Let's talk about Learning Towers / Kitchen Helpers, etc..

[P.J.]

These things are brilliant! I know they are a huge hit in the US, but they haven't reached our European shores just yet. I could've ordered one from the UK, but they are outrageously expensive + shipping = no way!

Inspired by a chat with another MDC mama, I asked my DH to build one for DS (14 months). He went to the DIY store for wood and saw this set of drawers supposedly for the bathroom, and was able to make a few adjustments and create a Learning Tower for our LO:

We've only had it a couple days, but so far it has made a difference. Before I was practically unable to get anything done in the kitchen. Yesterday I prepared food while DS played nearby on the counter. Hallelujah!

So far, the challenges we've had with it are: he always tries to climb out over the top, eek! DH added panels on the sides over those bars to prevent the climbing out. Besides that, I realized how incredibly stupid it was to try and chop veggies with DS and his little hands right there. So I used the other side of the counter, only he  was so curious about what I was doing that whatever I gave him to do only kept his attention for like 2 minutes. How do you keep your curious LO away from the knives/cutting and the hot cooking stuff? Of course he wanted the toy I was playing with ~the knife! So, I found it a real multitasking dance to get my stuff done and keep him entertained, and even then after like 10-15 mins he was over it and wanted to go do something else. I guess I'll get used to all that, and I'm just grateful I now have this as another tool in my tool kit, ya know.

Soooo, I want to hear about other people's experience with the learning tower (or similar thing, I know there are several kinds available and lots of folks, like us, make their own). Do you have any other tips or tricks about how to keep the kid occupied and safe while using it? Other uses besides in the kitchen? Is it easier to keep an older toddler occupied in there? ~I hope so!

Edited by P.J. - 8/14/11 at 12:18pm

[Snapdragon]

awwww, your little guy is SO cute!!!

[lifeguard]

We've always just used a chair & now that ds is taller he has a little stool. Just not enough room for a tower. I've always avoided allowing him help at the actual stove but dh has recently involved him in stirring things on the stove (supervised obviously). I have always found it worked best to let him have his own of whatever I'm doing so he can do it to. This means that yes I introduced a knife much younger than most do (I think around 18 months) but in all that time he's cut himself once & it didn't even bleed. I always supervise but it is so much easier to have him content.

[mommy212]

Well we have always just used a chair (lol) in the kitchen, but that one would be much nicer! Our LOs look about the same age. I have talked to mine extensively, always gently and kindly, about what you can and cannot do in the kitchen. I have cut vegetables on the board with ds nearby. Sometimes he hand me vegetables. If he decides he wants to chop, I give him a butter knife or the big plastic lettuce knife and something soft to cut, like a piece of bread or banana.He knows not to stick his fingers in the mixer, and the meaning of 'hot', so well that I feel comfortable setting a pan near him to cool. The worst that has ever happened in the kitchen is dumping some bowls of batter/dough on the floor, and trying to eat raw chicken once. He loves to help me cook and is very involved :)

[ThreeTwoFive]

My friend uses hers for craft projects, too.  

[Adaline'sMama]

I'm interesting in making one for the following purposes:

Cooking/ chopping veggies - i have an really narrow island, and I think it will be perfect for me chopping on one side, and her playing with veggie pieces on the other
Cleaning out the fridge/ putting groceries away (DD is ALWAYS wanting to see what is going on in there)
"helping" wash the dishes
Laundry (I always use the stain remover and stuff on the top of the washer and then throw the clothes in one by one and Im sure she would love it if I handed her the clothes to throw in)
"helping" hang clothes out on the line
Hanging out with me up high while I brush teeth, comb hair, put onmakeup (once in a blue moon)

Saving my back from having to lift her all the way up all the time while Im pregnant

I'm interested to find out what other ladies are doing with theirs!

[katelove]

We just keep ours in the kitchen, it's really to big and heavy for me to move anywhere else easily. J *loves* it. It has been one of our best purchases. She will stay in it while I wash the dishes, pack/unpack the dishwasher, prepare meals, put away groceries. She eats in it often,  while we sit on stools at the bench.

I personally wouldn't have her near the stove in it yet. It is at the end of the bench which is opposite the stove in our kitchen. Hot things I put at the other end of the bench, out of her reach but she is very good at not touching hot things so I probably don't need to. Chopping, I keep the board and knife just out of her reach and she has her own utensils. I think she is still a little bit young for chopping herself and she's shown no interest yet but I plan to give her her own sharp knife as soon as I think she's ready.

She is usually happy with some utensils of her own - the vege peeler is very popular - or some other item she's seen on the bench. Often some food will keep her amused. But, really, the longest she's in there is 15-30 minutes. She's only 15 months, she can't do anything for much longer than that.

[grethel]

Your dh did a great job! Looks like your LO is having a great time in there.

We love our Kitchen Helper. We got that one over the Learning Tower because it folds up small enough to fit in the little space next to our frig if it needs to - we have a very small kitchen. But honestly, it's never folded up. We use it several times per day, for everything pps mentioned above. To keep her interest while I'm doing dangerous things like chopping or sauteing, I put her near enough that she can see what I'm doing but not near enough to reach over, and I always keep the pan handles turned away, the knives out of reach, etc. While she's there I give her either a snack, something to "help" me with, or an activity like her stacking cups, playdough or her fabric food. Her food set from Ikea even has a little fabric chopping board and knife.

She is 21 months now and it's easier to keep her occupied than it used to be. She can now help me crack eggs, stir, pour, etc. This morning she cracked all the eggs and beat them for scrambled eggs all by herself! But when she was your LO's age it was more challenging. I kept it to shorter periods and had to work a little more to keep her engaged.

[P.J.]

Yeah, I gave DS a butter knife the other day, but he didn't really want to "chop" anything.

Next on our list is to get some of that wood fruit that is cut in half and sticks together w/velcro and it comes with a little wood knife and they can cut the veggies that way. And a few of his own little pots and pans and stuff like that.

Actually I'd love to have a little play kitchen in our kitchen ~to get another 10 minutes entertainment value per cooking session, lol. But our kitchen is just too small for that. We barely have room to squeeze this tower into the corner when not in use!

[redpajama]

I like to fill our sink with warm, soapy water and put dishes that need to be washed in there.  My almost-2-year-old will play in the water for quite a while, and if my older two (4.5 and 6.5) get interested (as they occasionally do), I've learned that they can actually wash the dishes (as opposed to just playing in them).  That holds my little one's attention better than just about anything else we've done. 

[crunchy_mommy]

We don't have a learning tower but DS loves standing on a chair to help us cook. The most successful method of entertaining him has been to involve him in the actual cooking process, giving him a real job to do. So he might wash veggies while I chop, or put chopped stuff in the blender or in the pan (while it's not on the stove) or shake spices into it, help pour liquids, etc. DH is just starting to work with him right next to the stove, he has much more patience & tolerance for that kind of thing than I do!

My DS is not interested in toys to begin with, but especially not in the kitchen. But he does enjoy opening the drawers and finding interesting things to 'play' with, like the colander or the mini-blender (he pretends to make us smoothies) or whatever. He is weird about water but I know a lot of people just fill up the sink & let kiddo 'wash dishes' or whatever.

Your DH did an awesome job, it's beautiful!

[mamabelle]

That one looks great!  My issue with all of these is our teeny tiny kitchen.  I think the linoleum is literally 3 feet by 9 feet of space so it's a narrow squeeze.  We have used our step stool from the bathroom sink (http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Finish-Kids-Stood-Storage/dp/B001I87YAM) on occasion, but between opening the dishwasher, stove, or refrigerator, there's just no space!  Luckily, he's pretty content to play while I make dinner so it's usually just something I know he'll really enjoy, like pushing the button on the blender or putting in smoothie ingredients.

CrunchyMama, washing veggies sounds like a perfect job for my todder.  He loves water and washing anything so I will definitely put him to work next time!

[stephbrownthinks]

My husband made one for DS for his 1st b-day. He got the plans from the Ana White website. I think she calls it a Helping Tower? We love it! DS loves "helping" in the kitchen, or if I need a few minutes to vacuum or do something without his 'help' I'll park him in front of the washer/dryer and let him play with the buttons or flip a light switch on and off:) Here he is grinding coffee this last weekend

[AKislandgirl]

We love ours! It's in daily use for eating at the kitchen counter, washing dishes, helping make dinner, and craft projects. Love it!

We've since seen plans to build one if anyone is looking... http://ana-white.com/2010/12/helping-tower.html