learning tower

We have one.  Mostly because I have the most awesome in laws a man could ask for.  My FIL is a wizard with wood working and agreed to help complete the DIY Ikea hack learning tower (I'll link at the end of the post).

Here she is using it for the first time.  Helping daddy make breakfast while I was still in big recovery mode from surgery.  (Hence the not the best picture and the abundance of junk food on the counter!)

The hack was easy enough to make, and my FIL was even able to easily make a few modifications to make sure there were no sticky outty things for baby girl to hurt herself on.  (Can't you tell I'm just oh so informed on wood working, haha!)

A close up of what my FIL added.  The step stool was pre fab from Ikea, then he did the top work to give her a secure frame to stand in.  Which was really important as the few times we tried to just use the step stool she fell, each time.  The stool just went out from under her.  So that frame is very important!

And baby girl loooooves it!  She uses it every chance she gets!  She is so focused on her work when she's up there.  Or getting into mischief like opening all the drawers, which is still a fun task because it's so new.  But she is able to help in all sorts of ways.

Her banana work.  She's not the best cutter, but it gets the job done.  She was also enjoying the fruits of her labor and she munched on the banana as she cut it.  I'm not sure daddy actually got any of it, but such is life with a toddler!

I highly recommend everyone get some way for their child to help in the kitchen!  The tower was inexpensive because my FIL was able to help, but the instructions are easy enough I think even non wood working wizards would be able to complete the task!

This was the basic instructions he followed! I can't promise how closely they were followed, as he is a wizard so he adapted it when he felt it needed to be adapted.  http://www.lattesandlaughter.com/2014/09/ikea-learning-tower-hack.html