Everything Montessori is popular with parents. Offering independence and inviting kids into the flow of the household at an early age are values that are hard to dispute. But after careful consideration, and in light of the recent recalls of thousands of toddler learning towers, we're pulling back from endorsing these toddler "kitchen helpers."
What are learning towers?
The structures are step stools with guardrails designed to boost toddlers and preschoolers high enough that they can watch parents work in the kitchen and participate in safe "assisting." A kid stays busy and close to the grown-ups, and maybe picks up new skills and vocabulary. Learning towers have existed for years, but have recently proliferated through new brands.
Though learning towers are designed to foster a sense of inclusion, they might also provide a false sense of security. They are not the equivalent of a highchair, which restricts movement with a belt. Also, your kid can try to push a tower over to something you don't want them to touch, like a lit stove. Most are age-graded from 18 months or 2 years, well before most kids completely understand kitchen dangers.
What might make a learning tower unsafe?
Unfortunately, your child's enthusiasm, for one. A tester told us: "My daughter got so excited about her new learning tower that she climbed it wildly, all over, from every direction. She wanted to sit on the slender rim on top, she wanted to lean way out to one side and yank on it, she climbed up one side and down the other side. She did everything except enter carefully through the front. I lowered the platform, which made it harder for her to climb. But it did fall over once while she exercised on her 'new playground.'"
Recent recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have focused on tip-over, fall, and entrapment hazards, and ask for families to request a repair kit from manufacturers to aid stability.
Why a sturdy leaning tower might still be unsafe
Even if you install extra supports to keep a tower from tipping easily, a child might act on impulse to access something they are not supposed to have. A mom of three told us, "We remind our children they can’t move the learning tower, but they still try!" There's a lot of onus on parents to not look away, even for a second, if a learning tower is around.
Learning towers are not the only baby and toddler tool we don't recommend
Parents and grandparents might not be aware that the Good Housekeeping Institute does not recommend baby walkers or bath seats, either. Like learning towers, they offer the opportunity for a baby or toddler to feel "big" but also give them the means to get into trouble.
A grown-up might feel that because such products are on the market, they are safe. But baby walkers are dangerous per the American Academy of Pediatrics, which also notes that infant bath seats can tip over and present a drowning risk.
Dangerous baby products that are off the market—but that some parents still try to buy secondhand—include inclined sleepers and baby loungers. We don't recommend anything for a baby's sleep other than cribs and bassinets that are up to current safety standards.
Our advice for your kid who wants to help in the kitchen
Any baby product, used incorrectly, can result in harm. But our staff parenting pros, who are parents themselves, feel that some products aren't worth using at all with young kids. We now include learning towers in that category.
A better idea: Bring kitchen activities like stirring down to your toddler or preschooler's level, for instance using a kid-sized table. Your toddler might also be able to stay next to you while they're safely seated and strapped into their high chair, playing with bowls and spoons on their high chair tray.
When your child is old enough and tall enough, they can stand on a regular stepstool and see the countertop. You may have to wait until your child is 3, 4, or 5 years old to have them safely assist with most kitchen tasks, but by then they will be able to better follow directions, ask questions, and use kitchen tools correctly.
