If you’re at all familiar with Montessori, you’ve probably heard about the benefits of learning towers in the kitchen or maybe you've just seen them before. I know for me it was definitely something I was seeing often on the internet. Our first child was definitely interested in being involved in everything we were doing. And as any parent knows, sometimes trying to accomplish anything in the kitchen can be challenging when you have a little one requesting your attention. For those reasons, I knew for sure I wanted to get a learning tower.
I actually grew up in a home where my mom was sort of naturally raising us in a Montessori type of environment. We were involved in everything and a lot of our time was spent in the kitchen. Whether that was sitting on the counter, bathing in the sink or just engaging with her in whatever she was creating. I, along with my four older brothers, love to cook and I can see how our positive experiences of time spent in the kitchen definitely attributed to that interest. When I became a mother, I knew I wanted the same for my own family.
We got our first learning tower from Etsy, and it was one that also converted to a table simply by unlocking it and folding it in half. It’s actually pretty cool! However, the only thing that’s not so great about it is, to prevent an accident, you have to really be sure the locks are engaged on the hinges when it’s lifted back up and before your child goes to stand in it again. Which is not always easy to remember when your child is also able to do the folding and unfolding. That, and the fact that I opted for natural wood versus painted, makes it harder to clean compared to our second one that's painted.
Anyways, our son immediately took to it! He would move it around wherever he needed, climb right up and loved being involved in the action! It really helped during meal times too, when he would otherwise be begging for our attention or to be held while we tried to get food on the table. The thing is though, it ended up being so much more than just a means of helping us to be more efficient.
Just like with Montessori’s overarching philosophy, it really helped facilitate our son's development and provide him with access to the world in a way that he would otherwise be physically incapable of. It provided him with a newfound sense of discovery, independence and autonomy as he was now able to navigate his environment on his own. I relate it to someone in a wheelchair showing up to an establishment without a compatible ramp. Sure, others can be of assistance and we can make it work… but how empowering to be able to do something on your own, by the way of something that's providing the opportunity for you, according to your unique needs. It’s really such a gift for someone who often needs to rely on someone else for so much!
The amount of hours we’ve spent with our son while he’s been in his stool and all the memories we've been able to make, is something we will cherish forever. I have thousands of videos and pictures that have captured the moments where he was able to be so involved and closely connected to us, while climbed up to the counter top. It’s been such a blessing!
Shortly after, we had our second child and one day, while she was still an infant, I looked over to surprisingly see her up in the stool! Before she was even walking! She had climbed right up, all on her own, and discovered this whole new world that was the kitchen counter. I stood quietly nearby, just watching her revel in her accomplishment and take in her new surroundings. It didn’t take long before I was purchasing a second stool and they were both side by side, alongside us in the kitchen.
There’s been so many products in my parenting journey that have been helpful and have really made a difference in the functionality of our home, but I can truly say that our learning towers have provided us with so much more than just those very important things. The memories we’ve made with our little ones, the bonds that we’ve strengthened and the lessons we’ve all learned from each other while spending time together so closely in the kitchen, is something I’ll always cherish. How many products can you really say have helped you grow closer as a family? How special is that?
If this inspires you to bring a learning tower into your home, please share your experience with me, too! I love hearing about how families are being nurtured through the opportunities that having littles ones provides us with!
-Jess