My family loves this toddler tower. I viewed many before purchasing this one, and chose it because of the mesh lining for the sides without wood slats. However, I was worried that the mesh would be flimsy and easy for my child to push through (intentionally or not) or unfasten. I am happy to say those fears were unfounded. The mesh is very tight and sturdy and there's little to no risk that my child could push through it. She is also unable to unfasten it herself due to the placement of the clips and the tightness of the mesh lining. The tower is sturdy, durable and just the right height, but is light-weight and easy to move around as needed. Folds easily (though you have to remember to unhook the safety latches). Really happy with this purchase and we are getting so much use out of it.

I love the concept of this kitchen tower, and so does my daughter. It allows her to stand at the kitchen counter and "help" us prepare food, which makes her feel like she's a part of things. I compared a lot of different kitchen helper stools before settling on this one, and most of them have one of two designs: some are completely enclosed on four sides, and others that are open on two sides (usually with an upper crossbar, like this model). Personally, I don't think either of these designs is perfect, and I'll explain why.

The fully enclosed towers are nice for safety reasons because once your toddler is in the tower, he/she won't be able to get out easily, and certainly won't fall out. The downside is that you have to lift your toddler all the way up and over the side walls to get him in or out of the thing. For some people this may not be an issue, but when you are several months pregnant it's a no-go -- just ask my wife!

As for the towers with open sides, my concern there is safety: your toddler could more easily fall out, or even just put a foot too close to the edge and have it slip out of the tower. Are there any advantages to the open design? I suppose once your toddler is large enough, he could climb in and out without assistance, but it's a tricky maneuver and certainly one our 18-month-old isn't ready to do yet!

So what might be a better design? I would love to find a tower that is fully enclosed on the four sides but has one side that can swing open like a door. Then you would have the best of both worlds: a tower that your toddler could easily climb into (with the door "open,") but then couldn't easily fall out of once you latched the door closed. Frankly I'd be surprised if no one else had thought of this, so I'm stunned that I haven't yet found a tower like this.

As for this model, it has a lot going for it:

1) It is easy to assemble. Aside from screwing the feet to the base, there really isn't much that needs to be done.

2) It is sturdy and well made, and it folds compact for storage. Keep in mind, though, that the structure is sturdiest when you screw the floor panel in place, so folding it up would require removing this screw.

3) It's actually quite nice looking! I like that it isn't made of loud, colorful plastic.

4) It folds up for easier storage when you aren't using it.

There are a few things I don't like about it:

1) Again, related to its open design, a toddler could potentially fall if his/her foot slipped over the edge of the floor piece. And as we discovered with our 18-month-old, younger toddlers may be inclined to try climbing in and out of the tower, which is not easy to do and could easily result in a fall or bumping their heads on the tower's upper crossbar.

2) Each of the four legs has two feet (which you attach during assembly). While these feet do provide extra stability and make the tower less likely to tip over, they also force the tower's floor panel to be several inches away from the counter. If the tower is positioned so one of its "open" side faces the counter, this space would be easy for a toddler's foot to slip into. Having said that, our daughter has never done this, but I worry about the possibility.

Overall I'm very happy with this counter stool, but I would love to see one with a lockable door on one side!

Great quality sturdy and attractive product

This is much larger than I thought. It is great for an 18month old as the back has a mesh closure.

Solid piece, easy to set up and put away. Folds up for easy storage in a closet or pantry.