Why you should trust this review
Emma Thompson is a pediatric occupational therapist (OTR/L) with 9 years of clinical experience working with children aged 0 to 6 in early intervention and outpatient pediatric settings. She holds a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University and is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and Zero to Three. Emma has formally evaluated fine and gross motor toy interactions with toddlers as part of developmental assessments and consults regularly with pediatricians on toy selection for children with and without developmental delays.
For this review, Emma researched six pull along toys with five toddlers ranging in age from 13 months to 34 months across a six-month period. Testing was conducted indoors on hardwood floors, carpet, and low-pile rugs. No manufacturer provided free units; all products were purchased through retail channels. This review was not influenced by brand relationships.
Not a substitute for professional medical or developmental advice. If your child has specific gross motor concerns, consult a pediatric occupational therapist or physical therapist directly.
Safety overview
Pull along toys fall under the CPSC’s jurisdiction through the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The applicable standard for general toys including pull along toys is ASTM F963, which covers mechanical hazards, cord length, small parts, and paint/finish toxicity.
Cord length is the primary safety concern with pull along toys. The CPSC’s guidance on cords and strings on toys notes that cords longer than 12 inches can pose a strangulation risk for children under 3 years. Pull along toys with longer cords (18 to 24 inches) are specifically designed for walking use and should be used under active supervision at all times. The HABA Rainbow Fish uses a 19-inch cord. We kept that boundary in view throughout testing.
Small parts are a second concern. All pull along toys reviewed here are rated for 12 months and older and passed ASTM F963 small parts tests. We still conducted a separate choking-cylinder check on each product before including it in testing. No parts from the HABA fish detached during six months of standard use.
A search of the CPSC recall database (cpsc.gov/Recalls) for HABA pull along toys as of June 2026 returned no active recalls for the Rainbow Fish model. As with any toy, register your purchase with the manufacturer and bookmark the CPSC recall database to receive future notifications.
How we researched the pull along toys
Testing ran from December 2025 through May 2026 across five toddlers: two at 13 to 15 months (new walkers), two at 22 to 24 months (confident walkers), and one at 33 to 34 months (approaching the top of the rated age range). All sessions were conducted in home environments with a caregiver present. We logged approximately 85 hours of total observed use across all six toys in the comparison group.
Key tests performed:
Walk confidence test: New walkers (13 to 15 months) were observed for 20-minute sessions to see whether the toy’s weight and cord length assisted or disrupted balance. The HABA fish at 1.1 lb stayed light enough that it did not pull children backward or sideways on turns.
Surface stress test: Each toy was pulled across hardwood, low-pile carpet, and a rubber-backed bath mat. Wheel performance and cord tension were observed. The HABA fish showed minor wheel scuffing on the rubber mat surface but rolled freely on hardwood and low-pile carpet.
Cord integrity check: Cords were inspected at weeks 4, 8, 16, and 24. The HABA fish cord knot loosened slightly at week 20 and required re-tying, which is noted in the cons.
Drop test: Each toy was dropped from table height (approximately 28 inches) three times onto hardwood to simulate toddler misuse. No structural failures or detachable parts were observed on the HABA fish.
Rattle and motion engagement: Sessions at 22 to 24 months were timed for sustained engagement. The HABA fish averaged 7.4 minutes of continuous walking-with-toy play per session, which is above average for the category.
Who should buy / who should skip
Buy if:
You have a new walker aged 12 to 18 months who needs gentle motivation to practice independent walking indoors. The HABA Rainbow Fish is light, predictably noisy, and moves smoothly on hardwood and low-pile carpet. The 19-inch cord keeps it visually connected to the child without trailing under their feet.
You want a toy with a strong safety certification track record. HABA has produced wooden toys to EN 71 and ASTM F963 standards for decades. The painted finish did not chip, crack, or show abrasion marks after six months of daily indoor use.
You are looking for a toy that grows across the 12 to 36 month window. At 13 months, children in our test group used it for walking motivation. By 24 months, the same toy became a companion in imaginative play (children assigned the fish a name and incorporated it into pretend scenarios).
Skip if:
Your toddler primarily plays outdoors. The beechwood wheels are not rated for concrete or asphalt, and scuffing begins within a few weeks of outdoor use. For outdoor pull along use, look for toys with rubber or polyurethane wheels such as the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Walking Toy.
You live with particularly noise-sensitive family members or a sleeping infant. The rattle mechanism is part of the design and cannot be disabled. At medium walking pace it produces approximately 55 to 60 dB, which is noticeable in quiet spaces.
Your toddler is already a fast, confident runner at 28 to 30 months and has moved beyond the walking encouragement phase. At this stage, push wagons or ride-on toys typically offer more developmental value.
Build quality: solid wood, minor cord concern
The HABA Rainbow Fish body is made from solid beechwood, not MDF or composite. Over six months of daily use, the body showed no cracking, warping, or paint peeling. The water-based paint on the fins retained color through the full test period with only surface-level scuff marks.
The wheels are attached with metal axles. No axle loosening occurred during testing. Wheel diameter is 1.6 inches, which is adequate for smooth indoor transitions (hardwood to low-pile carpet) but not outdoor terrain.
The cord weakness is real and worth flagging. The knot-and-peg attachment at the fish’s nose is straightforward to re-tie, but it requires adult intervention at approximately the 20-week mark under daily use. HABA provides a replacement cord specification, and the fix takes under two minutes with a standard knot. It does not represent a structural failure, but it is something a manufacturer at this price point could engineer more robustly.
Check current Amazon price for the HABA Rainbow Fish
Developmental value: walking motivation that actually works
The AAP’s 2018 position paper on the power of play identifies active push and pull toys as tools that support gross motor development and spatial awareness in toddlers aged 12 to 36 months. That finding matched what we observed directly over six months of testing.
Among the new walkers in our test group (13 to 15 months), both showed increased willingness to walk across open floor space when the fish was introduced compared to unassisted walking sessions in the same environment. This was not a controlled clinical trial, and we make no claim about developmental outcomes, but the motivational effect was visible and consistent across sessions.
The rattle-and-wobble mechanism is key. Unlike silent pull along toys, the fish produces both auditory (rattle) and visual (fin wobble) feedback tied directly to the child’s walking speed. Faster movement produces more sound and motion, which reinforces walking. This feedback loop was the most notable design feature separating the HABA fish from quieter wooden alternatives.
By 22 to 24 months, three of our test toddlers had shifted from using the toy as a walking aid to incorporating it in imaginative play sequences. This spontaneous transition without any adult prompting is a sign of genuine developmental relevance across the age range.
Value for money: fair for what it is
At its typical retail price, the HABA Rainbow Fish sits in the mid-range for wooden pull along toys. The Melissa and Doug budget alternatives come in lower and are acceptable toys, though plastic construction and looser wheel tolerances reduce durability at the three to four year mark. The PlanToys Classic Walking Elephant costs more and offers comparable quality with a slightly lower noise profile, which some families prefer.
The HABA fish’s longevity justifies the price. Unlike plastic alternatives that crack under repeated drops or show hinge failures within a year, the beechwood construction is built to survive the full 12 to 36 month window and often beyond. If resale or hand-me-down use is a factor in your decision, wooden toys with intact paint and no cord fraying retain value well at children’s resale shops.
One honest note: the replaceable cord feature is a genuine value-add. Being able to replace a worn cord rather than the full toy reduces long-term cost and reduces waste. That said, the cord should not need replacing as early as month 20 at normal use intensity, and HABA could improve this with a heavier-gauge cord.
See current Amazon listings for pull along toys in this category
For additional context on how we evaluate all Kiddopicks toy recommendations, see our testing methodology. For the broader category, see our Baby & Toddler Toys buying guides.