The 6 Best Toddler Towers, Ranked by Safety Testing

If your toddler drags a dining chair to the counter every time you start cooking, it’s time to think about a toddler tower. A tower is a step stool with walls: your kid stands at counter height and can join in on all the action.

Towers vary more than they look. Consumer Reports tested 16 in 2025, and only two passed both its tipping and entrapment tests. Two well-known brands have also had recalls, so this list starts with safety data.

Before you dive in, I’ll say that there is a lot of toddler gear out there these days, and some of it promises happier, more engaged kids. The kitchen tower is one of the products that delivers: it helps kids safely engage with parents and siblings in the kitchen, and we love ours. Kids outgrow these relatively quickly, so buying secondhand can be a great option. Just keep an eye out for any products that have been recalled.

How we picked

We ranked on three things. Safety came first: Consumer Reports' 2025 tip and entrapment results, plus each tower's CPSC recall history and whether the fix covers units still floating around secondhand. Second, how many parents and reviewers back it after real daily use. Third, years of kitchen help, judged by adjustable heights and stated age range. Towers with no independent safety data rank lower even when parents love them.

It's one of only two towers out of 16 that passed both of Consumer Reports' 2025 tests, tipping and child entrapment. Forbes Vetted called it the sturdiest tower, it folds flat when the kitchen gets tight, and the mesh Keeper nets close in the open sides. The catch is a recall: units sold June 1, 2022 through October 31, 2023 can have a platform that loosens and detaches, so anything sold after that window is outside it.

The Bump named it the best overall toddler tower after two families tested it, with input from a Montessori expert and child-safety professionals. Testers liked that it takes up little floor space and later turns into a desk and chair set, so it keeps earning its spot after your kid can reach the counter on their own.

Parents who've bought it rate it very highly across every color, and it shares the hardwood build of the Contemporary model at the top of this list. Units sold June 1, 2022 through October 31, 2023 were part of the same platform-detachment recall.

One parent blogger has used it every day since early 2020, through several kids, and reports only surface scratches. The sliding door and three platform heights stretch it across the widest age range on this list. littlelovinglife points out it hasn't been independently safety-tested, so it ranks on durability alone.

Mother&Baby named it the best tower for independence, and its three adjustable heights mean it can grow with your kid. That's most of what we could find.

These towers are all great options, so whichever tower you pick make sure you register it with the maker. If you're buying secondhand, check the model and sale date against the recalls above before purchasing.

Then enjoy the family time and chatter, I find that kids at counter height love to explore and do things themselves! It may also help to have a couple extra rags close by for those potential messes.