We bought the Little Partners’ Kids Learning Tower after reading over what felt like a million reviews and comparisons between the different towers on Amazon! It is a bit more pricey than some of the other options, but it was also the best fit for us. And, after using it multiple times per day for the past two years, I can honestly say that it was a great investment and that I would buy it again.
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What is a Toddler Learning Tower?
A toddler tower (also known as a toddler learning tower) is one of the greatest things ever invented! It is essentially a mixture between a step stool and holding your child on your hip in the kitchen. It is an enclosed stool, also known as a tower! But when your child is in that in-between stage, the toddler tower is the perfect fit because it allows your child to be at your level without you having to hold them or strap them into anything. They feel like they have a ton of freedom, and you are still able to maintain control over the situation! This also follows along with Montessori learning concepts.
Do I Need a Toddler Learning Tower?
If you have a toddler, the answer is yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
If any of these pain points describe your current situation, you will benefit greatly from a Toddler Learning Tower:
- It is a struggle convincing your toddler to get strapped into their high chair or any other form of chair to eat
- Your toddler is not yet big enough to sit down on a regular chair at the table to eat, and if they are, you cannot keep them sitting at the table during the meal
- Your toddler constantly wants to be held while you are doing kitchen activities because they want to see/be a part of them
- You want to involve your child in more activities that you are doing in the kitchen
We bought ours around the time that our daughter was approaching 18 months, and it was really because I was struggling with convincing her to let me strap her into her high chair to eat, and at the same time, she just kept wanting to be picked up to see what I was doing in the kitchen. To be honest, I probably started Googling how to combat this sooner than I normally would have because I had just given birth to baby #2 and it was really hard to lift up my daughter all the time after giving birth. It turns out that it was the perfect time and my daughter loved it!
What are the Benefits of Using a Toddler Learning Tower?
From our experience, the benefits of using a Toddler Tower include that our toddler is now excited to:
- Go to their special spot to eat
- Have their own special play area
- Help me cut fruit and make dinner
However your kitchen activities look for you, you should be able to find some benefit from the investment in a tower!
Activity Ideas for How to Incorporate a Toddler Learning Tower
Some of my daughter’s favorite activities include (see pictures below for more examples):
- Participating in meal prep – cutting fruit bowls (~10 minute activity), making pancakes (getting to be a part of the mixing, stirring, watching the bubbles as they cook is really exhilarating for her!), making dinner (it turns out she eats a lot more for dinner when she helps make it because she wants to eat everything off of everyone else’s plate besides hers!)
- Playing with water – When we first got the tower, she was really into water and learning how to pour and would stand in her tower and play for an hour at a time just pouring water back and forth!
- Artwork – The tower is a great place to have your toddler use markers or paint because they can only draw on so many different surfaces, none of which include the wall or the floor!
- Play Doh – There are only so many places that you will find small little crunchy pieces of Play Doh after this activity is finished. It might not seem like a big deal, but you can thank me for this later!
- Any activity really – As long as it is an individual activity (that can or cannot include the participation of an adult), this is the perfect place to do it. It is like your toddler’s own little play station!
One additional recommendation to go along with a Toddler Learning Tower would be to get them a “table cloth” for their play area. I initially started doing this when the water activities started, but have kept it in place because it really helps keep everything clean and in one place. For this, I bought a $2 shower curtain insert that I folded over and never looked back!
Specifics Related to the Little Partners’ Kids Learning Tower
- This specific tower is on the pricier side, but of all of the options, it seemed like the safest and most realistic option.
- There are multiple color options to choose from. If you click the link I provided, it will take you to the white version (which is the one we have), but you can change the color to whichever you would prefer (at the time of this posting, there are seven different color options).
- It is made out of painted wood.
Our Experience Using the Little Partners’ Kids Learning Tower
Pros
- It allows your toddler to feel like they have a lot more freedom, while still keeping them contained in one spot!
- It allows your toddler to participate in kitchen activities, without you having to hold them up the whole time.
- It can easily be moved around the kitchen.
- It can easily be adjusted as your child gets taller.
- It does not take up a lot of space. You will definitely notice it there, but if you have an island in your kitchen, it will fit perfectly right at the end.
- No more arguments about getting strapped into the high chair!
- Your kids will very quickly start to learn how the kitchen and all of the appliances work.
- It is especially helpful if you have multiple kids! Right now, I have a toddler and an infant and it helps keep the infant from getting into toys or activities that are not yet suitable for him.
Cons
- You will have to do a little bit of assembly once it arrives at your house. That is a con, but is also pretty standard for any tower that you would purchase.
- We bought the white version right at the time where Anabelle was really interested in playing with water (think of water spilling all over, including the tower!), but dried the tower each time after use and the paint started to chip really quickly. We were also, for some reason, unable to wash off “washable” marker.
- When you child gets a little older and starts to test things, it is easy for them to step up on the side railings to see how far they can reach. It is a good learning lesson for the child, but is also a reminder of how necessary it is for the child to be monitored the entire time while they are in there.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the pros far outweigh the cons, as it is meant for a toddler and is meant to get messy! I highly recommend buying the Little Partners’ Kids Learning Tower, but if it is out of your price range, choose another cheaper option. It will definitely pay off in the long run! A Toddler Learning Tower will be a game changer in your household!
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