Melissa & Doug Rainbow Stacker

I bought this as a safe and natural alternative to plastic. However, the rings were cracked and the paint chipped off. Fortunately, I noticed this before my baby 'explored' it with his mouth because he would have had a mouthful of paint chips no exaggeration. So much for being safe and natural I had to throw it away. So unsafe that I had to write a review.

I ordered this rainbow stacker after reading several great reviews. My 13 mo. old daughter grabbed for it as I was unpacking it, so I think she's going to love it. HOWEVER, I am disappointed in the quality several of the rings are stuck together by paint. The ones I have been able to pry apart have paint stuck on them (blue on yellow for example) and the purple & yellow ones I have not been able to pry apart yet (neither has my husband!) I'm sure they will come apart eventually, but personally I would not give this as a gift due to this quality control issue.

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This is a good basic addition to any toddler's toy collection. We like it because:

It's wood. The rings make a satisfying "clink" that plastic or cloth stacking rings lack.

It's easy for kids to do. We've had other stacking toys (like the Melissa & Doug stacking train) where certain pieces only fit in certain places, and that is frustrating for little ones just figuring out how things work. This one's simple and straight-forward.

It's inexpensive.

My older son received this when he was about 18 months and played with it quite a bit. Now his younger brother enjoys it, and has been able to put the rings on & off since about 12 months.

(Just a warning: the stick, or "ring holder" as we call it, often gets banged around like a hammer in our house this is partly why they like this toy so much, but it means close supervision is necessary!)

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The top piece, the blue one pictured, is small enough to be a choking hazard. Just FYI. We removed that piece and threw it away.

Also, the pole and the hole are small requiring really really good fine motor skills. For babies just learning this skill look for bigger poles and holes otherwise, it's really hard for them to do this one.

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Back before I actually had a kid, when I was insisting on natural materials only, I ordered the Melissa & Doug Rainbow Stacker, even though I'm not a fan of M&D toys as a rule (I find many of them to be cheaply made).

We got the classic Fisher-Price Rock-A-Stack as a gift when Jackson was born, and I remember scoffing a little. "Plastic! Look at this silly thing with the ridiculous foil shiny thing inside the top ring. They couldn't even make it a real rainbow, they ruined it putting those dumb little balls in the top half of the red ring. And why does it rock?! What kind of ridiculous popcorn-button-on-the-microwave unnecessary extra feature is that?"

Of course, six months later, the Rock-a-Stack is the undefeated champion of playtime, and the Rainbow Stacker sits unused in the closet. Jackson loves the balls in the red ring, he likes to make it rock, he can actually get the rings off and play with them, and I don't worry one bit when he teethes on the fat, squat, yellow ring-holder-thingy in the middle.

The rings on the M&D stacker, on the other hand, are heavy and hard for him to lift and manipulate, the red ball rolls away (and reminds me of a scary clown nose), and I'm always worried he's going to gag himself when he tries to chew on the tall, skinny wooden stick in the middle.

The Rainbow Stacker might be a great toy for a three-year-old, but it's not a good fit for my baby at this stage.

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