I was influenced by an Instagram toddler tower — and it paid off

My toddler loves to share with me: her food, her toys, her germs, you name it. As she gets older, I’m excited to share my favorite things right back, including baking. We bake at least once a week in this house, and I've been able to have my daughter right next to me for every bake we’ve done since she was able to stand. My secret? A toddler tower.

More specifically, I got suckered in by an Instagram ad for the Piccalio convertible toddler tower, a wooden tower that doubles as a tower and small table. I bought it when my adorable daughter was still a potato (a wiggly newborn who couldn’t move), but she’s been able to age into it beautifully over the years (she’s 2.5 years old now).

Here’s why we love having a toddler tower in our kitchen — and why I swear by the Piccalio.

My daughter can finally bake with me

Hands down, my favorite thing about owning a toddler tower is that my daughter can bake with me. Her actual behavior has changed as she’s grown older, but she loves being placed right in the center of the action.

When she was smaller, about 8 months to 2 years, she didn’t quite understand the concept of cooking, but she loved playing with her toys on the counter while I baked. She was also obsessed with my standing mixer, so she’d be able to stand and just watch the mixer from her tower.

As she grows older, she has more of an interest in baking. The toys have been replaced with measuring cups and spoons, which she tries to use as I'm baking. I don’t want to brag, but she can already use a whisk, so she’s basically ready for culinary school, at this point.

I’m not worried about her falling down

When my daughter was learning to stand, she’d fall down just trying to balance, so I was pretty terrified to put her in a freestanding tower. But the Piccalio tower is extremely sturdy — and it comes with a bar in the back to keep toddlers from unintentionally tumbling. You can also purchase a safety net to provide even more peace of mind.

But you need to keep it against the counter

This tower is designed to sit against a counter, so you can’t let it freestand in your kitchen or you run the risk of toppling. Make sure you have it set up leaning on the counter or island before letting your little one climb into it.

It doubles as a toddler table

My favorite thing about this tower is the fact that it’s convertible: it’s a toddler tower and a toddler table. My daughter didn’t care a lick about the table until she hit 2 years old, then she was obsessed with the fact that she got her own table all to herself.

It’s also super easy to convert. There are a few small metal latches in the middle of the tower that unlatch, then reconnect to secure all the parts in place when you need to use it as a table.

It’s important to note that it’s both a table and chair, so you don’t need to purchase a separate seat for your child.

It’s easy to move around the kitchen

I love baking with my toddler but the thought of lugging a heavy tower all around my kitchen every day is daunting. Luckily, this one is relatively light, so it’s easy to move around where I need it. It’s also got small cloth strips on the legs, so if you really don’t want to carry it, you can simply push it around as you need.

Cleaning it is a breeze

You can easily wipe this toddler table clean with a washcloth or paper towels. It’s made from plywood and pine, but coated in a nontoxic finish, so it’s both gorgeous and smooth. That’s a huge plus, since cooking with a toddler means you’ll be cleaning this tower quite a bit.

It’s not cheap

You can score a toddler tower under $50 on Amazon, but the eternal question when it comes to kids’ furniture is, “Should you?” I love my Piccalio, but it’s expensive — $209 for the tower that I own.

In the tower’s defense, it doubles as a table, which means I haven’t had to buy a separate toddler table for my daughter. The peace of mind its solid construction provides is also well-worth the expense, in my eyes.

Do you really need a toddler tower?

If you’ve got a toddler and love spending time in the kitchen, a toddler tower is an excellent investment. It’s a great way to keep your little one involved in cooking or baking, and if you’ve got an island, they can even eat from it. It’s a single piece of furniture that can act as a table, chair, and tower, all in one compact form.

I swear by my Piccalio toddler tower, and among all the baby products I’ve purchased (including the Stokke and our stroller), this one has remained the most consistently used in my home.