my son now pushes a sturdy plastic "banker's box" around the kitchen to reach things. We use it to store crafts and things. while I admit it is not the safest thing to use, he is supervised. We had a learning tower, but it was too large for our kitchen and heavy to push around. I've noticed there is a similar tower out now which folds up. Maybe that would have been a better solution.

My dd (who's 3 1/2) has always stood on a chair to reach the counter. I used to watch her like a hawk. Now, she will go get the chair herself to reach anything she needs. She has a clear understanding of what she is allowed and what she isn't and she's never messed with anything that she isn't allowed.

We use a folding step stool with two steps. My kid can pull it out of its slot, but it's too heavy for him to set it up. I'm honestly a little worried about the day that he's able to set it all up himself because, unlike CBrown's daughter, he is not so good at keeping in bounds of what he's allowed to do. He will certainly climb up onto the counter if left to his own devices even though he knows full well he is not allowed to. Oh well. We'll cross that when we come to it.

We are currently using a sturdy chair for baking and general kitchen stuff, though we just picked up a Learning Tower on Craigs List (here in Wyoming no less) so that's what we'll be using soon.

The kids I nanny for use a (Kik-step) library stool. It rolls around easily when not in use, and once it has weight on it, won't slide. It's little, sturdy, and way more inconspicuous than the learning tower - it doesn't shout "kids live here!".

My kids use the two steps that interlock from "The Firm". They are very sturdy and I love them. "The Firm" is a dvd/video set you can buy for working out at home and when you buy the set, it comes with these great little "steps" that have nice rubber on the bottoms and anti-slip grips on each of the steps. They are two different heights so of course they argue a bit about who gets the higher ones and they are light enough that they can carry around with a bit of effort and when I need them, I just bring them to my workout area and then back to the bathroom so they can reach the sink!

This sounds totally pretentious, but our kitchen stool is an antique Chinese milking stool. I got it for a song at an import shop having a moving sale. It was my bedside table for years before we got our mattress off the floor and then was my "purse perch" in our entry way. My daughter loves to "help" with dinner and figured out what a great stool it would be for that. We have a tiny galley kitchen...even a chair would block traffic and there's no way a learning tower, or whatever they're called, would work.

We have the Learning Tower, which we bought used locally, and we love it. It does take up space, but we park in in the corner of our hallway, and our house is not very big at all. We love the peace of mind we have when using it; I especially like the fact that there is a wood slat in front that sort of keeps the toddler "caged" while I'm cooking. And the little steps on the side all him to get in and out by himself safely. While I agree that the kik-step is an ingenious device, I don't really mind the design of the tower.

The folding version mentioned above is called the Kitchen Helper, I think.

The Learning Tower isn't a looker, but it is probably the most used piece of kid equipment I own. And it got my son through that toddler no eating stage because I would put him at the island while I worked in the kitchen and he would munch away. My daughter never had that no eating stage;)

Our Tripp Trapp actually makes for the perfect counter stool. I never occured to us when we first bought it, but after she started walking our daughter pushed it over to the counter, climbed up and started playing with everything. Its great to have something that does double duty and doesnt take up too much footprint. She just LOVES being at the counter and "helping" with the cooking even though it makes me nervous that their is nothing behind her. So we always make sure that one parent is "on duty" while she on her chair.

My husband built a knock off of the Learning Tower for our kids. It's not all the way done, but very functional.
http://giddygoat.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/kitchen-tower/

We have a learning tower and it is totally worth the price. We love love love it. Granted it is big but it is so sturdy and safe. It is really well built. My son loves standing in it. We have a very small kitchen and we make it work.

We cook a lot and are often in the kitchen. This keeps him safe and involved. Mostly he plays "water" or "cups" or whatever but he often eats dinner there too.

The "Kitchen Helper" is the version by Guidecraft that some people think folds. It doesn't, or at least it doesn't except for longer term storage after removal of screws. It doesn't have very good reviews,either.

The good thing is that I know I will be able to resell it on Craig's List or gift it later. We also have the chalkboard attachement on order.

I liked the idea of the learning tower, but the thought of spending so much money on it just wasn't going to happen. Instead, we got two wooden step stools from Ikea, one for each girl. Now they can safely climb up to the counters instead of pushing over a chair which would always slide around. Also, the step stools are nice looking and only cost $20 each instead of almost $200.