Top 7 Child-Safe Toys in 2026

Walk into any toy aisle and the choices are dizzying — and the labels rarely tell you what actually matters: is this safe, and will it genuinely help my child grow? As parents of three, we've spent years sorting the truly excellent toys from the merely loud ones. These seven earned the highest safety scores in our entire catalog for 2026, and every one of them is a toy we'd happily hand our own kids.

Each pick below is independently scored out of 100 for material safety, choking risk, recall history, and certifications — then checked against current recall data. No sponsorships, no guesswork. Here's the shortlist, best-first.

How we scored these

Our Safety Score weighs four things: what a toy is made of, whether it poses a choking risk for its age, its recall history, and which independent safety certifications (like ASTM F963 and CPSIA) it carries. A score in the 90s means a toy we'd trust without a second thought. Every toy here cleared that bar.

1. Green Toys Stacking Cups

Safety 95/100 · Development 74/100 · Ages 6–36 months. Made from 100% recycled milk jugs with no BPA, phthalates, or external coatings, these nesting cups are about as worry-free as a first toy gets — and they double as bath and sand scoops as your child grows.

See the full safety breakdown in our Green Toys Stacking Cups review.

2. Lovevery The Play Kits (0–12 months)

Safety 95/100 · Development 90/100 · Ages 0–12 months. Designed by child-development specialists and made from sustainably sourced wood and organic cotton, each kit is matched to your baby's developmental stage — our highest development score of the group at 90/100.

See the full safety breakdown in our Lovevery The Play Kits (0–12 months) review.

3. Green Toys Dump Truck

Safety 94/100 · Development 76/100 · Ages 1–6 years. A rugged, recycled-plastic classic with no small parts and a working tailgate that begs for sandbox and backyard play. Dishwasher-safe when the mud inevitably wins.

See the full safety breakdown in our Green Toys Dump Truck review.

4. Grimm's Large Rainbow Stacker

Safety 94/100 · Development 85/100 · Ages 1–8 years. Twelve nested wooden arches finished with non-toxic water-based stains. It's the definition of open-ended play — a tunnel, a fence, a bridge, a cradle — and it grows with your child for years.

See the full safety breakdown in our Grimm's Large Rainbow Stacker review.

5. PlanToys My First Camera

Safety 94/100 · Development 79/100 · Ages 18 months–4 years. Made from sustainably harvested rubberwood with a kaleidoscope lens and a shutter that clicks. It encourages imaginative play and gentle motor skills without a single screen in sight.

See the full safety breakdown in our PlanToys My First Camera review.

6. PlanToys Stacking Ring

Safety 94/100 · Development 78/100 · Ages 1–3 years. A modern take on the classic ring stacker, with a soft foldable center post that's gentle for new walkers. Solid rubberwood and non-toxic finishes throughout.

See the full safety breakdown in our PlanToys Stacking Ring review.

7. Tegu 14-Piece Magnetic Wooden Blocks

Safety 94/100 · Development 83/100 · Ages 1–6 years. Hardwood blocks with magnets safely sealed inside — no loose magnets, ever. They snap together in satisfying ways that keep toddlers and big kids building side by side.

See the full safety breakdown in our Tegu 14-Piece Magnetic Wooden Blocks review.

Choosing the right one for your child

If you're shopping for a baby, the Lovevery Play Kits and Green Toys Stacking Cups are hard to beat. For toddlers building independence, the Grimm's Rainbow Stacker and Tegu blocks offer years of open-ended play. And if you want something that gets your child outside, the Green Toys Dump Truck is built for it.

Whatever you choose, you can shop knowing it's been checked the way we'd check it for our own family. Browse every toy we've scored on our reviews page, and if you'd like our safest picks and recall alerts in your inbox, join the SafeNest newsletter below.

Helping parents choose safer, smarter toys with confidence — that's why we built SafeNest.