kitchen helper or learning tower

[MamaJenese]

I am looking into getting one of these for the kids for christmas. My DS especaillyl oves to help at the counter. Pros and cons on either would be great!

[BaBaBa]

i just ordered a learning tower...i'll keep you posted when it arrives

[MayBaby2007]

Why not save your money and pull up a kitchen chair? That's what we use

DD has been standing on a kitchen chair helping me in the kitchen for the past 6 months (12 mos-present) and hasn't fallen yet. I'm really confused as to why people would fork over SO much money for a kitchen helper/tower when a kitchen chair at hand works just fine

[SweetPotato]

We have a learning tower. I'm a VERY frugal person, and this is some of the best $$ I have spent on kid stuff (right up there with our ergo!) My dd, now 3, has always been a climber and I felt SO much safer having her be able to go up and down in the tower by herself from a very young age. She can jump around in it like a fool and I've never had to worry about it tipping or slipping sideways. Our kitchen chairs have high backs- so if we pushed it with the back to the counter she wouldn't be able to see/work on the counter- but if used it in any orientation that didn't have the back braced, then she tried to climb the back and started ot slip it over-- seriously-- or tried to play rocking chair with it. Some kids aren't as physically rambunctious, but for one who is, it's been really great. (and yes- I supervised and "taught" her the proper way to be up there, but really, with a toddler it's easier to just have an easy way for them to be safe without having to harp on it all the time)

The only con for us is that those feet really do stick out on the bottom (the ones that keep it from rocking at all)-- so we've each felt like we almost broke our toes on SEVERAL occasions (if you keep it in one place you sort of get used to walking around it, but then one day you leave it over by the sink and WHAM!) I've heard some people say that it's too bulky- not a problem for us, as we keep it on the far side of the bar (and then move it around as needed)- but you might want to look at the measurements and think about where you'll "park" it.

[MamaJenese]

I think we are going with the learning tower. We measured and we have the room to keep it out of the way a bit. The big issue with the chair is we have two kids who both want to be at the counter then they fight over who stands on the chair closer and then everyone ends up falling off the chair.

[BaBaBa]

Originally Posted by MayBaby2007

Why not save your money and pull up a kitchen chair? That's what we use

DD has been standing on a kitchen chair helping me in the kitchen for the past 6 months (12 mos-present) and hasn't fallen yet. I'm really confused as to why people would fork over SO much money for a kitchen helper/tower when a kitchen chair at hand works just fine

I used to share your point of view and I'll explain my change of heart.

I've noticed a lot of wear and tear on our kitchen chairs recently. It's a vintage set so when it's gone....it's really gone and it could get expensive repairing them.

DD has fallen a few times but that doesn't really bother me . She's learning. But the learning tower does have that added safety factor. Kitchens can be dangerous places.

I also like that it will be 'hers' and I'm expecting that will make it easier to teach her boundaries. Expecting her at 2 yrs old to know what furniture is acceptable to climb on and which isn't seems a confusing lesson. This will be hers and what she uses, not kitchen chairs, not dining room chairs, not coffee tables. Maybe she can have fun decorating it when she's older.

It can have other 'play' uses and I know other furniture can too but not if you care about the furniture (antiques and such).

Yes, it is a lot of money. I feel blessed that we can afford it. I certainly wouldn't scrimp and save to buy one. I wish someone in the family was handy enough to make one but thats not the case.

I just felt if we kept using the kitchen chairs for the next few years we would lose them and replacing them would cost a lot more than a learning tower

[odenata]

Make sure you have enough room for them - they are both big. We just use a Rubbermaid step stool. DD has used it since she before she was two (she's 3.5 now), and she also uses it as a little picnic table, which she loves to do.

[Aubergine68]

I bought the learning tower after my son's 2 yr old friend fell off a stool, hit an open cupboard door freakishly and had to have stitches

Best. Thing. Ever.

It has room for 2, if they are not too big, saving fights.

I use it for a kitchen stool as well (but I'm tall and can swing my leg over the top.)

I love that children dismounting can kind of hang by their arms and dangle a bit. This is the only thing in our house that a toddler or preschooler can dangle from. As the parent of 2 little boys who are part monkey, I love having something to redirect them to. "No you may not swing from the window blinds. Why don't you go climb the Learning Tower?"

I bought the puppet theater kit and that was a bit of a waste of money. It is too busy being a stool to be a toy. And the kit is flimsy.

I see now that they have a very expensive chalkboard/easel attachment. Nice idea, but I chose to mount one on the wall instead....

Oh, a con -- the supports at the bottom are often in the way and I stub my toes. I should try to rig some kind of padded cozy for them.

[Lisa85]

Why not save your money and pull up a kitchen chair? That's what we use

DD has been standing on a kitchen chair helping me in the kitchen for the past 6 months (12 mos-present) and hasn't fallen yet. I'm really confused as to why people would fork over SO much money for a kitchen helper/tower when a kitchen chair at hand works just fine

Because they could fall. Just because she hasn't fallen yet, doesn't mean she won't. Dd2 fell off of our couch onto carpet and fractured her wrist. Our kitchen chairs are counter top height, and our flooring is linoleum. If she could fracture her wrist falling off of a couch onto somewhat soft ground, then I'd hate to know what she could do off of a higher surface onto hard ground.

[aprons_and_acorns]

I don't have either one but our friends have the Learning Tower and it is so cool. I wondered why people would spend so much $$ for one but after seeing the kids use it I can certainly understand why. And my friend told me that when her kids outgrow it she will either keep it for the grandkids or sell it on Craigslist and get over half of the purchase price back. Pretty smart!

[aprons_and_acorns]

Originally Posted by Aubergine68

I bought the learning tower after my son's 2 yr old friend fell off a stool, hit an open cupboard door freakishly and had to have stitches

Oh no!! Poor little guy!

[Aubergine68]

Originally Posted by Lisa85

Because they could fall. Just because she hasn't fallen yet, doesn't mean she won't. Dd2 fell off of our couch onto carpet and fractured her wrist. Our kitchen chairs are counter top height, and our flooring is linoleum. If she could fracture her wrist falling off of a couch onto somewhat soft ground, then I'd hate to know what she could do off of a higher surface onto hard ground.

:

Some children seem to balance well on chairs, some are accident-prone.

But when you have two children who both want to stand on the same chair to help you wash carrots in the sink, well, that is when it really becomes a safety issue. Or when my 4 yr old is up on a chair or regular stool washing his hands and 2 yr old wants the stool to break into the pantry and pulls it right out from under his brother's feet....the Learning Tower is a great solution to all kinds of safety issues.

[Aubergine68]

Originally Posted by aprons_and_acorns

Oh no!! Poor little guy!

Yeah. It was a very bad day

I was looking after him because his mom was sick and he was washing his hands and just fell, though he'd been using the stool safely for months. I had to call his poor sick mom with the news. She was awfully good about it all, but I just felt horrible.

[IlluminatedAttic]

Learning Tower! One of our best purchases ever!

[Treasuremapper]

We have a learning tower. A friend gave it to us for free after her son outgrew it. We have used it daily for four years -- our daughters are very tall for their ages, over the 97th percentile in height. And yet, they use it constantly. It is now too small for both of them to crowd in, and I do not have room in our kitchen for two learning towers.

It's totally worth the money, and free is even better.

[annethcz]

I agree with the others to measure your kitchen before you buy something. I knew someone who had a learning tower, and it was SO big and bulky. It worked okay in their big kitchen, but it never would've worked in any of the kitchens of the 3 houses I've lived in with my kids.

Like others, we use kitchen chairs and have a step stool. It works just fine for us. And yes, my kids have fallen off the chairs. But they are very rough-and-tumble kids and have fallen off every piece of furniture that we have

[sofiabugmom]

Completely love our Learning Tower, and are missing it now that it's in storage while we're over here.

Plus, it makes a great puppet theater

[Carma]

We have one too. I bought it when DD started to want to help in the kitchen. I didn't think a chair was safe enough, because she forgets she is on it when busy, and then steps into air.
It is big and we also hit our toes on it. DS now also uses it too climb under it to hide his toys

Carma

[St. Margaret]

I wish my kitchen was big enough for one of these... I still have the foldable one, the KH, on DD's amazon wishlist but we have such a cramped galley kitchen, we're never going to bother ourselves. DD is not a climber and not the toughest, most physically strong toddler out there, so having her on a chair is something I can only do if I am standing right behind/around her. Which means I have to take her down every time I want to go to the pantry for an ingredient or wash something in the sink or whatever. She freaks out every time. She always wants to help me in the kitchen and see everything going on up on the counters... right now we'll move her stap-on high chair seat onto our big step stool and that way she's high enough to see and it takes up less space, but it's hard to get her close to the counter, because she's sitting, not standing. I can't wait until she's a bit bigger and ready for her own step stool!

[tbone_kneegrabber]

I see this thread is kinda old, but we are thinking about one of these or even better making one. Has anyone seen plans to make one yourself? DP is a carpenter, so its a possibility. I also was wondering if anyone knew any b&m stores that sold these as I would like to see them in person.

Also everyone who responded so far has the learning tower, are there any folks out there with the kitchen helper?