The Ultimate Guide to Learning Towers: Reviews and Safety Considerations

Introduction

Involving toddlers in kitchen activities and meal preparation can foster healthier dietary behaviors and a lifelong love of food. Parenting books often encourage allowing toddlers to be part of cooking and meal prep. Kitchen towers, also known as learning towers, toddler kitchen stools, or helper towers, are designed to safely bring little kids up to counter height, allowing them to participate and observe. These tools can foster independence and make life easier for parents. This article explores the benefits of learning towers, provides reviews of popular models, and discusses important safety considerations.

Benefits of Kitchen Towers

Kitchen towers are designed with busy toddlers who crave autonomy in mind. With a kitchen tower, toddlers can stand at the counter, eye-level with the action, and participate or just observe. Kitchen towers promote sensory exploration and fine motor skill development as children engage in tasks such as mixing, stirring, and pouring. For many children, it’s been a way for them to feel included. It also means that parents don’t have to come up with an activity for them to do while they cook or meal prep.

Research suggests that children who participate in meal preparation exhibit healthier dietary behaviors and are more likely to try new foods. Even if toddlers aren't immediately helpful, nurturing their desire to participate can lead to increased engagement and helpfulness later on.

Popular Learning Tower Models: A Review

There are many learning towers on the market, each with unique features and benefits. Here's a rundown of some popular options:

Ergobaby High Chair with Kitchen Tower Kit: This innovative product can switch from high chair to kitchen tower mode with the push of two buttons on the back. Some appreciate that it is nice not having to have yet another piece of furniture. It comes in a lighter and darker finish and can be used as a high chair from six months. While some parents may be concerned about the open back, many children can safely get in and out of the kitchen tower independently from about a year old.

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Folding Kitchen Tower: This model boasts appealing aesthetics and a completely enclosed design that can be opened easily from the outside. Little ones can be a part of the kitchen experience from the moment they can stand, although the manufacturer suggests using from 18 months. This one folds up to be almost flat and even comes in a double wide version for two kids.
Storage Unit Tower: This innovative tower doubles as a storage unit, providing ample space for kitchen essentials while offering toddlers a safe platform to observe and participate.
Desk-Convertible Kitchen Tower: This kitchen tower can fold down into a desk that your little one can sit at and comes in a pleasing array of colors like green, white, and black. The step even serves as a little desk stool, so no extra furniture is required for this to become a desk and flip easily right back into a kitchen tower. It also has a removable back piece for when your toddler wants a little more independence at the kitchen counter.
Chalkboard Kitchen Helper: Some kitchen helpers come with an extra chalkboard as a way to involve yet another element of kitchen prep, as well as providing an art space without needing an additional easel.
My Mini Kitchen Step Stool: This handmade, hand-painted, three-in-one kitchen helper, kid’s slide, and puppet theatre serves many purposes.

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Cosco Kitchen Stepper: The Cosco brand makes affordable baby and toddler gear that’s more bare bones but functions well. This kitchen tower looks much the same and is less than half the price of anything else on this list.
Guidecraft Contemporary Kitchen Helper Toddler Tower: This learning tower came nearly fully assembled. It’s also easy to move around if needed and is roomy enough for a toddler to stand in and use up until 4-5 years of age. This is affordable and well-made. It folds to store flat if needed and is big enough for a toddler to comfortably stand in it, but doesn’t take up too much space in the kitchen.
IKEA-Hack Learning Tower: This option is very compact and costs under $50 to make since you start with an IKEA stool and build a simple frame on top. It’s a great option if you’re on a budget and have a small space, but keep a close eye on how the kids use it to ensure it’s a safe option for your family. Expect your toddler to outgrow it by the time they’re 3 or 4.
Little Partners Learning Tower: This is often considered the Rolls Royce of towers. If space isn’t an issue and you want a learning tower that will last for years, this is a great option.
Slim-Design Durable Stool: This slim-design super durable stool is similar to a learning tower but sort of streamlined. If you’re looking for something that takes up less space but is still super safe, this kids stool is a great option.

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Multi-Purpose Tower/Table/Chair Set: This is a great option if you want a tower that can double as a kid-size table and chair set.
Foldable Learning Tower: This is a nice choice if you want maximum versatility and ease of putting the tower away when not in use.

Guidecraft Learning Tower Features

The Guidecraft Kitchen Helper Step Stool offers several key features:

Foldable Design: This lightweight, adjustable Kitchen Helper step stool is uniquely foldable for convenient storage, making it perfect for small spaces.
Indoor Air Quality: GREENGUARD Gold Certified, this product meets rigorous standards for low emissions, contributing to improved indoor air quality.
Adjustable Platform: The platform can be adjusted to 15" or 18" to accommodate your growing child, ensuring the perfect height for various activities.
Durable Construction: Crafted from solid hardwood and birch plywood, this stool features a child-safe, non-toxic finish that prevents scratches and scuff marks, supporting up to 125 lbs.
Safety Features: Includes a non-slip mat and Kitchen Helper Keeper for added security, with adult supervision required at all times.
Child-Friendly Design: The stool's cutout shapes and chalkboard detail make it playful and attractive for kids, encouraging independence and access to counter height.

Pros:

Sturdy construction ensures stability.
Setup requires minimal effort and is quick.
Made with durable materials and folds compactly.
Offers an affordable quality option.
Folds to save space when not in use.

Safety Considerations

While the developmental benefits of toddler towers are clear, the potential safety risks for young children are, too. There’s a wide range of toddler towers on the market, and they vary greatly in construction quality and design. Some are heavy, substantial pieces of furniture, while others are flimsier and less stable. Parents using these products with their young toddlers might be surprised to learn that no safety standards currently exist for them.

There is currently no category-specific rule or safety standard for this product type. That’s in contrast to other categories of products, such as car seats, strollers, and cribs, which have to meet federal safety standards. Experts say this is a common problem: A new product is invented, it gains popularity, then inspires scores of copycats and becomes a whole new category-all before industry or government watchdogs decide how to test or regulate the design for safety.

Reported Safety Incidents

Sixteen safety incidents were reported to SaferProducts.gov, the CPSC’s public incident reporting database, between 2011 and 2024, most involving children 1 or 2 years of age. Fortunately, there are no known fatalities involving a toddler tower. Incidents include children getting their heads stuck, towers tipping over, and parts detaching, causing falls.

Recalled Models

Several toddler towers have been recalled in recent years due to safety concerns:

Simplay3 Toddler Tower Adjustable Stool: Recalled in 2023 after multiple reports of tip-overs.
Step2 StepUp Sidekick: Recalled in 2021 after the storage tray part serving as a protective barrier at the top of the tower could loosen and detach, causing a fall risk.
Cosco Kitchen Stepper: Recalled after multiple reports of children falling out of it because the “safety bar” detached or broke during everyday use.

Consumer Reports Testing

In the absence of any safety standard or test for toddler towers, Consumer Reports conducted their own test of some of the models on the market today. They chose 16 popular toddler towers in a variety of design styles and tested them for stability and entrapment risk, and then evaluated their warning label language and age recommendations.

Stability Test

This was designed to determine how well a tower resisted tipping over when weight was applied to one side. In all, 13 of the 16 towers failed the stability test with 35 pounds. The only three that passed were the Guidecraft Contemporary Kitchen Helper Toddler Tower, the Honey Joy Kitchen Step Stool, and the Simplay3 Toddler Tower Adjustable Stool. But all of the towers that passed the 35-pound weight test failed a secondary test with a 59-pound weight.

Entrapment Test

The second test CR performed looked at the size of the gaps created by different parts of the towers and whether they could pose a danger if a child slipped or climbed through them. The results showed “widespread failures in head and neck entrapment testing across most brands.”

Warning Labels and Age Grading

On many packages, age recommendations were either missing or inconsistent, potentially causing confusion for parents about when children could use the towers safely.

Improving Safety

To improve stability, manufacturers should lower the center of gravity and consider adding four cross-feet at the base or find some other way to make the base stronger and wider to prevent tip-overs. To prevent entrapment, they should measure and test all openings to make sure that children’s torsos and heads don’t pass through at all or that both fully pass through. Companies should measure and test the openings at every adjustable height, not just one.

Manufacturer Responses

CR reached out to the manufacturers to ask them to comment on their test results and find out how they tested their own towers before selling them. Some companies stated that they stood behind their toddler tower’s safety 100%, while others said they were already working to improve the tower’s design to enhance stability and address other safety issues.

Safe Usage Tips

Supervise your toddler while they’re in it at all times.
Choose a tower with safety features in mind. Sturdiness is important. Heavier, wider towers may be safer.
Check the toddler tower often for safety. Screws and fasteners can loosen over time.
Always use a toddler tower on a flat, level floor.
Stay within arm’s length of your child to help keep them safe.
Childproof as your child grows. Be aware of what’s now within reach of your child that wasn’t before.
Consider having your kids take off their socks while they’re climbing into or standing in a tower.
Pay attention to maximum age, height, and weight guidelines.
Use the right gear for the right age. Toddler towers work best for children who have achieved “hands-free standing”.
Adjust the platform height so that the guardrail at the top of the tower is above your child’s belly button.
If your child is too small for a toddler tower, use a high chair instead.
Keep the tower in a set place in your kitchen so your toddler knows where they can use the counter-and so you know where to keep things out of reach.
If your child is using the learning tower unsafely-jumping on it, using it as a ladder to get onto the counter, trying to pull it over, consider limiting their use to reset the behavior.

ASTM Standards

ASTM International is currently working on a new voluntary standard for toddler towers. If the group votes to adopt a standard, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission will then vote on whether or not to adopt that voluntary standard as a new mandatory rule for all companies that make or sell toddler towers.

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