Plastic, bamboo, or birch — does material matter?

Across the reviewers we read, bamboo and hardwood (birch, beech) draw the strongest sturdiness praise and tend to carry higher weight capacities, while plastic stools win on price, light weight, and wipe-clean hygiene around the toilet. Specialist subreddits flag thin plastic as the most common failure mode — buckling under a 25–30 lb toddler — so check capacity ratings carefully on budget plastic picks.