Customer Reviews

KidKraft Step 'N Store - Natural

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

We tried the cheap plastic bathroom stools like Spongebob, bjorn, etc. They are too light, too narrow, and too short.

The KidKraft is heavy so it doesn't get knocked out of place. It is quite sturdy. It is much higher than the cheap plastic stools so a toddler can actually comfortably reach the toilet AND the sink taps.

There are two problems with the Step N Store, but we could work around those problems whereas we could not work around the problems with the cheap plastic stools. The KidKraft's painted surfaces can be slippery especially if the child wears socks in the house. We put a non-slip film or rubber on ours. We put the non-slip rubber on the feet too because the stool can also slip on smooth floors. Also the KidKraft manufacturing is quite poor and we had to improvise with one screw hole that was not drilled properly. But the stool has done the perfect job for us ever since.

Nowhere on the product page do I see any mention of assembly for this item, so I was pretty surprised when it arrived in pieces! There are 7 wooden pieces, plus hardware, and the assembly instructions aren't great. I'm not the handiest gal, but I do ok, and it took me close to 45 minutes!

And even then, although I followed the instructions to the letter and the stool seemed sturdy, within a couple of months the inside bottom of the storage area popped out so many times than I tried glueing it, and that wouldn't even keep it in there. I ended up just gluing it shut so that we can use it as a stool but don't get that extra storage. The paint is thin and rubs off every time it brushes up against the bathroom cabinet or anything, which happens a lot since it is a kids' stool. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone!

This stool is what I expected. Seems durable and the right height for getting to the potty and reaching the sink. It was easy to assemble as well. It is, however, a little slippery. It could use some sort of tread/traction/grippy stuff on the bottom and the steps. Otherwise good, and a good value.

My two year old loves her "big girl bed" but because we needed storage space, we opted for a captain's bed which is quite high! Getting in and out was tough, so this step stool was a good choice for her. It was VERY easy to put together and qutie sturdy! The only drawback for us was that it slid on the hardwood floors (despite the claim of non-skid) we thought through a bunch of solutions and finally chose to get a non skid throw (shag) rug that runs along the side of the bed. She also loves the rug and now enjoys going up and down her "stepping stool" safely!

Loooove the fact that you can have a durable, multi-purpose kids' item in the house (how many kids things only serve one purpose! holy cow, there are way too many!). Also, the latch on the storage compartment is very kid-finger friendly and not easily slammable. But, I was disappointed that there are a few things that weren't included as safety features in this piece:

1 - What exactly can be stored in this compartment? It is appx. 8" x 3.5" (not actual measurements), but there is room enough under the "steps" to include at least 4" more. Why not go all the way at least to the arc in the bottom of the step??
2 - There are no "grippies" located on the feet of the stool. We have tile and hardwood floors (as most bathrooms do??) and as this is primarily used as a potty/ washing hands stool, I'd expect some non-slip grips on the bottom.
3 - On the subject of non-slip grips, if there is any chance of water being spilled onto the shiny, painted surface, it will become extremely slippery. There should be some gritty non-slip coating or strips on the top/steps of the stool.

Otherwise, PERFECT item. It is really tough to find a good stool. And at $10 bucks (+ $10 shipping, which the total is cheaper than the other Amazon options!), it is worth the money to put the grippies on the stool ourselves. But would be a great idea to extend the storage option... Kids LOVE to have a place to store only their stuff.

We purchased two of these about 2 years ago- one for the bathroom for our little one to brush his teeth and one for the kitchen for him to help mommy cook. This stool is pretty heavy-think of it as a piece of furniture. My then "little one" is a rough houser and the bottom step is cracked now on both of them.... other then that...it is functional. Also...it is on the large side if you have small bathrooms be prepared for stubbed toes! Although, I do have one outside now so that he can reach the mailbox and get the mail or send letters to his friends...and it weathers well! But if I need another stool for my nine month old...I may get a folding one.

If anything, I wish these stairs were just an inch or so taller. Another weakness appears to have been addressed with the current version Amazon is shipping.

We purchased the first set off of a "mama bargain" website a number of months ago, for our then 18 month old to reach the bathroom sink. That set came at a hefty discount and also included anti-slip "adhesive sandpaper" footprints (I believe they were already applied to the appropriate surfaces, but am not sure -- my wife assembled the first set).

My only complaint with that set, a failure which took a while to manifest, was the very thin fiberboard used for the bottom surface of the storage compartment (under the hinged top step). As soon as out toddler found he could open that compartment, he wanted to stand in it, and **crash** that was that.

The steps we received just last week are nearly identical in appearance, but I noticed that the thin fiberboard is eliminated, and the bottom step MDF wood continues all the was to the back side of the steps and doubles as the floor of the storage compartment.

But this second purchase didn't include any anti-slip surface (that was listed as a special "extra" on the previous purchase, so we weren't expecting it). To address that, I bought a 5-piece set of Tub Tattoos Clownfish that my son helped to to apply.

So we now happily have two sets in operation, the clownfish at the bathroom sink and the original set at the foot of his "bed" fashioned from a converted dropside crib.

Just as an aside: reading the complaints of low-quality materials, I disagree -- granted, these aren't dovetailed solid wood construction, but instead are MDF construction with dowels, wood screws and nylon inserts to capture the wood screw threads. They have no problem being man-handled by our 2-year old (regularly dropped), and support my weight sitting or standing (my wife also recently was using the original set as a step regularly during her pregnancy). We haven't had to go back an tighten any screws, and have observed no loosening. The first set was exposed to water splash in the bathroom for about 6 months and doesn't show any signs of delamination of the outer surface or swelling, as some inferior materials do.

In short, at half Amazon's price, our first set was a steal. At Amazon's price, these steps are a good value.

My daughter loves this stool. It just about gets her (2 yr old) up to the sink to wash her hands. Its fairly heavy, but she carries it around to reach light switches. She also stores stuff in the top of it. Never had it tip over on her... Highly recommend it for younger kids that need a taller stool for the potty/sink.

This is a perfect step stool for my 20 month old to reach the sink to wash her hands or to reach the potty. It is very sturdy and heavy. She can not move it on her own which is good because if she had access to the sink all by herself she would be washing her hands 24 hours a day. She loves to wash her hands, but this allows me to only move it in front of the sink when I want her there since she can't move it by herself.

The Amazon description for this step stool says it's "made from wood," which just isn't true--except in the way paper and cardboard are also "made from wood."

This is your classic composite faux wood, which will be fine for my 3-year-old, but I was hoping for something sturdier.

"Vanilla" is the ugly off-white you think it is.