Toddler Step Stools Buyer's Guide 2026: The £6 and £25 Stools Both Lift 14-15cm, the £45 Wooden One Nearly Doubles It

COMPARISON · SAFE & SOUND

Somewhere between 18 months and two years, the bathroom sink becomes the most interesting place in the house. Your toddler wants to wash their own hands, spit like you do, and see themselves in the mirror. A little later, potty training starts and they need something under their feet to climb onto the big toilet. A step stool is one of the cheapest bits of kit you will buy in the toddler years, and one of the most used.

It is also a category where price tells you surprisingly little. We compared three stools that span the whole market: the Mamas & Papas Anti Slip Step Up Stool at £5.60, the BabyBjörn Step Stool at £24.90 and the wooden Little Helper FunStep at £44.99. The cheapest is listed at 14cm tall and the BabyBjörn at 15cm, so the £19 gap between them buys you almost no extra height. What it does buy is a different kind of grip, a narrower footprint and a brand guarantee. The FunStep is a different animal: two wooden steps and roughly 27.5cm to the top, aimed at children of three and up who want to help at the kitchen worktop.

We pulled together the published specs from each brand and retailer, the questions parents send us most often about step stools, and feedback we hear from families using each one. Here is what each price point actually gets you, and which one belongs in your bathroom, your kitchen, or both.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: BabyBjörn Step Stool · 8.5/10 - rubber top and rubber feet, 550g and compact enough for the smallest bathroom
• Best Value: Mamas & Papas Anti Slip Step Up Stool · 8.0/10 - nearly the same lift for under £6, with a clear 18 months and 25kg rating
• Best for Kitchen Helpers: Little Helper FunStep · 7.5/10 - two wooden steps and almost double the height, from age three

Quick comparison

Stool	Price	Height	Listed size	Weight	Age / max load	Rating
BabyBjörn Step Stool	£24.90	15cm	35 x 24 x 15cm	550g	No age given / not listed
Mamas & Papas Anti Slip	£5.60	14cm	40.5 x 38.5 x 14cm	514g	18 months+ / 25kg
Little Helper FunStep	£44.99	About 27.5cm (2 steps)	About 40 x 35 x 27.5cm	2.5-3.2kg	3 years+ / 30kg

Prices checked at the time of writing and can change. FunStep dimensions and weight vary slightly between retailer listings.

How we picked the 3

We looked for one stool at each realistic price point from brands with a proper UK presence and a joined retailer we can link you to. Each had to be a dedicated child's step stool rather than a potty with a step bolted on, and each had to publish at least a basic set of dimensions. We then compared height, footprint, grip surfaces, materials, weight and the age or load limits each brand is willing to put in writing. Where a brand does not state something, we say so rather than guess.

We deliberately left out learning towers. They are a different product with enclosed sides for younger toddlers standing at worktop height, and we covered them separately in our learning towers roundup.

What to look for in a toddler step stool

Height that matches the job. A single step of 14-15cm is the sweet spot for most toddlers at a standard bathroom basin and for getting feet flat in front of the toilet during potty training. Going much taller with a single step makes the climb harder for little legs. If you want your child to reach a kitchen worktop, which typically sits around 90cm, you need either a two-step stool for an older child or a learning tower for a younger one.

Grip on top and underneath. Bathroom floors get wet and so do small feet. Look for a textured or rubberised top surface and rubber feet or a rubber rim underneath. A stool that slides on tiles is the most common complaint we hear about cheap step stools.

Footprint. A wider stool is more stable and gives more room for two feet, but it also takes up more floor in a small bathroom and is easier to trip over at night. Measure the space in front of your basin and toilet.

Weight. Plastic stools around 500g are easy for a toddler to drag into position themselves, which is the point, but also means they will move it everywhere. A heavier wooden stool stays put and feels solid but is a two-handed lift for a small child.

Age and load limits. Not every brand publishes them. Where one is given, treat it as a minimum, and always supervise. A step stool does not make an unsupervised toddler at the sink safe.

Cleaning. Bathroom stools get splashed with toothpaste, water and, during potty training, worse. Wipe-clean plastic is the low-effort option; wood needs drying off.

1. BabyBjörn Step Stool / 10 · Best overall

The BabyBjörn Step Stool is the one we see on most bathroom floors in family homes, and the reasons are mostly about grip. It is a single 15cm step moulded from recyclable polypropylene, with a non-slip rubber surface on top and rubber on the feet. At 35 x 24cm it is the most compact stool here, and at 550g it is light enough for a toddler to push into place in front of the basin without help.

BabyBjörn does not give a minimum age or a maximum load on its UK page. Its position is that children develop at different rates and that you should supervise when your child starts using it. That is honest, but it does mean you are relying on your own judgement more than with the Mamas & Papas. The stool is BPA-free and PVC-free, comes in six colourways and carries a two-year guarantee.

What parents love

• Grip on wet floors. Rubber on both the top and the feet is what sets it apart from cheaper stools. A parent shared: "They have rubber on the feet and rubber on the top to prevent sliding on the floor and when stepping onto it."
• Small footprint. At 35 x 24cm it tucks under a basin or beside a toilet in a small bathroom and is less of a trip hazard on a night-time loo run.
• Built to last more than one child. Solid polypropylene with no moving parts, a two-year guarantee and a reputation for being handed down. One parent put it simply: "Great non-slip base. Would highly recommend!"
• Easy to clean. Wipe it or rinse it in the shower; there are no seams or fabric to trap toothpaste.

What to know before you buy

• No published age or load limit. BabyBjörn leaves it to you, so the Mamas & Papas is the only one here with an 18-month starting point in writing.
• Four times the price for 1cm more height. You are paying for grip, finish and brand, not for reach.
• A smaller standing area. The narrower top suits small feet, but older children may prefer the wider Mamas & Papas platform.

Best for

• Small bathrooms and cloakroom toilets
• Tiled floors that get wet at bath and teeth time
• Families who want one stool to last through several children
• Potty training, as a foot rest in front of the big toilet

2. Mamas & Papas Anti Slip Step Up Stool / 10 · Best value

At £5.60 when we checked, the Mamas & Papas Anti Slip Step Up Stool is barely more than a coffee, and it does almost everything the BabyBjörn does. It is 14cm tall, so a single centimetre lower, with an anti-slip top and rubberised feet. It weighs 514g, is made from TPE and polypropylene, and needs no assembly. It comes in Pebble Grey, Blossom and Eucalyptus.

Unlike BabyBjörn, Mamas & Papas puts a number on it: suitable from around 18 months, up to 25kg. That is a useful reassurance if your toddler is at the younger end. The listed dimensions of 40.5 x 38.5cm suggest a wider standing area than the BabyBjörn, which younger children who are still a little wobbly may appreciate, though it also takes up more floor.

What parents love

• The price. At this cost you can buy one for the bathroom, one for the downstairs loo and one for the kitchen and still spend less than a single BabyBjörn. We hear repeatedly from parents that having a stool in every room where hands get washed ends the daily dragging of one stool around the house.
• A clear age and weight rating. From 18 months and up to 25kg, stated plainly, so you know where you stand.
• Grip in the right places. Anti-slip top and rubberised feet, the two things that matter most on a wet bathroom floor.
• Light and portable. At just over half a kilo, toddlers can carry it themselves, which is half the fun of being independent.

What to know before you buy

• Lower 25kg limit. Fine for the toddler years, but older or bigger children will outgrow the rating sooner than the 30kg FunStep.
• Gentle cleaning only. Mamas & Papas advises against strong detergents or abrasive cleaners, so no scouring off dried toothpaste.
• Bigger footprint. The wider base is more stable, but in a narrow bathroom it is more to step around.

Best for

• Tight budgets, or buying several for different rooms
• Younger toddlers from around 18 months
• Potty training at home and at the grandparents'
• A spare stool for the car boot or holiday bag

3. Little Helper FunStep / 10 · Best for kitchen helpers

The FunStep is the only stool here that changes what your child can reach. It is a wooden two-step stool from the makers of the FunPod learning tower, designed as the grown-up follow-on for children who have outgrown the tower. A lower step leads up to a wider top platform at roughly 27.5cm, nearly double the height of the two plastic stools, which is what lets a three or four year old get up to worktop height to help with baking or reach a high basin.

Little Helper rates it from three years and up to 30kg, the highest load limit here, and says it is tested to European standards. It comes in Natural, Natural & Red and Maple & White. Retailer listings put its weight at 2.5-3.2kg, so it is much more planted than a plastic stool but also a proper lift for a small child. The retailer we link to was showing low stock when we checked, so it is worth acting quickly if you want this finish.

What parents love

• Real extra reach. The second step is the whole point. We hear repeatedly from parents that a single 15cm step stops being enough at the kitchen counter by about age three, and this is the next stage without moving to a full tower.
• Solid underfoot. A wooden frame weighing a few kilos does not skate across the floor the way a light plastic stool can.
• The highest weight limit. At 30kg it keeps going well into the primary school years.
• Looks like furniture. In a kitchen it sits more comfortably than a bright plastic stool, and matches other Little Helper pieces.

What to know before you buy

• Not for younger toddlers. It is rated from three years, and it has no side rails, so a two year old who wants worktop height is better off in a learning tower.
• Wood and wet bathrooms. It will cope, but it needs drying after splashes, unlike wipe-and-go plastic.
• Heavy for a child to move. Your three year old will probably need you to put it in position.

Best for

• Children aged three and up who want to help with cooking
• High basins or vanity units where 15cm is not enough
• Families moving on from a learning tower
• Kitchens where a stool needs to look like furniture

What about a potty with a built-in step?

Some parents ask whether a 3-in-1 potty, toilet seat and step combination does away with the need for a separate stool. It can work during the potty training months, but the step on those is usually tied to the toilet and awkward at the sink. Most families we hear from end up with a separate step stool for handwashing and teeth anyway, so we would treat a standalone stool as the long-term buy. For the training itself, our potty training guide covers the rest.

How to choose

Choose the BabyBjörn Step Stool if you have one bathroom stool doing all the work on a tiled floor and you want the best grip and the smallest footprint. It is the one most likely to still be in use for a younger sibling years from now.

Choose the Mamas & Papas Anti Slip Step Up Stool if you want to spend as little as possible, or want a stool in every room. It gives nearly the same lift as the BabyBjörn, has a clear 18-month and 25kg rating, and costs less than a quarter of the price.

Choose the Little Helper FunStep if your child is three or older and the problem is reach, not grip. Two steps and roughly 27.5cm of height get them to the worktop or a high basin in a way no single-step stool can.

Plenty of families end up with two: a cheap plastic stool in the bathroom and a two-step stool in the kitchen. Whatever you buy, stay close while your toddler is up on it.

Add it to your Nest

Step stools are a brilliant small gift for grandparents or friends who ask what you need for the toddler years. Add your favourite to your free BubsNest registry alongside potties, toothbrushes and the rest of the bathroom kit, and let your Nest do the remembering.