When your baby reaches eighteen months, their world suddenly breaks wide open. They are moving and exploring the environment that surrounds them in whole new ways. To support their learning and growth, provide them with the best toys to encourage development and entertain them. You can't go wrong with any of these ten toys for tots.
Big Blocks for Budding Builders
18-month-olds have started mastering the motor skills needed to put things together, making building blocks excellent toys for motor development. These big blocks are large enough for tiny hands to readily grasp, and they will help to develop hand-eye coordination in young children. Kids can get creative and build just about anything they can dream up, and parents will love that the many pieces come with easy storage after the fun is done for the day.
What We Like
▪ Encourages hand-eye coordination
▪ Comes with storage solution
What We Don’t
▪ Not BPA free
A Classic Toy That Still Brings Joy
I actually can't recall if I have ever stepped foot in a home or development center that does not contain this classic toy. The Battat Animal Farm Playset is an excellent toy for little ones interested in imaginary play and animals. Kids this age likely know many animal sounds, and now they can put the sound with the tangible animal and the classic barn the animals live in. Childhood isn't complete without this toy.
What We Like
▪ BPA Free
▪ Barn and animals create opportunities for creative play and imagination
▪ More than one child can play with the toy at a time
What We Don’t
▪ Toy contains small pieces that may be considered a choking hazard
A Toy for Little Problem Solvers
Puzzles are wonderful additions to the playroom, and children around 18-months-old may start to master the skill of simple puzzle solving. These puzzles are prime choices because they are not overwhelming in size, shape, or quantity. They create a perfect balance of what kids can handle while still expanding their brain. The wooden knobs allow for easy grasping while preventing fine motor frustration.
What We Like
▪ Easy to grasp pieces
▪ Recognizable puzzle pieces
▪ Enhances motor skills, vocabulary, and coordination
What We Don’t
▪ Once kids master the puzzle, they can become bored with the simplicity of it
A Toy to Extend Learning
While this toy can be used simply by having tots put the coins in the bank, caregivers can create extension activities using the materials provided. As kids grasp the concept of colors, ask them to put specific colors in the piggy bank. If they are learning to count, be sure to say numbers in order as they put coins in the bank.
What We Like
▪ Allows for learning of colors, counting, and fine motor skills
▪ Brightly colored for engagement and fun
What We Don’t
▪ If you lose pieces, you lose the ability to create extension activities.
A Toy to Take on the Road
The Little Tikes Cozy Coup is one of those toys that screams early childhood. Kids can spend countless hours puttering back and forth and up and down the sidewalk. If you're lucky, they will run themselves out of energy, and you will get to enjoy a long period of silence as they snooze away the next part of the day. I'd spend sixty bucks on a toy that might bring forth a solid nap session.
What We Like
▪ Easy for children to maneuver in
▪ Removable floorboards so kids can move independently or parents can push the car
What We Don’t
▪ May be heavy and cumbersome for small tots to independently move
A Toddler Toy That Won't Break the Bank
My nephew loves nothing more than trucks and letters, so when I found this gem of a toy, I nearly did a cartwheel down the store aisle. When I later read the price, I really thought this might have been one of the very best days of my life. It's a great toy at a really low price.
Toddlers can enjoy the LEGO-like alphabet blocks or create their own truck design. If you are vying for the title of Best Aunt in the Universe, buy this item STAT. Should they decide trucks are so yesterday and shift interests immediately, no worries, it didn't break the bank.
What We Like
▪ Multiple uses for play
▪ Encourages use of motor skills
▪ Inexpensive toy
What We Don’t
▪ Letter towers tip over when the truck is moved
Crayons to Get Tots Coloring
Every kid needs a pack or two of crayons, but with so many brands to choose from, how do you know which is going to be the best for your budding artist?
Honeysticks 100% Pure Beeswax Crayons Natural are an excellent choice for parents who know their kids will probably spend more time gnawing on the crayons than putting them on paper.
What We Like
▪ Non-toxic
▪ Designed for little fingers
What We Don’t
▪ Expensive
▪ Only 12 colors included
A Climber for Movers and Shakers
Some kids are more than happy to sit on the living room floor and play with books and puzzles. Other kids (like mine) need to move... a lot.
The Simplay3 Young Explorers Adventure Climber is a great item to add to your daily playtime circuit. Kids can climb, slide and scoot through openings all day long. While the climber will undoubtedly take up space somewhere, it is compact enough to put in a basement or playroom or keep outside to use when the weather is agreeable.
What We Like
▪ Excellent for gross motor development
▪ Can be used indoors and outside
What We Don’t
▪ Expensive
▪ Will take up more space compared to other toys
Top Toy Pick for Vocabulary Development
18-month-olds often begin to ramp up their vocabulary, going from knowing about five to 20 words at 18-months, to hundreds of words during their second year of life. The LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book helps children learn and recognize 100 essential and age-appropriate words. The toys covers the categories of pets, colors, animals, and activities. Nothing beats a good learning toy, and this one is a great way to introduce the concept that learning is fun to your young child.
What We Like
▪ Inexpensive
▪ Bilingual function
▪ Covers 100 age-appropriate vocabulary words
What We Don’t
▪ Requires batteries (which us parents NEVER seem to have on hand, no matter how hard we try)
Stocking up on toys for your growing baby is a great way to give them opportunities to use their brains and bodies as they put pieces together to figure out the world around them. While play items are wonderful additions to learning and growing, remember there is never any substitute for engagement and interaction with caregivers. You are your child's first teacher and their most important teacher. Always use toys as a means to supplement, never replace what you yourself can provide for your child.
