Toddler towers have become a must-have in many homes with young children, giving kids a boost to cook, play, and learn alongside their parents. But tests show these new ‘helpers’ can pose serious safety hazards.
Joie Golomb’s daughters love making dinner with their mom, thanks to a little boost from a toddler tower.
“I think having access to cooking with me at my level and again learning some of those chopping skills, tasting food with me, seeing what I’m doing, mixing things—that was such a special thing for us to share and be able to cook in the kitchen," said Golomb.
With guard rails and other safety features designed to prevent falls, toddler towers are marketed as a safer alternative to a chair or stepstool.
But reports of kids falling out or tipping over in the towers surfaced.
“There’s a really wide range of quality in toddler towers on the market, and safety standards have not been established yet for how they’re made or tested,” said Lauren Kirchner, with Consumer Reports.
Consumer Reports conducted its own independent tests of 16 popular models.
“Thirteen of the 16 towers we looked at failed our stability test,” Kirchner explained.
Consumer Reports’ stability test simulates what happens when a child leans to one side of a tower or climbs up one side.
CR reached out to the manufacturers, and the six who responded stated that their products had passed internal safety tests.
If you’re shopping for one, look for a strong, wide base and a heavy frame with a low center of gravity, as well as movable parts that can’t be adjusted without tools.
Avoid large cutouts or wide rails—kids can get stuck in them.
And make sure the top guardrail is above your child’s belly button while they’re standing on the tower.