All about the Learning Tower
The Learning Tower isn’t cheap, and it’s not small or invisible, either. You’re right to take your time and consider your purchase carefully.
To help you make a smart decision, we’ll share everything we’ve learned about the tower from owning one for 4+ years and selling them for almost as long.
If we’ve left anything out, please leave us a comment so we can fix it!
Do your kids love to help in the kitchen?
They want to help, but they’re either sitting on the counter or they’re standing on a chair. They’re at risk for falls, bumps, and spills.
There’s a solution.
It’s called The Learning Tower.
How Does It Work?
The Learning Tower is an award winning stepstool with railings on all four sides.
It provides a secure platform for kids. They can lean on the rails as hard as they want without fear that the Tower will tip over. They can’t move the Tower once they’re in it, so you can feel comfortable knowing they won’t skooch it closer to something dangerous.
(Of course, an enterprising toddler can push the Learning Tower across the floor when they’re not in it. But since the Tower is designed to be used only with adult supervision, this shouldn’t present a safety hazard.)
Why the Learning Tower is so great
If you’ve got a toddler in the house you know that they
- move around a lot and
- aren’t always aware of where their bodies are.
These two factors are responsible for most of the falls caused by using chairs to get up to the counter.
“Maggie is ALWAYS wanting to help me in the kitchen. And we have certainly had our fair share of falling off chairs and stools.”
You see, once a toddler is standing on a chair to help you in the kitchen, they don’t stand still like a normal, sane adult. No, they’re dancing and wiggling, and it doesn’t take much for them to step off the edge.
They’re also doing something REALLY interesting (everything is interesting to toddlers…) and this means you have a recipe for disaster. Because they’re only thinking about what they’re doing with their hands, not where their feet are. And when they reach for that salt shaker, just a few inches beyond their grasp, BANG, they’re down.
Believe me, I’m writing from experience.
Luckily, toddlers are a hardy bunch.
Learning Towers are great because it’s almost impossible to fall out of them. Which is not to say it couldn’t be done. But it’s a real challenge.
To start, the platform of the Tower is a generous 15″ by 18″. (That’s the actual wooden platform; there’s actually another inch and a half of space inside the railings, making the real internal dimensions 16.5″ by 18″.)
This is plenty of room for a toddler to wiggle as much as they want. They can even jump up and down (and they will). Because of the way the adjustable platform is held in place, it can’t get knocked loose no matter how bouncy your child is. There’s even room for two children to be in the Tower at the same time. (This is one of the many important distinctions between the Tower and its competitor, the Kitchen Helper, but more on that later…)
Second, the rails provide a high level of security without seeming like a prison. The Tower may seem substantial and solid to you, but from a kid’s perspective it’s mostly air. They can climb in and out two sides easily (swing is more like it) and they can even get in and out the other two sides if they want. The railings lend support without stopping your child from interacting with siblings, pets, or interesting objects on the floor. (In my house, these are big black ants — you probably don’t have this problem…)
Awards, awards, awards
(The Learning Tower consistently wins prestigious awards in the toy industry.)
In use, the Tower becomes basically “invisible” to the kids who are using it. It provides stability without any sense of confinement (in part because of the large platform size). Because it’s so sturdy, the child can lean against the railings to reach for far away objects. In fact, because the design is so good, you won’t have to drill your child in elaborate safety rules (it goes without saying that you’re going to make sure they can’t reach flames, burners, hot items and sharp things).
You won’t have to keep telling your child to be still, or stop dancing, or not to lean out so far.
Instead you can simply focus on the task at hand — safely sharing an experience with your child.
The more you involve your child in what you’re doing, the more they’ll enjoying being involved. The Learning Tower gives them a way to do this safely. The result is that you’re both going to have a lot more fun. You don’t have to use your energy worrying about safety or making sure your child doesn’t get too bouncy.
Here’s what one of our customers said about the Learning Tower:
“The Learning Tower is GREAT. It’s a large presence in the kitchen, but once I got used to moving around it, it became part of the scene. My daughter gets in and out of it by herself, and loves being up at counter level.
Prior to getting it she would stand on a chair, and now and then….well, kaboom. Now she’s got walls around her, and she’s safe from falling.
I love that it’s adjustable, so it will “grow with her.” We’ve got number 2 on the way, so we’ll be using it for years. Once my kids outgrow it, it will be a great thing to pass on to someone else. …five stars from this happy family. =) “
The Learning Tower meets all safety standards for ASTM (F96-30) and home playground equipment (F11-48-98C).
You probably have some questions…
Most people do.
Most people also go through a relatively predicatable set of stages as they consider purchasing a Learning Tower:
- “What is that weird object?”
- “Oh, I get it. That’s pretty cool.”
- “But it’s really big.”
- “And it costs a lot.”
And then they finally screw up their courage and buy it and then they get to enjoy it for years, living in the “My kids love it and so do I” stage.
To tell the truth, (which is my 5-year-old’s favorite phrase) I went through exactly the same stages before we bought a Tower. (And they were cheaper then…)
Some friends had Towers. I didn’t see the point, until I saw their kids scramble up into them. Then I worried about where we would put it, and I doubted whether they would really use it. Sure, my friends’ kids loved theirs, but if mine didn’t, I was going to be out a whole lot of money.
But then we got one.
And it got almost 4 years of daily use.
On a “per day” basis, it was easily one of the most valuable and affordable purchases we made for our kids.
Taken over the course of 4 years, $189.95 becomes just 13 cents per day.
But wait, you still have questions…
Here are the most common questions and concerns. If I don’t address yours, please call me at the number below so I can fix it.
Q: What if my kids don’t like it?
A: Unlikely. But if you read the paragraphs just above this one, you know I completely understand the concern. That’s why we offer not just a 30-day 100% money back guarantee (pretty much everyone does this), but a supercharged 90-day “Mikey Likes It” guarantee.
- You have a full 90 days to try it in your own home
- If you do decide to return it we will happily return your entire purchase price.
- We won’t charge you a “restocking fee” or attempt to get back the cost of shipping the unit to you. (Most places do this.)
- We’ll pay for the unit to be shipped back to us. (We’ll send you a prepaid return shipping label to stick on the box.)
- We expect you to use it. We’re not expecting it to be in like-new condition. And you don’t even have to send it back in the original box (though you’ll have a lot more fun packing it up if you keep the box).
How can we do this?
Simple. We sold Learning Towers for years in a previous business. In all the years of selling, we had exactly 1 return. That’s right. Just 1. And that was because the person’s kitchen was too small. So this a product we can stand behind with a really strong guarantee.
Q: I have a tiny kitchen. Should I still buy the Learning Tower?
A: No
If you have a tiny kitchen, you definitely don’t want to buy the Learning Tower. Buy the Kitchen Helper instead. (More on the Kitchen Helper below.)
Now, there’s considerable question about what makes a kitchen “tiny” or “small.” In the photo, you can see that a Learning Tower would block the kitchen completely. So it’s totally unsuitable.
In a more marginal case, the kitchen might be too small to have a Tower in it all day long, but there’s convenient storage space right around the corner. It’s not hard to pick up the Learning Tower and move it, but you’re not going to want to do it often.
Q: Is it really safe for two children?
A: Absolutely. It was designed with two kids in mind, and has the ability to hold up to 500lbs.
The woman who designed the Learning Tower is a mom who completely understands that kids like to play together. Whether you’re dealing with siblings or with friends on playdates, you’ll appreciate the fact that two kids can get up in the tower. In fact, I’ve seen three kids standing inside a tower and one hanging on the outside. And it was perfectly stable.
Q: Is it safe for very young kids?
A: Yes. The Learning Tower is safety-rated for kids ages 18mo and up. (In contrast, the Kitchen Helper is recommended for kids age 3 and up.)
When we bought our tower our daughter was 2 and her brother was a newborn. We knew he’d want to be up in the tower long before he reached 18 months, and we let him — carefully supervised, of course. Never had a problem.
This picture also shows the optional art easel.
Q: How does the platform adjust?
A: Easily and quickly. You just reach in and lift it up or down. You can see in the photo for the previous question that the sides of the tower have 4 rests for the platform.
The platform has four finger holes (all very nicely rounded so they’re comfortable to use). You lift the platform slightly, shift it into the open vertical area, and rest it on whatever notch you choose. Older children can even do this for themselves, when they’re out of the tower.
It is important to move the platform down for older children! The top setting is for small kids. If you don’t move it down, not only will your child actually be too high up to work comfortably at the counter, but their center of gravity will be high enough that if they really, really worked at it, they could make the tower just slightly unstable.
The Platform adjusts to four different heights:
- Rung # 1(Top) 19 + 1/2″ from the floor
- Rung # 2 16 + 1/2″ from the floor
- Rung # 3 14″ from the floor
- Rung # 4 (Bottom) 12″ from the floor
Q: I don’t believe it can be that stable.
A: That’s not really a question, but I’ll anwer it anyway…
The Learning Tower has big toe-stubbing “feet” that stick out in all four directions. You can see them pretty well in this photo. (Early Towers did not have the extra feet that are at 90 degrees to the plane of the side of the tower–the ones closest to the bottom of the photo.) These provide incredible stability.
And check it out…
A fully grown man can climb up onto the tower and lean out pretty far before it starts to tip (I did in fact make it start to tip by leaning even farther than you see in this shot, but you can’t see that yet.)
And that was on gravel. It’s more stable on a real floor.
Q: What if it breaks?
A: It won’t. But it’s covered by a lifetime warranty from the manufacturer.
Believe me, my kids have done their best to damage their Learning Tower, but all they’ve really managed to do is smear jam and crumbs into a couple of cracks I could clean with a toothpick if I was that kind of dad.
Just to show the sturdiness of the tower, I climbed up onto the rails. (I’m north of 200lbs, just for reference.)
The Tower is rock solid.
You’ll also enjoy the quality of construction. The pieces are made of baltic birch plywood and have beautiful grain on the face (only visible in the natural and dark cherry colors). All edges are smoothed and rounded. Joints are tight. And of course the finish is completely non-toxic.
Q: Can it really be a desk?
A: Not really. Some other sites on the internet say the Learning Tower can be turned into a play fort (yes), a puppet theater (sure) or a desk. Ixnay on the eskday. There’s no way to pull a chair up to the tower, so don’t count on this as an extra use of the Tower. But you don’t need it: the stepstool function is enough.
Q: Why does it cost $189.95?
A: Lots of different answers to that question. The best answer is that the manufacturer requires it.
I do think it’s worth it. Though of course I wish it was less.
As noted above, when you think about it on a daily basis for a few years of use, it’s not much.
Especially considering how much your kids will love it (and how much YOU are going to enjoy it).
Q: The Kitchen Helper is cheaper. Why shouldn’t I save money?
A: The Learning Tower and the Kitchen Helper are different products. I like the Kitchen Helper a lot, but it’s not as good as the Learning Tower in certain ways (see below). Of course, it does fold, and that’s pretty cool.
Q: Yes, what about the Kitchen Helper?
A: Used to be the Learning Tower was the only game in town. But then along came the Kitchen Helper — it folds! — and now you have to make a choice between two seemingly identical products. The only obvious difference being that the one that folds is also $50 cheaper.
Here they are next to each other:
How are you supposed to choose?
Well, the products have more differences than you realize when you’ve never owned one.
Here are the biggest differences:
- The Learning Tower holds 500lbs instead of just 125
- The Learning Tower is designed to hold two kids; the Kitchen Helper is recommended for only one child at a time (sibling squabbles, here we come…)
- The Learning Tower’s platform adjusts in less than 5 seconds with no tools; the Kitchen Helper’s platform needs a tool to adjust.
- The Learning Tower is built for kids 18 months and up; kids under 3 aren’t supposed to use the Kitchen Helper.
- The Learning Tower is big and doesn’t fold; the Kitchen Helper folds (but you do have to use the tool to remove the platform before folding)
What does this all mean?
It means you get an extra year and a half of use out of the Tower. You can have multiple children in it, which cuts down on your referee time. When your toddler gets down and your 4 year old wants to get up, you don’t have to find a tool to adjust the platform.
If you’ve read this far…
You’re probably pretty interested in the Tower. And I bet your questions are shifting a little bit to some of the more practical concerns.
Q: Can I buy it from you?
A: Of course. Check out the sidebar (way up at the top, though!).
Q: Is shipping free?
A: Yes. Shipping is completely free. And if you don’t like it, return shipping is free, too, during our 90-day Mikey Likes It guarantee period.
Q: How long does it take?
A: We process all orders the same day they arrive, so your tower will usually ship the following business day.
The Towers ship from the manufacturer’s warehouse in Louisiana. The actual transit time depends on where you are in the US. The Tower ships via UPS. From time to time some shipments leave from Los Angeles, so they can take a few days longer to East Coast addresses.
Q: What about accessories?
A: The Learning Tower has two optional accessories, the playhouse kit and the art easel. If you only have money for one, choose the art easel. It’s great.
The art easel fits onto the side of the Learning Tower. It’s a chalkboard on one side and a dry-erase board on the other. It can also hang on the wall with an included solid wood bracket. My kids love it, both on and off the Tower.
It comes in all 9 colors to match (or complement, depending on your taste) the colors of your Learning Tower.
The Playhouse Kit is a nice but non-essential add-on. It provides some signage and a curtain that helps kids turn the Tower into a fort, puppet theater, and — as you can see — a drive through restaurant or lemonade stand.
It’s fun, and I’ve heard good things about it from customers, but you can skip it if money is an issue. The Tower is good enough as it is. The art easel, though, definitely adds both play value and interest to the tower.
Q: Do you have all 9 colors?
A: The Learning Tower comes in Natural and 8 other colors. The 8 colors are $5 more than the natural. Here they are:
 
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The best sellers are Natural, Dark Cherry, and Black.
Let’s review the benefits of the Learning Tower
- It’s a SAFE way for your kids to help in the kitchen
- It’s sturdy, solid, and built to last
- It’s got a lifetime warranty
- Kids love it
- Considering how many years of daily use you’ll get out of it, it’s a bargain.
And now let’s talk about why you should buy it from me.
(By the way, here’s the picture of me nearly falling over. It’s another testament to the quality of the tower that I didn’t actually tip over and do a faceplant in my driveway…)
So here’s why I think I deserve your business:
- I’m willing to risk grave physical injury to test the limits of the Learning Tower’s design.
- I answered your questions (other sites out there just repeat the same boilerplate text from the manufacturer’s website).
- Your purchase is backed by our exclusive “Mikey Likes It” 90 day super-guarantee.
Purchase
LEARNING TOWER $189.99
ART EASEL $64.99
PLAYHOUSE KIT $39.99
All colors come with the stability feet. To see all colors, click here.
