Choosing a stacking toy is a fun process - there are plenty of colours, shapes and themes to choose from, but the process isn't as simple as picking the one that looks good! You need to consider the age suitability, safety and entertainment value to ensure it's the right pick for your child. For example, those with a central pole may have nostalgic connotations, but they can be risky for unsteady babies and boisterous siblings!
Luckily there are plenty of soft fabric, silicone and wooden stacking toys available. Then, of course, there are the themes - cup toys, animal toys, stacking rings and even rainbows! To make your shopping journey easier, we've picked out the 10 best stacking toys in the UK. Whether you're looking for toys for babies, for toddlers, 1-year-olds or 2-year-olds, we've got plenty of choice, all available from Amazon, John Lewis and Boots.
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
For a more in-depth look at the comprehensive top 10 selection, make sure to read on to learn more about the different types of stacking toys available and understand how our ranking was determined.
This article’s chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
Image | 1 ![]() Jacques of London | 2 ![]() OleOletOy | 3 ![]() Kidly | 4 ![]() Moontoy | 5 ![]() Sophie La Giraffe | 6 ![]() Orange Tree | 7 ![]() B. Toys | 8 ![]() Melissa & Doug | 9 ![]() Melissa & Doug | 10 ![]() ELC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Colourful Stackable Montessori Rainbow | Bath Stacking Cups | Silicone Rocking Stacker | Educational Stacking Blocks | Pyramid Stacking Rings | Jungle Animals Wooden Stacking Toy | One Two Squeeze Baby Blocks | Nesting & Sorting Buildings & Vehicles | Alphabet Nesting and Stacking Blocks | Sensory Stacking Rings |
Features | A High-Quality Wooden Rainbow Stacking Toy Made From Non-Toxic Paint | 8 Coloured Stacking Cups Which Can Be Used in the Bath, Pool or Sandpit | A Food-Grade Silicone Stacker Which Is Suitable From Birth | Educational and Cute Stacking Blocks to Help With Number and Colour Recognition | Iconic Sophie La Giraffe Soft and Safe Stacking Toy Suitable for 6 Months Onwards | 8 Wooden Stacking Jungle Animals and Plants to Encourage Imaginative Play | Soft Rubber Stacking Blocks That Squeak, Perfect for Babies Aged 6 Months Plus | A Stacking Toy and Imaginative Emergency Vehicle Play Set in One | Sturdy Cardboard Stacking Alphabet Blocks From Mellissa and Doug | Traditional Stacking Toy With Sensory Rings on a Plastic Central Pole |
Price | £9.99 | £12.95 | £14.50 | £12.99 | £22.99 | £15.99 | £11.00 | £15.11 | £12.93 | £20.00 |
Recommended Age | 12 months + | 12 months + | From birth | 12 months + | 6 months + | 12 months + | 6 months + | 24 months + | 24 months + | 6 months+ |
Material | FSC-certified wood | Polyurethane plastic | Food-grade silicone | ABS plastic | Polyester fabric | FSC-certified wood | BPA-free flexible cubes | 40 % cardboard, 40 % wood, 10 % Plastic (PP), 10 % metal | Cardboard | Rigid plastic |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, number and colour recognition, phonics practice | Hand-eye coordination, sensory stimulation | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect, imaginative play | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect, language development, number and colour recognition | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect, imaginative play | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect, alphabet recognition, phonics | Hand-eye coordination, sensory stimulation |
Storage | Nest together | Nest together | Nest together | - | Stack on central pole | Reusable bag | Reusable bag | Nest together (buildings only) | Nest together, carry handle on outer block | Stack on central pole |
Pieces | 7 | 9 (including 1 rubber duck) | 6 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 12 (6 blocks and 6 cars) | 10 | 7 |
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For babies under 6 months, soft materials that can be rolled on without worry are ideal. Babies of this age will enjoy being shown stacking pieces and will begin to grab and hold on to items offered to them. Babies over 6 months will still need soft stacking blocks - you don't want early sitters to fall onto a hard toy! Silicone, rubber and polyester fabric are all suitable choices.
Older babies of 12 months plus will enjoy colourful and open-ended stacking toys with pieces which can be easily manipulated, carried about and tested out. Finally, toddlers of 24 months and over will appreciate a stacking toy with a strong imaginary play element or a fun educational element.
To distract an older child, consider our best colouring book options.
Babies up to 18 months explore their environment by putting anything within reach into their mouths. So any stacking toys for this age group should be wipeable at the very least and preferably fully washable. Plastic, rubber and silicone are the most easily cleaned materials, and polyester fabric will withstand a good wipe down but don't submerge any fabric toys with squeakers or crinkly parts!
If you'd prefer a more environmentally-friendly option, opt for wood or cardboard toys. Wooden blocks are also great for withstanding more boisterous play, but they can hurt if fallen from a height! The alternative is to go for good-quality cardboard stacking toys. These are great for older toddlers who know not to stand on the blocks as they can build tall towers with little risk of being hurt by them falling.
Here are some more suggestions if you are looking for sustainable toys.
Stacking toys are great fun and can work wonders for a child's educational development. From encouraging hand-eye coordination to learning how to problem-solve, there are multiple benefits to allowing your children to play with them. There are certain features you can look out for to ensure the stacking toy is as educationally beneficial to your child as possible.
Check out our recommendations for bath toys which encourage quality play too.
Stacking toys by their very nature include multiple parts, which means that buying one could potentially add to the endless clutter of toys and baby paraphernalia, unless you consider storage. It's frustrating when a toy is incomplete, as a vital missing part will spoil a stacking toy, so good storage will help with its longevity.
Some stacking toys nest together into the biggest component piece, whereas others come in a reusable bag, giving them an instant home to return them to at the end of the day. There are also those with a central pole allowing them to stack neatly, ready for the next play session.
This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£9.99
Recommended Age | 12 months + |
---|---|
Material | FSC-certified wood |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect |
Storage | Nest together |
Pieces | 7 |
£12.95
Recommended Age | 12 months + |
---|---|
Material | Polyurethane plastic |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect |
Storage | Nest together |
Pieces | 9 (including 1 rubber duck) |
Coastal Mix
£14.50
Recommended Age | From birth |
---|---|
Material | Food-grade silicone |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect |
Storage | Nest together |
Pieces | 6 |
£12.99
Recommended Age | 12 months + |
---|---|
Material | ABS plastic |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, number and colour recognition, phonics practice |
Storage | - |
Pieces | 12 |
£22.99
Recommended Age | 6 months + |
---|---|
Material | Polyester fabric |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, sensory stimulation |
Storage | Stack on central pole |
Pieces | 5 |
£15.99
Recommended Age | 12 months + |
---|---|
Material | FSC-certified wood |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect, imaginative play |
Storage | Reusable bag |
Pieces | 8 |
£11.00
Recommended Age | 6 months + |
---|---|
Material | BPA-free flexible cubes |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect, language development, number and colour recognition |
Storage | Reusable bag |
Pieces | 10 |
£15.11
Recommended Age | 24 months + |
---|---|
Material | 40 % cardboard, 40 % wood, 10 % Plastic (PP), 10 % metal |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect, imaginative play |
Storage | Nest together (buildings only) |
Pieces | 12 (6 blocks and 6 cars) |
£12.93
Recommended Age | 24 months + |
---|---|
Material | Cardboard |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, motor skills, cause and effect, alphabet recognition, phonics |
Storage | Nest together, carry handle on outer block |
Pieces | 10 |
£20.00
Recommended Age | 6 months+ |
---|---|
Material | Rigid plastic |
Educational Features | Hand-eye coordination, sensory stimulation |
Storage | Stack on central pole |
Pieces | 7 |
Written and researched by Lucy Smith
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