This foldable, enclosed kitchen stool keeps my 1-year-old safe and close by so I can cook dinner in peace - here's why it's worth $170

• I bought the $169 Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper Stool because my 1-year-old daughter always wants to see what I'm doing. This gives her a front row seat in the kitchen so I can actually prepare meals.
• It's easy to set up and just took 10 minutes, and easy to fold away when not in use.
• The design is very sturdy, and the adjustable levels and removable mesh protector make this a product that will grow with her until she can reach the kitchen counter on her own.

I have so many fond memories standing on a chair and helping my parents in the kitchen as a kid. Even before I had my daughter Ellie, I'd pictured baking holiday cookies and making homemade pasta sauce with my own kids helping me in the kitchen.

But those images in my head always involved much older kids - kids who can actually help in the kitchen. I never pictured a young toddler standing at the kitchen counter with me, though Ellie apparently has a different picture in her head.

She loves to learn and is always interested in what I'm doing, so if I leave her to play on the floor while I'm cooking or baking, she's not a very happy camper. She's only 12 months, so it's definitely not safe to have her stand on a chair by the counter.

Enter the Guidecraft Kitchen Helper. It's an enclosed adjustable kitchen stool that safely puts Ellie right at the counter with me, and even though it's $169, it's been a total game changer and is really worth the price.

Before I had the Kitchen Helper, I'd attempt to cook meals with one hand while I held Ellie in the other. This wasn't easy or safe, especially when I was near the stove or I needed to use a knife. Now, she gets to see everything I'm doing while I have both hands free, and she's happy and entertained the entire time.

Setup and design

My husband set up the Kitchen Helper in less than 10 minutes.

The entire product is made of very solid and sturdy wood. The stool folds up very quickly and easily when you want to store it, and takes less than a minute to unfold and set up when you're ready to use it. I can even set it up with one hand if I'm holding Ellie in the other.

The stool comes with a nonslip mat for kids to stand on while in the stool, and a Kitchen Helper Keeper, which is a mesh covering for the open side of the stool where kids would step in or out. Once Ellie gets big enough, we'll take this off so she can climb in and out on her own, but for now, it helps keep her safe and secure in the stool.

The Kitchen Helper comes in five different colors, so you can choose the one that best matches your kitchen. We chose white. I like the design because it looks more like a piece of furniture than a kid's item or toy, but it still has some cute features that would keep kids entertained, like shape cutouts on the sides (more on that later), a little chalkboard on one side, and a little whiteboard on the other side. Since Ellie is still so young, she hasn't used these yet, but I could see them being fun for her to play with or write the dinner menu when she gets older.

For now, Ellie loves watching me from the stool while playing with bowls and measuring cups. I also use the stool sometimes to feed her a little appetizer if she gets hungry while I'm still cooking dinner. I like that I can still supervise her while she's eating, instead of having her run away while I'm still in the kitchen.

This stool has already made preparing meals so much less stressful, and I can tell that Ellie loves it too, because if I start cooking without her in the Kitchen Helper, she'll walk over to it and point at it.

When she gets older, she'll be able to use the stool to actually help me prepare ingredients and cook meals. It's so important for kids to learn the process of how food gets to the table, so this is a great product to start teaching that from a young age.

Safety first

As much research as I did before buying this stool and as sturdy as it has been so far, there's always the possibility that Ellie could try to climb out or fall, so I always keep a very close eye on her so I'd urge you to do the same with this or any other product.

You also need to be very careful with what you put on the counter in front of the stool; you'd be surprised at how far those little arms can reach. Make sure you keep any dangerous, hot, or sharp items well out of arms' reach.

Potential cons to consider

The nonslip mat tends to fall off a lot when I fold the Kitchen Helper up to store it. This is more of a minor inconvenience, but it's something to consider.

I'm also not a huge fan of the decorative square, star, and circle cutouts on the sides because they're the perfect foothold for my little climber. If you're using this for a toddler, you'll need to be especially careful once they enter the climbing stage that Ellie is currently in. Once she's a little bit older, I don't think this will be a problem.

The bottom line

I absolutely love the Kitchen Helper. Before I bought it, I was afraid it was going to be a waste of money, but it's been so worth the cost even at $170.

There are a few other options out there, including the Little Partners Original Learning Tower ($199.99), which has large openings on the side so it might be better suited for older kids. Another option to consider is the UNICOO Kids Step Stool, which is under $100.

I personally went with the Kitchen Helper because I like how it's very enclosed compared to a lot of the other options. It's really sturdy, and has already made it much more enjoyable to bake or make dinner. If you're struggling to get food on the table while taking care of toddlers and young kids, I highly recommend the Guidecraft Kitchen Helper.

Pros: Very sturdy, easy to store and set up, keeps toddlers and kids entertained, lets kids be a part of meal preparation

Cons: Nonslip mat sometimes falls off during storage, cutouts on the side are perfect footholds for climbers

Buy the Guidecraft Kitchen Helper Stool for $169 from Amazon and Wayfair