The step stools we use for handwashing and kitchen help

Our recommendations

Our family’s pick

iLove 2 Step Stool for Kids, Gray (2 Pack)

The fixed gray iLove pair handles handwashing and toilet trips for our boys. There is no folding hinge here for little fingers to get caught in.

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Worth knowing.

• They have been useful for both handwashing and the toilet in our house.
• The pair has fixed steps, so there is no folding mechanism for a child to open or close.
• A two-step stool takes up bathroom floor space. Check that you have room around the toilet or vanity.

Low bathroom alternative

BabyBjörn Step Stool, Deep Green/White

BabyBjörn’s low plastic step wipes clean and has a rubber anti-slip base. Check faucet reach before buying; one owner found its roughly 6-inch lift too short.

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Worth knowing.

• On r/Buyingforbaby, one owner found its roughly 6-inch lift still left their toddler short of the faucet handles. The same height complaint keeps coming up in parent threads about low sink stools
• BabyBjörn lists a rubber base and a textured standing surface.
• The plastic stool can be wiped clean.

Best grippy stool

OXO Tot Step Stool

OXO puts grip on both the standing surface and the feet. Check its published dimensions against your bathroom floor.

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Worth knowing.

• OXO lists a non-slip standing surface and feet.
• Its fixed shape avoids an opening-and-closing mechanism.
• It doesn’t fold, so in a tight bathroom it needs a permanent spot

Best learning tower

Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper, Natural

Guidecraft’s adjustable platform lifts a child to the counter. Check the exact item and lot against the 2026 recall before considering it.

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Worth knowing.

• Guidecraft lists two platform positions, 15 and 18 inches.
• The current tower includes a non-slip mat and two mesh Keepers.
• It folds for storage, though its open footprint still needs room beside the counter.

Community discussions: r/toddlers · r/Montessori

Budget pick

IKEA FÖRSIKTIG Children’s Stool, White/Turquoise

IKEA FÖRSIKTIG is a low-cost bathroom step with anti-slip treatment on top and underneath. Its current manual recommends it for children ages 3–7.

Keep this stool away from windows, blind cords and strong heat. Do not use it if any part is damaged or missing. IKEA

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Worth knowing.

• Anti-slip treatment on the top and the feet deals with a kid slipping off and the stool sliding around
• Being all plastic, it doesn’t mind water and wipes clean
• At this price, one per bathroom is easy

Folding stools and little fingers

Our Delxo has been useful when the kids help cook. They sometimes open it before school to get cereal. That is something they do, not something I recommend leaving them to do.

• The Delxo has pinched fingers on occasion, and our child finds it hard to fold. An adult should open and close it, keep children’s hands away from the joints, and check that it is fully open before use. Keep it out of reach when you cannot supervise.
• The purple Handy Laundry stool was only okay for us. It sometimes pinched the kids’ hands badly enough that they cried. I would not buy it as their everyday stool.
• Before cooking together, move hot pans, knives and anything the child could pull down out of reach.

How I narrowed it down

We own the gray iLove two-pack, the Delxo aluminum woodgrain two-step folding stool and the purple Handy Laundry folding stool. My comments about those three come from using them with our kids. I have not used the other stools below. Their details come from product pages and the linked sources. The iLove scene shows one stool from our two-pack; it was made from a product photo, not taken in our bathroom.

• Matched the gray iLove two-pack to B072WFPSDK and the owner-confirmed purchase inventory.
• Kept our Delxo and Handy Laundry observations separate from the researched alternatives.
• Checked the current Guidecraft listing and the CPSC recall notice. The listing now starts at 18 months and says the tower folds for storage.

I'm Matt, a dad of two boys. If we've used something at home, the card says personally tested. The rest I read up on. I keep a weekly list of kids' product recalls. How I pick.