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A Learning Tower for Lucy (+ 11 Others to Love!)

It’s 5pm. And without fail, the first trembles of a Lucy meltdown start to brew. By 5:30, if the dogs haven’t had their supper and Lucy isn’t sitting in her high chair, the family starts to crack around us. Lucy wants to know why we’re not yet eating, Jack whimpers by his food bowl, the timer on our oven lets us know that the water is boiling, and we’ve somehow lost the lid to the sippy cup. (Again.) Truth be told, it has taken us far too long to realize that many of these dinnertime woes (and breakfast time and lunch time and any time, really) could be avoided with one simple addition to our kitchen: a learning tower!

Learning towers for growing and curious toddlers | via Yellow Brick Home
learning tower | stools (similar)

To DIY or Buy?

I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to be so small and unable to see all the really cool(!) things that mom and dad are doing on those kitchen countertops. When it really boils down to it, Lucy just wants to be near us. She wants to be involved. It had been on our list for months to DIY a learning tower for our Goose, but time was not on our side. And for the sake of choosing family togetherness over yet another DIY on our plate, we bought one! This one.

Gaining Independence

I love how much Lucy loves it. Ours has an adjustable step, so as she grows, we can move it down a rung. Here, she’s helping me make pumpkin mookies, and during dinner prep, she happily listens as a narrate my every move – I’m chopping the broccoli and mincing the garlic, so yummy, right? – and she munches on a snack. In the mornings, she hops into her tower and reaches for the bananas while I pour her a cup of milk. She can’t help but grin, she’s independent. It has added a blanket of calm to our routines, and I can’t believe it took us this long to make it happen.

Learning towers for growing and curious toddlers | via Yellow Brick Home
smiley spoon | striped napkin | learning tower

We found so many great ready-to-go options during our own hunt, and I wanted to share them here in case you’re in the same stage of life! Many of the options below come in several colors and finishes. (But if you’re in the DIY mood, I’ve always loved how Happy Grey Lucky perfected this IKEA hack!)

11 (Other) Learning Towers To Love

Learning towers for growing and curious toddlers | via Yellow Brick Home

1. naomi white step stool | 2. classic kitchen helper | 3. mother’s helper in grey | 4. white adjustable | 5. black learning tower | 6. natural wood step stool | 7. convertible bear tower | 8. learning tower w/table + chair | 9. black + natural tower | 10. high rise step stool | 11. rabbit tower with chalkboard

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  • Meredith9.30.19 - 7:48 AM

    I can’t tell what’s cuter – her pigtails or tippy toes. What a great addition to your routine!ReplyCancel

  • Sara9.30.19 - 8:05 AM

    We love our learning tower! It has been such a life saver on nights when the kids are melting down and dinner isn’t ready yet. Sometimes I will put both kids in there (almost 4 and almost 2), give them some fruit or cheese, and for some reason it calms them to be at my level while I finish things up. ReplyCancel

    • Kim9.30.19 - 8:09 AM

      We’ve noticed the exact same thing. It’s been an absolute game changer in our routines!ReplyCancel

  • Kira9.30.19 - 8:20 AM

    How old was Lucy when you got this for her? My son is almost 16 months old, and I know he’ll love one of these – just not sure if he’s big enough for it yet? ReplyCancel

    • Kim9.30.19 - 9:01 AM

      We probably waited a little too long! Lucy would have been thrilled to be using this around 16 months. She’s almost 21 months, and has been LOVING this for the last several weeks. Check for a learning tower that has an adjustable step like ours – that way he can reach the counter, but there’s room for him to grow.ReplyCancel

    • Ling9.30.19 - 5:00 PM

      My husband just DIY’d the Happy Grey IKEA hack version for my twins (one each!) when they were just over 16mo and we would’ve done it sooner if we had the time! Serious game changer. Just note that the Ikea hack version leaves you with a slightly smaller foot print one and therefore also smaller standing surface area for baby compared to the ready made ones but it’s never been a problem: couldn’t squeeze two littles on one like you might be able to with others but I wouldn’t want two on one just in case they’re fighting over something while in the tower anyways.ReplyCancel

    • Cathy10.2.19 - 9:01 AM

      We set ours up as soon as L could pull up to standing by handing onto things..  About 18 months for us.ReplyCancel

  • at home with Ashley9.30.19 - 8:27 AM

    The learning tower was such a good invention! It’s a fun way to get kids involved. Also, you don’t have to wonder what they’re off doing when it becomes a little *too* silent while you’re in the kitchen.ReplyCancel

    • Kim9.30.19 - 9:00 AM

      EXACTLY! Perhaps the biggest selling point, haha.ReplyCancel

  • Jennifer9.30.19 - 12:28 PM

    We’ve had one of these (https://www.littlepartners.com/the-original-learning-tower) since our eldest was ~16 months. It’s totally a game changer. Although, now that she’s 6, she’s teaching her little sister how to use it to get the cookies from the top of the pantry. :/ReplyCancel

  • Jennifer9.30.19 - 3:45 PM

    The smiley spoon with the orange mookie hair is almost as cute as Lucy!  My daughter loved her learning tower, and still uses it at age 9 when she’s in the workshop.  We made hers from the plans available from Ana White at: https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/littlest-helper-tower  It was a great investment (in our case of mostly time).  Although it is where we learned that she would gladly eat butter cubes set out to thaw.  ReplyCancel

  • Allison D.10.1.19 - 9:17 AM

    Thank you for sharing these awesome ideas and round-ups of source options. Our daughter is just 3 months behind Lucy, and we have loved so many of your recommendations! As another family of 3, it makes sense to have her “on our level” so she’s not left out of daily activities in the kitchen. Can’t wait to try a learning tower for her, too!ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.1.19 - 9:50 AM

      Love hearing this, thank you, Allison!ReplyCancel

  • Asya11.9.19 - 12:12 PM

    Can you say which vendor you used on Etsy for the learning tower? The link says it’s sold out and I can’t see if there are other options in stock. Thanks!ReplyCancel

    • Kim11.9.19 - 3:05 PM

      Of course! Search ‘CoastalHippieDesign’ for the shop name!ReplyCancel

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