There's a moment every parent knows: your toddler pulls at your leg while you're cooking, desperately wanting to be part of what you're doing. The Toddler Tower was our answer to that moment.
It took us two years of designing, testing, and honestly — a lot of failed prototypes to get it right. But when we did, families started sending us messages we weren't expecting.
Evgeny and I designed the AVDAR Toddler Tower because we lived that moment ourselves, many times. Our eldest son was around two when we started thinking about what it would mean to create a step stool that actually worked — not just structurally, but as a piece of everyday family life. Something that made a child feel included, not just elevated. Something that looked like it belonged in a real home, not a toy store.
The result is one of our most personal products, and the one we get the most heartfelt messages about. This is an honest look at what makes it special, who it's for, and what to consider before buying.
What Is the AVDAR Toddler Tower?
The AVDAR Toddler Tower is a Montessori learning tower — a freestanding wooden step stool with an enclosed platform that allows toddlers to safely stand at counter height alongside a parent or caregiver. Unlike a simple step stool, a learning tower surrounds the child on three or four sides, giving them a safe place to stand, reach, and participate without risk of toppling backward.
Ours is built from sturdy multilayer birchwood and finished with non-toxic, water-based paint in seven colors. The signature design feature is the trapezoid silhouette: wider at the base than at the top, so the wide part is on the floor. Two cut-out openings on the side panels serve as both weight-reduction features and natural handles for the child to grip while climbing.
Key Specifications
What Makes It Different
The Trapezoid Shape — Stability You Can See
We chose a trapezoid so the base is wider than the top. When a toddler shifts their weight, a broader footprint on the floor helps. Push it against the counter before they climb in, and don't move it with a child inside.
Three Height Settings That Actually Matter
The three adjustable levels aren't a gimmick. A 18-month-old and a 3-year-old need very different platform heights to reach a kitchen counter comfortably. As your child grows, you lower the platform. The product page gives 1.5 to 3 years and a maximum load of 70 kg.
The trapezoid was our answer to the question we heard most: "What if they lean to the side?" A wider base helps. An adult in the kitchen still matters more.
Seven Colours, Including Natural Wood
We offer the Toddler Tower in seven finishes. The colour options let it genuinely integrate into different home aesthetics rather than standing out as a children's item.
Non-Toxic, Water-Based Paint
The paint on the Toddler Tower is non-toxic and water-based. The tower conforms to ASTM, CPSIA and EN71, and the test reports can be downloaded from the product page. Your child will grip those side panels constantly, so it matters what they're coated with.
Where Families Use It Most
The Montessori Philosophy Behind It
The Toddler Tower is built on a simple Montessori idea: children learn through doing, and the most meaningful doing happens alongside real adults in real environments — not in toy kitchens. When a toddler washes real vegetables or stirs a real bowl, they develop practical skills, concentration, and a sense of contribution that play-acting doesn't fully replicate.
The tower removes the barrier of height, which is the main reason toddlers can't participate in kitchen life. That's the whole design brief, and it's why families describe it as one of the most genuinely useful things in their home — not just a toy they rotate through.
- Encourages independence — child can climb in and out without help after a few weeks of practice
- Builds practical life skills through real kitchen and household participation
- Promotes focus and concentration through task-based activity
- Supports a sense of belonging and contribution in the family
What Families Are Saying
"You can tell it's thoughtfully designed. All the edges are smooth — I feel totally safe letting my toddler use it."
"Very sturdy and the colors are beautiful. My little one has so much fun with it!"
"Super easy to set up — took just minutes! My child started playing right after."
A Few Honest Considerations
The Toddler Tower is designed for ages 1.5 to 3. If you have two toddlers, the Buddy Toddler Tower ($320) is built for two children side by side, with two height settings.
At $220, it's priced in the premium segment for learning towers. Cheaper ones exist. Whichever you choose, check the load limit and the safety standards it conforms to. Ours is rated to 70 kg, and we still use it.
Bring them into your kitchen
The Toddler Tower — 7 colours, rated to 70 kg, conforms to ASTM, CPSIA and EN71, Creative Child Preferred Choice 2024. Free shipping in the United States.
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