Baby & Family · Head-to-head
Little Partners The Learning Tower Toddler Tower vs Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper Toddler Tower
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Toddler Step Stools and Kitchen Helper Towers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Learning Tower gives you the widest usable height range in the group, from a 10.59 inch platform for a new climber up to 18.39 inches, and changes between them without tools. Guidecraft's Classic gets you most of the way there in a 23 by 23 inch footprint that folds flat, which is the right trade if your kitchen has no spare corner.
Little Partners The Learning Tower Toddler Tower
Buy itThe widest platform-height range here, wrapped in four-sided railings on a frame rated to 250 pounds.
- Platform adjusts to four heights, 10.59, 13.19, 15.79 and 18.39 inches, with no tools needed to change it.
- Four-sided railings enclose the standing area, and the frame is rated to 250 pounds.
- Little Partners covers it with a lifetime warranty and rates it for ages 2 to 6.
- The assembled footprint is 23.18 by 33.14 inches, which is a lot of floor in a narrow kitchen.
- The product page describes no folding option, so there is no flat-storage option when you want the space back.
- Assembly is a real job rather than attaching a couple of feet.
Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper Toddler Tower
Buy itA folding hardwood tower with removable front and back panels that fits a 23 by 23 inch square of floor and disappears when you are done.
- Folds flat for storage and ships almost fully assembled, with only the feet to attach.
- Non-slip glides on the steps plus an included non-slip mat for the platform, and anti-tip feet at the base.
- Rated 18 months to 7 years, the widest stated age span in this group, and GREENGUARD Gold certified.
- Two platform positions only, 15 and 18 inches, so there is no low setting for a brand new climber.
- The 125 pound rating is half what the Little Partners tower carries.
- Guidecraft recalled Classic and Contemporary Kitchen Helper towers sold between June 2022 and October 2023 because the platform could loosen or detach, so check the item and lot number on the foil sticker under any older unit.
Side by side
The 8 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Little Partners The Learning Tower Toddler Tower Our pick | Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper Toddler Tower | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | A family with room for a permanent tower who wants the platform to drop low enough to use at two and still work at five. | A small kitchen where the tower has to fold away, and a household that wants the same stool to still work at six. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $$ · mid-range |
| Platform height | 10.59, 13.19, 15.79, 18.39 in | 15 or 18 in |
| Height positions | 4, tool-free | 2 |
| Footprint (W x D) | 23.18 x 33.14 in | 23 x 23 in |
| Weight capacity | 250 lb | 125 lb |
| Enclosure | Four-sided railings | Rails plus removable front and back panels |
| Stated age range | 2 to 6 years | 18 months to 7 years |
| Material | Layered birch and poplar | Solid hardwood and birch plywood |
| Assembly and storage | Assembly required | Attach feet only, folds flat |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Little Partners The Learning Tower Toddler Tower if
a family with room for a permanent tower who wants the platform to drop low enough to use at two and still work at five.
Know before buying: the assembled footprint is 23.18 by 33.14 inches, which is a lot of floor in a narrow kitchen.
Pick the Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper Toddler Tower if
a small kitchen where the tower has to fold away, and a household that wants the same stool to still work at six.
Know before buying: two platform positions only, 15 and 18 inches, so there is no low setting for a brand new climber.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Little Partners The Learning Tower Toddler Tower - The widest platform-height range here, wrapped in four-sided railings on a frame rated to 250 pounds. Choose the Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper Toddler Tower instead if a small kitchen where the tower has to fold away, and a household that wants the same stool to still work at six.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Toddler Step Stools and Kitchen Helper Towers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).