The Best Kitchen Helper Toddler Tower for Independent Kids!
I didn’t always have a love for cooking. It started when I moved to Chicago 10+ years ago and moved towards a Paleo lifestyle. It was so hard to find anything in the store that fit our needs and resulted in us cooking most of our meals. I consider it my crash course in the kitchen. Soon, I developed a love for cooking, baking, all things food related - even running a food blog before this one with Emily!
I knew I wanted R to develop the same love for cooking as me and a toddler tower was key for that! Part of including him in the kitchen would be making sure that he could be at my level, literally, while I’m working in there! So, right around his first birthday I began the hunt for the perfect kitchen helper tower. I had a lot of things I wanted it to be including a high quality learning tower, solid wood, attractive and most of all, sturdy and durable.
After seriously looking at no less than 3 dozen toddler towers (aka learning towers or kitchen helpers) on Amazon, Etsy, and all over the web, I ended up ordering this Guidecraft Foldable Kitchen Helper Tower. Yes, it is a bit pricier than some other options, but I LOVE. I recommend this to every single parent I know with young kids so if you’re wondering “what kitchen tower should I buy?” look no further. Read on to see why I think this is the best kitchen tower choice for toddlers.
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Design
We wanted a simple and clean looking design for our toddler kitchen tower, which made this Guidecraft Kitchen Helper Stool stand out to us. This is the Classic kitchen tower but it does come in additional styles, like this contemporary option, and a range of colors. We opted for solid white since we knew it would go better with our overall kitchen look, but we do love the natural wood option too!
In general, we typically prefer natural wood options so we can avoid any potential paint toxins from the inevitable moments where our son will put his mouth all over this tower. However, this tower is not only made from a solid wood/plywood combination, but it’s got a child-safe, non-toxic finish so we were less concerned about the paint for this product.
Foldable Toddler Tower
We lived in a SMALL Chicago apartment before we moved back home to Michigan and while we have more space now, this small apartment helped us learn how to live (and love) a more minimalist lifestyle. We didn’t have the space for a lot of items, so we just didn’t have a lot of item, which gave us a clean and open environment to live in. One of the biggest features I love about this kitchen tower is that it is foldable! That means, when you are done with it, you can lift up the base, undo the security latches, and fold it up into a much smaller footprint. This allows for it to be tucked away nicely at the edge of a counter, in a closet, etc.
Stability / Safety
When choosing a toddler tower, I was concerned first and foremost about it’s stability and safety. I had concerns over this one since it is foldable and worried that it wouldn’t be stable when R climbed up in it or moved around. All of my concerns were alleviated from day 1. The folding sides each have a security latch to ensure they don’t buckle in while in use which makes the tower extremely stable.
The tower legs are also designed to prevent the tower from tipping from uneven weight distribution. R loves to move all around and even jump up and down in the tower sometime. I’ve also caught him using the tower to boost himself up onto the kitchen island. There have never been any concerns about the tower tipping while he’s expressing that toddler energy.
There is also a non-slip mat that hooks to the tower where your child’s feet will be. This makes the surfacer much easier for their feet, socks or shoes to grip and minimizes the likelihood of their feet slipping. There is also a front “keeper” panel and a back “keeper” panel which prevents them from slipping their foot off the front/back or falling.
Additional Features
When looking into kitchen toddler towers, there are so many features to take into consideration. Aside from everything I’ve covered above, here are a few more key features of this Guidecraft Foldable Kitchen Tower and why we have declared it the best toddler tower for independent kids.
Adjustable Platform: The platform on this kitchen helper adjusts to 2 different heights - 15" or 18" - which allows you to keep it the perfect height for your growing child.
Easy to Clean: The finish used on the tower is designed to help prevent scratches and scuff marks. So far, they've all be easy to wipe up! You can also remove the back and front keepers as needed for cleaning.
Promotes Independence: This isn't so much just a feature as an added benefit. This toddler tower allows your child to be part of what you are doing and truly involved. We love it for prepping food for meals and baking together. My son is now at the point where he can crawl up into the tower himself, which he loves to do! Just be sure to buckle the back keeper back up once they're in there.
Toddler Tower Cost
Always one of the biggest considerations when making any purchase is the cost. This kitchen tower is a purchase I expect to last for years and for more than one child, so I was willing to spend more money for a higher quality toddler tower.
The Guidecraft Classic Tower which is the model I have, runs $199.95 for any of the color variations. This is the same pricing you'd find for the Guidecraft Contemporary Tower.
Guidecraft also offers a Double Wide Kitchen Helper Stool, which is perfect if you have two kids close in age or twins. That stool is avaialble for $230 in both a classic and contemporary look.
