"Around 18 months old, my daughter began to show interest in doing everything I was doing. Whether it was vacuuming the house, putting on makeup, or cooking dinner, she wanted to be there every step of the way. So around this time, we got her a helper tower. It’s basically a boxed-in step stool that allowed her to watch everything we were doing in the kitchen and get involved with daily activities.
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At the time, the model we got was great. We had chosen one that was closed in on all sides. That way we could prevent any falls as she was getting used to the idea of it. However, as she got closer to 2, we decided we wanted to graduate to a different style. Our helper tower had become too bulky and was incredibly hard to clean. So, I decided to test out the newly released, simple, Montessori-inspired tower from a brand I love: Lalo.
About the Lalo Tower
Founded by two dads, Lalo makes high-quality products designed to help the development of babies and toddlers. The brand is known for products like The Play Kit, The Bathtub, The First Bites Kit, The High Chair, The Play Kitchen, and Play Boxes (multiple of which are Everymom favorites and Registry Awards winners!). My family had fallen in love with the brand through their Play Kit. It’s essentially a table with chairs that my toddler adores. From that, we knew the brand created quality products built to last—investment pieces that would sustain years of childhood.
And with that in mind, we decided to try out The Tower from Lalo for our toddler. Made from sustainably sourced birch with a non-toxic water-based finish, the simple tower is made to be sturdy, supportive, and—vitally important—easy to clean. It’s also designed with two adjustable heights. That means it can grow with toddlers who are 18 months and up. Ultimately, it enables them to help with everything from meal prep in the kitchen to using their toothbrush in the bathroom.
Product Specifications
The Tower is 33.35 inches high, 18.8 inches wide, and 18.29 inches deep. At 16.3 pounds, it’s fairly lightweight and easy to move around the kitchen or wherever you need it in the house. One specification to note is that it is not foldable. You’ll want to keep that in mind if you are limited on space.
An Honest Review of the Lalo Tower
When it came to picking out a new helper tower, I had a few specifications in mind. I wanted something that was high quality and would last for other potential kids. I was also aiming for a product that would be easy to wipe off and clean for inevitable messes.
The Tower comes ready to be built, with an instruction manual and a QR code for a video to help take you through the setup. Now, I should start by saying that I’m the person who gets frustrated halfway through the IKEA instructions and decides I can “do things myself,” so I’m not the ideal consumer for a product that needs to be put together. That being said, the setup for this was fairly straightforward and led to no fits of frustration on my part (though I do recommend just making your life easier and watching the video to follow along with the setup). Once put together, it’s light enough that it’s easy to move to where you need it.
Personally, I love how simplistic the design is and how that fits into our kitchen. While how it looks is not the major selling point for me, I do enjoy how minimalist it is. It definitely doesn’t stick out as an eyesore in our kitchen.
The real judge of it, though, was our toddler. She immediately fell in love with the ease of getting to step up and down and see whatever was going on in the kitchen. Even at just under 2, she’s able to easily maneuver this where she wants it to go (under adult supervision, of course) and is thrilled with the independence it gives her.
As for me, I knew The Tower was a keeper after our first messy meal in it. I was easily able to clean everything off with a few swipes of a wet paper towel. There’s nothing that could make me a more satisfied shopper than that.
Where to buy the tower
Currently, The Tower is only available to shop online at Lalo. Other items from Lalo are available on Amazon, so it’s possible it will be available there at some point, too.
Is the Lalo Tower worth it?
At $249, The Tower is certainly an investment. However, for its quality and the amount we use it in our house, it has been worth it. Many of the most popular helper towers are in the $150 to $250 price range, putting this at the higher end of that.
For me, the choice came down quite a bit to brand trust. I knew Lalo products were well made and would last through whatever my toddler threw at them. I also have found the simplistic design and material to be far superior to our former helper tower. That one was harder to clean off and a lot bulkier to work with. However, if you are in a smaller space, you may prefer to get a helper tower that can fold up and be put away when not in use. While I don’t find Lalo’s version to take up too much space, its inability to fold and be put away does keep it out in our kitchen throughout the day.
With that being said, The Tower has been worth the cost for my family and me. But ultimately, there are a lot of helper tower options out there. This includes plenty of great ones that can best fit you and your family’s budget and needs.
