Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper® Stool - White with Keepers and Non-Slip Mat: Foldable, Adjustable Height Safety Cooking Tower for Toddlers with Chalkboard | Kids Learning Platform

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.

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.

I rarely leave reviews. Usually when I do, they are negative ones because I'm upset. LOL. However, I'm so pleased with this company and their product, I wanted to take the time to leave a review today. It took us longer than we had hoped to get our kitchen helper only because the first one we were sent had some damaged/wrong parts. But I reached out to the company and connected with Ashley who was beyond awesome. She would have sent me a new kitchen helper immediately, but they did not have the color I ordered and I didn't want any of the color opinions they did have available at the time--hence the delay. But as soon as they had a color option in stock that I liked, I alerted Ashley and she had the new kitchen helper sent immediately. We recently put it together and we love it. It is very easy for my not very agile 25-month old to climb in and out. This allows him to help me in the kitchen which is so great because now I can involve him in cooking with me instead of just putting on the TV or letting him take everything out of an entire cabinet and create chaos. My son will even push it to the sink (we have older tile floors, but it doesn't scratch them at all) to wash his hands! I couldn't be happier. It took me months to decide to purchase one of these because lets be honest, It is kind of expensive when I wondered if a step stool from somewhere like Home Depot would be just as good and could fold up, too. But several friends used this and said it was much safer, sturdier, and more pleasing to the eye in the kitchen. Some of them had tried a $30 Home Depot step stool first and said it wasn't worth it. My son will sometimes get excited and jump up and down. I stop him immediately but it is nice to know that he won't hurt himself immediately by getting excited and jumping or taking a wrong step. In fact, I could probably let him continue jumping in excitement this thing is so sturdy...but I don't. Plus, it has a base that is easy to clean and catches food my little "helper" drops while "helping" me. LOL With a step stool, all that food would go to the floor. Sorry for the long review but if you are like me and debating this verses something like a step stool, I say buy the guidecraft kitchen helper! It is easy to clean, easy to fold, safe, convenient, and not an eye sore as far as kid items go. Add all that to the fact that this companies customer servicer is top notch, even mid-pandemic, and I say DO IT without a doubt.

I spent a lot of time looking at learning towers here on amazon and other places. They are pretty pricey, so I wanted to make sure I made the right decision. I looked at ones that were less expensive than this one, but that didn't fold, and also seemed to be from companies that I wasn't 100% confident on the safety of the product. We decided to just take the leap and get this one and we are so glad we did. It was super easy to assemble and it is a very solid piece of furniture. My daughter immediately got in and we use it all day every day since. I will admit that I fold it up way less often than I thought I would, but it is so nice to have the option when you need it tucked away. Also, the safety net that clips open and closed is wonderful for when I don't want her climbing up, but I will say that I don't feel the need to close it when she is in it. Granted, she is almost 2. With this in mind, I feel like we could have used it when she was smaller because of this lovely safety feature. It will be nice when another little one comes along and wants to use it. I have not found any of the negative reviews to be applicable in my case. The mat is super easy to clean, it is in no way wobbly, and it is very easy to fold and unfold. I can't speak to the paint peeling as I got the natural color. I think that with any product that is used so often, you would have wear in the paint. I can tell this will be with us for a very long time. The only future concern I have is that I think lowering the platform will take a little more work than others I saw, but this is just because it is so sturdy and safe. It isn't just a piece of plywood you move into grooves. But I don't think we'll have to worry about this for a while, as my daughter is in the 95% for her height at 2 years old, and we won't need to move it any time soon. If you've been on the fence or searching for a while, just buy this one!

This is the best kitchen tower! My nephews used it years ago and they didn’t have the net or the non-slip mat where the kiddo stands! I am very pease with the additions to keep my baby safe! There are two latches on the sides that fold in which helps with the sturdiness and stability. We also have a small kitchen so the foldable feature is space saving! Highly recommend this product!

I don't really write reviews, but I usually read about 100 of them before I buy something for my son so I hope this helps someone else. I researched just about every single tower out there. This is the best one I could find. The non-slip bottom is wonderful. He plays at the sink, or dumps his water in the tower and I'm definitely glad it's there. The covers on the sides are helpful to keep him from toppling out the sides. I've examined it carefully and he could probably still squish his foot out if he tried and could possibly hurt himself, but I don't leave him unattended in this and it's still safer than no covering. I wish it fit a bit more snug so that he couldn't fit his foot through. The shape cut-outs are no necessary. He's tried to thread his foot through there too. Again, better than being totally open. It was a dream to assemble. Could not have been more simple. My husband was so impressed when I said I assembled it myself. He doesn't need to know that I only had to screw on the legs and it took less than10 minutes to do it. It fold pretty easily. It's not the most convenient thing in the world and we end up just pushing the tower around the kitchen rather than folding it away. It gets so much use, my son loves being in his tower for snack and most meals. The feature I most wish this model had was a little step to allow my son to climb in 100% by himself. We pull a little step stool up to it so he can climb in, but if you look at other models, you'll see it has a little bar for the child to step on. I'd still rather have the non-slip bottom, the option to fold and the covers on the side so I'm still happy with the purchase. To be 100% perfect, the side flaps would have to be a tiny bit more snug and that step bar would have to be added. Otherwise perfect and very sturdy. We use it multiple times per day.

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!

Fantastic product! 90% ready to go out of the box. Only need to attach the feet with a Phillip’s head. Adjustment is straightforward and a hex key is included. Our two year old loves being able to help mom and dad with the cooking!