A few years ago, after nearly having heart attack #857 due to watching oldest Piggy almost flip out of a chair while standing at the island helping me cook, I decided to try to find something a little more child friendly.
My original thought was to buy one of those old metal stools with the fold out step. I think they were in every grandmother’s kitchen (in the South, at least.) You know – this one:
After reading the reviews, I was sad! I wanted them to be made like the old ones that are still floating around flee markets, but apparently, they are cheap and not worth the price these days. I needed to find something else. While on Amazon doing my search and reviews, I found the Little Partners Learning Tower. After reading lots of reviews and carefully considering the price tag, I decided to bite the bullet and buy it. Best. Purchase. Ever! My kids call it their “Tower of Power!”
This thing is so cool! The little notches on the sides allow the “floor” of the tower to move up and down. When Littlest Piggy is in the tower, I put it close to the top so that he can reach the island better. When I know I’m going to be walking away for little bits at the time, and I don’t want him climbing up onto the counter, I put it further down.
When I bought it, I knew I wanted to buy the easel that went with it.
- It’s a chalkboard on one side!
- It’s a dry-erase board on the other side.
- It comes with this really heavy-duty long rectangular magnet that holds pieces of paper onto EITHER side –
Yes, it is magnetic!
- The tray at the bottom slips off easily to be put on either side you wish to use. Switching them back and forth is a breeze!
- It keeps them from falling out of the back of the tower.
You can see the tray better in this picture. The circles are for holding paint buckets. I also use them to hold juice cups! The little tray on the right side is perfect for goldfish or snacks. Little Piggies can come grab a handful of fish, snag a sip of juice, and be off again in no time. You can also see the long magnet in this picture.
They use it every day – all day! The bigger two holes on each side are for their feet as they climb up into the tower. I had to show my youngest how to maneuver his feet one time. Now, he’s a pro!
They climb up to help me cook, do art projects, watch me make pancakes, eat… I think it is seriously my favorite toddler item in my house! The only thing ranked equal (and maybe slightly higher) is the diaper genie.
The boys are small enough now that they both fit into the tower at one time. Occasionally they fuss while up there, but it only takes once or twice for one to be “banned from the tower” before they learn to get along (at least for the day).
They have some really neat things that you can add to the tower. We’ve not purchased any of them because I don’t think my boys would be interested right now, but I would have loved it when I was a little girl.
You can buy these covers that go over the tower, take the floors out, and turn them into a puppet theatre, a popcorn stand, a lemonade stand, etc. Here are some links to those cute add-ons:
Did I mention all the colors? I went with black because our appliances in the kitchen are black, but I had to seriously talk myself out of the apple green! I mean, come on! Look at this thing!
There’s a natural maple color, black, dark cherry, green, red, pink… They’re all just so precious. If you’ve got little ones that love to help you in the kitchen, this thing is a must! It is truly worth the price tag!
By the way, I’m not being compensated for making this post. It does contain affiliate links, but my opinions are my own, and my complete and total love for this tower exist with or without a link associated with it. It is truly my favorite kiddie tool in my home.
Do you have something you use with your kids that you cannot live without?
Heather
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