Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper - Natural: Adjustable Height, Folding Step Stool For Little Kids, Toddler Safety Cooking Tower with Write-on Wipe-off Message Boards. Kids Learning Furniture

My wife had me convinced we wanted the Little Partners Learning Tower (accept no imitations, right?!?), but the size was a put-off in our rather cramped quarters, not to mention the price premium. This Kitchen Helper is typical bolt-together furniture quality -- nothing special, but after 4+ years of use, has proven durable enough for regular duty while being easy to assemble and convenient to fold & store. Its weight is relatively light -- light enough for our (at the time) 20 month old son to push around the kitchen to the location he desired, yet with a platform high enough for him to access the counter. It's also demonstrated remarkable stability, without any hit of tipping when our (now 5 and 3 year old) sons are sharing the space. We do hover in close proximity while the tower is in use. The chalk board and dry erase board are cheesy "painted on" surfaces, and each is centered on the folding side wall and so divided with large gaps smack down the middle. I don't see them being very usable surfaces to write on, especially since even light writing pressure on the writing surfaces will cause the unoccupied stand to slide across the floor. I suppose adding rubber grip strips on the feet would help a bit, but really I think was just a case of Guidecraft opting to fill available space with something of questionable value in order to fluff up their bullet list of "features." The biggest annoyance is the fold-down standing platform. As soon as I begin to unfold the flattened stand into its box shape, this hinged platform tries to flop down into its working position. Trouble is, there are two pivoting metal clasps below the platform that need to be locked in place to secure the tower sides from folding back in. Since both hands are involved in opening the stand, the platform usually bangs down in a loud and uncontrolled manner, and I'll have to lift it out of the way to work the latches. It's not a major problem, but I'd bet Guidecraft could have engineered in some magnets to keep the platform up and out of the way. And again, a rubber strip would soften the impact when this surface falls into place. In reality, the two latches are superfluous because the standing platform itself prevents the sides from folding back in. Also, I haven't yet used the single retaining screw to lock the platform into its deployed position. I might use it if I weren't interested in regularly folding the tower up after use, but it's unnecessary unless you have two kids and are worried about one sliding their fingers under the platform while another puts weight on the platform, creating a pinch hazard (though this hasn't yet presented itself as a problem). All in all, this is a great, lightweight, decent quality, stowable tower to get the little one in on the action in the kitchen. Hits for my guys are sorting noodles in Tupperware containers, helping to put wet dishes and silverware into the drying rack, cooking pancakes, and observing meal prep & cooking.

Came almost fully put together! We bought this as a second learning tower for our younger toddler because our kids were fighting over the one we had. Our first one was an older version of this same tower. We received it used and have had it for 3 years, we love that it folds and it looks attractive in our kitchen. Very sturdy, my kids love it. The new one has an addition of a non-slip pad where you stand, which I think is amazing for safety and love the upgrade.

This toddler step stool is very well made and very sturdy. The size is perfect for my one-year-old grandson. If folds up nicely and can be stored with little room. Very little work to put together. Highly recommend this product.

Get it! This thing is surprisingly high quality. My toddler and I are both in love with it. It started out as an easy way to keep her contained while happy to be able to see what was going on in the kitchen, now it's an easy way for her to independently join in on cooking/eating/playing. It is sturdy enough that we can leave the side mesh panel open so she can climb in and out on her own. It's also super easy to clean. Highly recommend!

My daughter is almost 2 and is often underfoot -- or wants to be held -- in the kitchen. Of course, this is the most inopportune time to be carrying a child, plus she really just wanted to see what we were doing. I'd been wanting a "learning tower," as I've grown to know it, but many others are quite high in price. We chose this one because it A) folds up flat for storage, and B) has an adjustable height for our daughter to stand on. (It is not adjustable on the fly, and requires some rebuilding of the part -- it's fine for us, but may be a pain if you have kids of different ages/heights using this.) Initial assembly was quick and easy. The quality of this item is not great. There are parts that came put together that wiggle around, but it doesn't affect the integrity of the tower. But it does the job, and is relatively light enough to carry (or in my case, drag) across the kitchen floor. It hasn't left any marks on our tile when I drag it, either. =) My daughter is relatively calm and has not tried to climb the cut-out shapes on the side like someone else mentioned in their review. Had our daughter been more of a climber, we would probably not have risked this purchase and gone with a more expensive one. She can climb in and out of this tower herself. The whiteboard and chalkboard on the sides look cheap and I wouldn't really trust that they would be easy to clean, so we just haven't used them at all. I've stubbed my toe on numerous occasions on the little stabilizing "feet" on this, but like our baby gate, I've learned to avoid it. I'm giving this four stars because I think it is a more affordable version of a really great concept. If you're looking for something like this, there really isn't anything wrong with it, especially if your child won't try to climb out over the sides. It's stable, sturdy enough (at least for our 23 pounder), and does the job. It's also really nice that it adjusts in height AND folds flat. Many others don't seem to do both. But understandably, with the price drop comes a slightly lower quality.

Update 7/11/19: Kiddo just shy of his fourth birthday, and we're still using this. Still no damage from water spills, I tie a flour sack towel through one of the shapes and he uses that to dry his hands. Kiddo can push this thing around the kitchen by himself, so he can go wash his hands anytime he needs to, and wet a cloth which he uses as a napkin/reuseable wipe for messes in the sink. Thanks to this, he's learning to prepare meals and cook with me still, and we have moved and are about to move again and this thing has withstood the test of time and durability. If your kid can stand up, seriously, just buy this for them. My kid is a little above average height for his age and he'll still be using this for a few more years yet. Most worthwhile "baby" item we've ever bought. Update 11/18/17: My kid is a little over two years old now, and this thing is still just as amazing as the day we bought it. He actually has started dragging it himself to get where he wants to go! So I'd say if you have a mischievous toddler and don't want them to get on the sink/counters by themselves to fold it up when not in use. We recently took it on a cross country move, and it was easy to disassemble the pieces that would stick out like the foot legs. Despite getting a ton of water exposure over the last year, this thing's finish is still beautiful and we've had no issues with water damage. It wipes up so easy and doesn't stain. Occasionally the top handle bar becomes a little wobbly, but it's a separate piece only about an inch thick on two sides of the rails and it's not like the whole side panel is wobbly, so it's not a big deal just to tighten once in awhile and does not affect the safety of the child using it. This thing has been one of the best investments we've ever made and I'd recommend this to any parent of a toddler! We got it when my son was 13 months old, and he loves to "help" in the kitchen. I was told by several he was too young for this, but I completely disagree! This keeps him busy for at least as long as I have to get things done and saves me from having to hold him the whole time. He's now 14.5 months old and is still on the highest setting. This thing gets SOAKED on a daily basis and is still in perfect first day condition. I would recommend getting some strips to help with slipping as the finish is great at keeping water out, but gets slick when wet. We got a package of this - "Adhesive 7.5" Non-Slip Safety Shower Treads - Clear" and they have been soaked, scraped and abused and are still going strong. This is easy to fold, but we keep it set up in our kitchen all the time. Our son does try to stick his feet through the cut outs when he's ready to get down and I can see how that might be a safety hazard. I don't ever leave him alone though, so we never have a problem, but I can see how it could turn into one. Overall, great purchase for a one year old and up, would highly recommend! This has quite possibly saved my sanity as a new mother. If I could afford it, I'd get this for any 1st birthday party gift from here on out!

When we first saw the learning tower I fell in love. I wanted it. But we live in a small apartment and there was no way we could fit it reasonably. When we found this I was really excited though a littler nervous about the reviews that question it's quality. We ordered it anyway. We absolutely love it. Ours is really solidly made, not the least bit wobbly, and perfectly sized for our small kitchen. It folds easily and we love the adjustable height (though it should be noted that it is not foldable on it's highest height setting). WE don't use the screw on the platform and it is fine. Perhaps over time it will get more wobbly, who knows. I think it will be excellent for many purposes until then though--it is already great climbing practice and it will make a great puppet theater some day soon. It is very inexpensive so we can afford to replace it if we have to, it will still end up being the same as the learning tower while fitting our needs better. The only drawback are the cut out holes on the side that are very cute and great for peek-a-boo but do encourage further risky climbing. I just did an amazon search and it looks like now there is a "learning tower" just like this one but with open sides. I might have bought that one instead if it had been available.

We just this as a birthday gift for my little one. We have been looking for a Kitchen Helper for some time and with a lot of research the Guidecraft Kitchen Helper was by far the best. The quality is amazing, assembly in minutes, and best part is that it folds up that I can stick it anywhere. It’s super safe with both keepers and really has created a fun space for my little one to learn and help in the kitchen. I also love how it grows with my little one with the different platform heights. Best purchase this year!

As a sufferer of extreme anxiety, I needed something secure for my two year old to keep him occupied in the kitchen, and when I came across this I knew it was perfect for us both. There are cheaper on the market but this one looked more secure to me, with a good amount of space, yet it didn't look like he could just topple backwards and fall out. My two year old uses it every day, either helping me bake or prepare dinner, or just standing at the kitchen sink playing with the water (he's obseesed). And it's also meant that I can reclaim some of my sanity by not panicking that I'm going to spill dinner over him or trip him up etc... Which has made it worth the extra expense in my eyes.

mon fils faisait des crises pour voir ce que l'on fait sur le plan de travail désormais non seulement il voit mais il participe aussi. Dès qu'il veut se joindre à la cuisine, il pousse l'escabeau lui-même et s'installe dessus. difficile de s'en passer

This is AWESOME! Our daugther no longer uses her normal feeding chair; we were basicly holding her one our knees to eat or chase her all over the house with the food. Now she climbs up into this tower and she eats with us at the table; Washing her hands also became something fun as she sits into the tower. Her mother can cook now, without having to worry about the little one doing something aroung the house without surveillance, because she sits next to her in the tower, "helping" her mother. This tower saved us! And it's well made and very good looking too. Extremely practical. WOW! PS: our daughter is 17 months old. The hight of the tower can be adjusted for bigger kids, by lowering the base if necessary.

Molto utile e fatto bene, comodo soprattutto perché si chiude occupando poco spazio. Finalmente il mio bimbo può vedere cosa sto facendo in cucina senza doverlo tenere in braccio!

Muy útil en la cocina con niños pequeños y materiales de altísima Calidad, lo llevo usando varios años y sigue intacto. Plegado compacto. Lo que menos me ha gustado es que es pesado