Ahh the learning tower...is it just a hype or is it really worth it? The first time I heard about it I was so excited! Then I saw the price and I went all Marie Kondo and asked myself "Do I really need this???" Learning towers are pricey, yes...but if you have the opportunity to buy (or make) one... I 100% recommend it. Here is why :
As a nutrition expert, I am going to focus on how the learning tower can be a great tool to help the relationship that your child has with food (there might be other benefits, of course, but for me it is all about food). Let´s talk about the typical problem some parents face with young children: the almost non-existent consumption of fruits and vegetables. Whenever parents ask what to do in this situation, I recommend them to try involving their children in cooking. Cooking at home has been linked to more vegetable consumption. Likewise, hands-on cooking and nutrition education improve children´s preference with fruit and vegetables. Why does this happen? Putting it really simply...they get familiarized with the food. During cooking they can touch it, smell it, even eat a little of it (depending on the food of course, but to show you I am not kidding...see the picture below). It is a whole sensory experience. Moreover, they feel proud and self-sufficient (they "made" that meal!) and are, therefore, more likely to try a meal they helped prepare. Do I need a learning tower to achieve this? No, of course not. However, it does make things easier. Your child is less likely to fall/slip, your hands are freer and, as a result, you can handle both child and cooking more easily.
It will depend on the child which tasks can be done while cooking. You can involve young children with adding things on a bowl for example (chopped tomatoes, flour, your pick) and little by little add more difficulty to the tasks. You will be surprised how much they can do!
The fact remains, however, that learning towers are expensive...so I decided to add a list of the most affordable options I have come across (I am not receiving any money from the people/websites I am mentioning here, I am really doing it just to help):
The IKEA hack (around 30 euros, depending on how fancy you want it) : Just two pieces of IKEA furniture and some work in-between and you have yourself a nice learning tower. Here is how to do it : https://ohhidiy.com/diy-learning-tower-ikea-bekvam-odvar-hack
Eden´s box learning tower (73.50 euro) : I found this learning tower in Amazon and bought it. It is amazingly good. You can change the height and it has a blackboard included where you and your little one can write the menu if you like. At the moment it is out of stock, but the moment they have it again grab your chance! It is by far one of the cheapest options I found (and has an amazing quality). https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B0828QNSL5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&fbclid=IwAR37cvf3MP4m5B7-FNRxNT2TNWbLU_rWCSjr3CcBN-00Iv5Cfi1XHu7vM3U
My Wood Corner (around a 100 euro) : I always like to support the work of entrepeneurs/ little businesses. This Portuguese man lives in the Netherlands and makes beautiful learning towers. I heard about him from some other mamas who are really happy with his work. I do not know him, but the work speaks for itself. This is his facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/MyWoodCornerNL
If you are looking for a learning tower, I hope one of these options fit you!
Comments