The Rock-A-Stack is a rocking cone and 5 brightly colored graduated rings that fit on the cone, made by Fisher-Price. The Rock-A-Stack is a toy designed to encourage both motor skills and cognitive abilities, as they learn to stack the rings in the proper order. All of the bright rings are made of safe, washable, soft plastic that work well for teething babies. This is a toy that is best suited for children from 6 months to 2 years.
Pros:
- Because of the stacking order of the graduated rings, the child learns logic as well as developing memory, and problem solving skills.
- The rings and base are light in weight, easy for a small child to carry around with them. More importantly, if they are dropped, they are light enough that they will not cause injury to a baby’s feet or toes.
- A great learning toy for many stages of development, as it can teach colors, coordination, and balance, in addition to the other skills of logic, memory, and problem solving.
- The toy is very easy to clean, durable, and not too large to take along on road trips.
Cons:
- There have been some issues (in early 2009) with blue dye rubbing off of the blue ring and getting on things, including the baby.
- For some babies, the task of choosing progressively larger rings may be more frustrating than fun, so this toy may not be for everyone.
- The rocking bottom of the cone is hard and can cause injury if used as a weapon.
- Do not let children chew on the rings unattended, as there have been cases where small pieces were broken off, causing a potential choking hazard, as well as jagged edges that can cut little fingers.
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I purchased this toy for my son when he was 6 months old. Initially, he would chew on the rings, throw them, and bang them together. At 12 months, he would put the rings on the cone (in the wrong order) but he was still proud. And now, at 16 months, he has started putting the rings on in the right order. We use the rings to tell him colors (although I don’t think that he quite gets it yet). It has been fun for us to watch him develop new skills all along the way, and look forward to using this toy to help him continue to learn. It’s great how such a simple toy can teach a child so much!