Toys · Months 6 to 18
Shape sorters: fill and dump first, matching shapes later.
A classic shape sorter asks a baby to match a star to a star-shaped hole, which is a later skill than dropping a block in. So the first shape sorter is really a bucket, and that’s fine.
- 2 picks, 3 skips
- Recall-checked Oct 2026
- Includes the $0 option
Independent picks. If you buy through our Amazon links we may earn a commission; as an Amazon Associate, Betteroo earns from qualifying purchases. It never decides what makes the list. How we choose
The short answer
Most families need one shape sorter, and the Fisher-Price First Blocks is the one we’d buy. Lid off for a baby, lid on once they start matching shapes, and it’s in our Budget band. If your baby gets frustrated with holes, the InnyBin has elastic bands instead, so every push works.
For stacking cups and blocks, see our toys for 1-year-olds. On October 6, 2026 we checked both picks’ live US listings, price bands, age labels and the CPSC recall database.
At a glance
Two shape sorters
Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks
Ten blocks, a bucket and a sorting lid. Lid off first, shape sorting later.
Price band: Budget Check price Why it made the list
Fat Brain Toys InnyBin
A cube with elastic bands for sides. Push a block in anywhere, fish it back out.
Price band: Mid-range Check price Why it made the listBefore you buy
What a shape sorter has to do
A common mistake is buying a sorter with twelve shapes for a baby who is still learning to let go of a block. Start with fewer, chunkier pieces.
We assess both picks on the same things: the age on the label, what’s in the box, the material and the size.
Rated for the age
Both are labeled under 12 months: 6 and 10 months and up.
Chunky pieces
Ten or six big blocks, not a dozen small ones.
Lasts past the first game
Fill and dump now, more later.
The picks
Why each one made the list
Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks
Ten blocks, a bucket and a sorting lid. Lid off first, shape sorting later.
A bucket with a lid that has shaped slots, and ten chunky blocks to sort, stack and drop through them; the bucket has a carry handle (Fisher-Price), and all the blocks store inside it (listing). For a baby, take the lid off: dropping blocks into an open bucket and tipping them out is the first game. The lid goes back on once they start matching shapes, which for many children comes in the second year.
Why it’s worth it
- Two toys in one: fill and dump, then shape sorting
- Everything stores in the bucket
- Labeled 6 months and up, the youngest here
Key specs
- Age range
- 6 months and up
- Material
- Not stated by Fisher-Price
- In the box
- 10 blocks, bucket with sorting lid
- Size
- Not stated by Fisher-Price
From Fisher-Price’s product page, then the amazon.com listing, checked October 6, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 6, 2026). The brand search returns 53 Fisher-Price recalls, none of them this set.
- Toys for children 12 and under must meet ASTM F963 and be third-party tested (CPSC).
Fat Brain Toys InnyBin
A cube with elastic bands for sides. Push a block in anywhere, fish it back out.
A cube with six chunky textured blocks. Instead of cut-out holes it has stretchy elastic bands, so any block goes in anywhere with a push, and pulling them back out through the bands is the second game (listing, sold by Fat Brain Toys). The cube is 5.5 inches on each side and the blocks are 2 inches. We picked it for the baby who gives up on a classic sorter: there’s nothing to get wrong.
Why it’s worth it
- No wrong answer, so no giving up
- Six textured 2 in. blocks
- Reaching in to pull blocks out is its own game
Key specs
- Age range
- 10 months and up
- Material
- Made without BPA (listing)
- In the box
- Cube and 6 blocks
- Size
- 5.5 in. cube, 2 in. blocks
From the amazon.com listing, sold by Fat Brain Toys (its own site showed a human-verification page today), checked October 6, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 6, 2026). We found no Fat Brain Toys recalls in the CPSC database.
- Toys for children 12 and under must meet ASTM F963 and be third-party tested (CPSC).
Side by side
Two picks side by side
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | First shape sorter | No wrong answer |
| Price band | Price band: Budget | Price band: Mid-range |
| Age on label | 6 months and up | 10 months and up |
| Pieces | 10 blocks | 6 blocks |
| Shape matching | Yes, with the lid on | No, elastic bands |
| Storage | Blocks store in the bucket | Blocks store in the cube |
Which one is yours
Start with your situation
Want one toy onlyFirst Blocks: bucket, lid and blocks in one.
Baby gives up on toys quicklyThe InnyBin. It can’t be done wrong.
Loves filling and tipping outFirst Blocks, lid off.
Already own a shape sorterKeep it. Take the lid off if it’s too hard yet.
Grandparents asking what to getFirst Blocks, and stacking cups from our 1-year-old list.
The $0 version
A large plastic tub or a shoebox and a handful of big, clean kitchen things too large to choke on: wooden spoons, a whisk, measuring cups. For posting, cut nothing: drop things into an open container and tip them out. That’s the same game as the First Blocks with the lid off.
An open tub, and things too big to fit in a mouth.
What we would skip
Three things we’d leave on the shelf
They’re next to every shape sorter in the toy aisle. Here’s why we’d pass.
A twelve-shape sorter for a baby
Classic wooden cubes with a dozen shapes are often labeled from 2 years. Melissa & Doug’s Shape Sorting Cube listing says ages 2 to 4. Buy for the age on the label.
A talking shape sorter
Lights and voices that cheer every drop give a baby something to watch rather than something to work out. We’d rather the toy stay quiet.
A second sorter in a different theme
One sorter covers the skill. Buy something different instead, like stacking cups or a first puzzle.
What we passed on
- Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube. A classic wooden cube with 12 shapes. Its listing says ages 2 to 4, so it’s a later toy, and we couldn’t find it on Melissa & Doug’s own site on October 6, 2026.
- Battat Shapes and Sound Sorter. In our Budget band and sold by Amazon. Its listing says 18 months and up, and Battat’s site has no product page we could check its specs against.
- Tonberless Montessori shape-sorting toy. A top seller in Amazon’s search for shape sorter toys on October 6, 2026, sold by a third-party seller. We stick to makers whose specs we can check.
Questions parents ask
FAQ
When can a baby use a shape sorter?
The First Blocks is labeled 6 months and up and the InnyBin 10 months and up. Many classic sorters with lots of shapes are labeled 2 years and up, so check the label.
When do babies start matching shapes?
Later than they start dropping blocks in. That’s why we’d start with the lid off the First Blocks, and put it back on once your child tries to fit shapes through the slots.
Are shape sorters worth it?
One is. A bucket and blocks, or the $0 version below, covers the skill. We wouldn’t buy a second.
What about stacking toys?
Stacking cups are on our toys for 1-year-olds list, with blocks and a first puzzle.
Why trust Worth It
How we choose
We don’t run a product lab, and we won’t pretend we do. Worth It picks are researched from makers’ instructions, retailer listings and official safety guidance, not lab-tested. Each is chosen for a specific age and a specific job, the way a friend a couple of years ahead of you would choose: a few products, each with a reason, and an honest note on what could go wrong.
We check every listing on amazon.com for a live US offer and sort it into a price band: Budget (under $30), Mid-range ($30 to $100) or Premium (over $100). We don’t print exact prices because they change daily. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission. That pays for this, and it never decides what makes the list.
For safety, we search the CPSC recall database by product name, and we note the US safety standard the maker says a product meets. Where the maker doesn’t say, we tell you what the law requires for that kind of product. The JPMA’s certification list (now run by the Baby Safety Alliance) isn’t publicly searchable, so we only mention certification when the maker states it. Specs come from the maker first, and the Amazon listing second.
Sources for this page
- Fisher-Price: Baby's First Blocks
- CPSC: toy safety business guidance
- CPSC recall database, searched by product name on October 6, 2026
- Product listings on amazon.com, checked October 6, 2026
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