackie told news.com.au.

“I wanted something she could make the most of, for the next few years too, and I saw these Montessori hacks on TikTok, which is all about functionality.

“So she can wash her hands and cut all her fruit with kid-safe cutlery.”

Jackie bought this Ikea toy kitchen off Facebook Marketplace for $70. Picture: Supplied

She used the fridge and backsplash off this second-hand Kmart kitchen, and added it to the Ikea version. Picture: Supplied

Jackie’s creation has been praised on Facebook with many branding it “awesome” and “beautiful” for its baby pink look.

She explained she and her partner pulled apart the $15 Kmart kitchen they bought second-hand and added two of its features to the $70 Ikea kitchen.

“We dismantled the Kmart kitchen [with a drop saw], cutting it in half, and removed the fridge to add it to the Ikea kitchen. We also cut the [fake tiled] backsplash to suit the other kitchen.”

“The Kmart kitchen was worse for wear with water damage and was too small to make it a functional kitchen [with a water dispenser]. The sink was also tiny and so were the cupboards.”

Jackie bought a dispenser from eBay and used its tubes to create the working sink.

The finished product, with little Arya having a play. Picture: Supplied

“The tube goes into a 4-litre jar in the back and the water drains into another 4-litre jar so it doesn’t overflow.”

She also bought copper pipes from Bunnings and cut them to shape for the door handles.

Once it was complete, she sanded it all, added primer and painted all the cupboards in Taubmans Pensive Pink and Dulux Diva Rogue for everything else – also sold at Bunnings.

As for the running water, Jackie said she controls it with an on/off button.

Jackie, who is an apprentice plumber, also added a working tap. Picture: Supplied

A tube goes into 4-litre jar and the water drains into another 4-litre jar so it doesn’t overflow. Picture: Supplied

“So far [Arya] is still becoming familiar with it but I am trying to get her to wash her hands before and after meal time,” Jackie said.

“We also added a soap dispenser for her to figure out how to use.”

The mum shared her DIY project on TikTok and also in a Kmart Facebook group.

“OMG this is awesome,” a fellow mum wrote, while others branded it “gorgeous”.

Jackie said she is “stoked” at how her upcycle project turned out, adding some of her friends have also messaged her eager to add the running water feature to their toy kitchens.