“Mama, I want to help.”
“Mama, Jedi do it.”
Those were his two favourite phrases when Jedi turned two.
It meant that I had to now relinquish control to him to do things on his own as he learned about independence and boundaries.
But certain tasks were challenging (and almost dangerous) to do on his own. He had learned that he needed to brush his teeth at the sink and I would have to balance him precariously on the edge of the sink while he brushes his own teeth.
He wanted to participate in making his breakfast too, but the kitchen island was too high for him.
I had considered buying a learning tower for him for the longest time but our tiny apartment had little space for additional furniture. We knew it was time to upgrade to a bigger home and when we decided to take the leap, we moved into a landed home.
Since then, we’ve been using stools, chairs and other things to let Jedi stand on while doing his own things but they were not stable enough as he grew taller and heavier. Sometimes, he would fall over because of how light the stool was.
Aden and Ren Wooden Furniture: Rimba Learning Tower Review
So when we got the opportunity to try out Aden & Ren’s Rimba Learning Tower, it was the perfect timing because we had more space, and Jedi’s impatience with us in getting stools for him was growing.
Children can foster independence and be empowered to do more daily tasks when you give them the right tools.
Aden & Ren’s high quality, hand assembled towers are very sturdy but still light enough to move around.
We decided to place the Rimba Learning Tower in the kitchen, so Jedi could prepare his breakfast on his own with the tower and also be close enough to a sink to brush his teeth.
Here are a few things that both Jedi and myself have learned in the process of having a learning tower:
1. He has become more observant and hands on with daily tasks.
2. He looks forward to breakfast prep and brushing his teeth more.
3. He uses the learning tower as more than just a stand. He also uses it to climb up and down like a mini jungle gym (he also has a Pikler triangle so he sees this as something similar). This shows me that he has an incredibly nimble mind, creative in problem solving and thinking out of the box.
4. He gets very excited to doing mundane tasks that we view as chores and this enforces the belief that good habits are formed from young.
On my end, I’ve learned to let go and allow him to be more independent to do the things he couldn’t do before. It’s a joy to watch my baby grow up and it’s also very important that I give him the right tools to thrive.
I’m glad to have been given the opportunity to try out the Aden & Ren learning tower with Jedi because not only has it absolutely opened up his world to a whole new light, it’s also given me peace to let go and let him fly.
Bonus is, it’s also easy to clean and even with water splashing on it from the sink, it hasn’t stained or deteriorated in the least.
Check out Aden and Ren’s website to find out more about their learning tower and other great hand-crafted wooden pieces for kids.