Mandy here! I have an 18 month old and I have absolutely loved doing this guide. My other kids are older now so it has been a blast diving back into the world of baby and toddler toys. Someimes it can be very diffuclt trying to decide what to buy for this age group! Don't worry, we have rounded up a list of slam dunks!
1. Activity Table: We found the perfect, all encompassing toy for your littles. The Wonder Wise activity table is built for toddlers who love to explore. It comes with stacking animals, a train, puzzles, and so much more. The best part is that all of the parts can be stored in the center storage sack, which your child can easily access while they play.
2. Corner Climber: The Corner Climber is favorite among our play cushions because it’s made out of sturdy foam material, so I know that no matter how much they get used, they will last all of my children’s childhood years. The triangular pieces are the perfect size for my one year old to practice sliding on, but the pieces can be assembled in limitless ways. There are so many color options, so you can easily find the best fit for your home.
3. Rainbow Walker: Multi-use toys are a must-have when you don’t want to fill your home with too many toys. The Rainbow Walker is functional in how it helps your toddlers progress to walking, but it also acts as a flatbed for 45 colorful blocks that are designed for toddler development. The great thing is that the bed can be used to carry all kinds of toys.
4. Spill Again: The SpillAgain tower brings so much joy to littles, whether they are expecting the surprise or not. Everytime they push the button down, the anticipation grows and they get so excited when the balls drop out of the bowl. It doesn’t matter how many times they’ve seen it, it is always a thrill for them and they quickly gather the balls to do it again. This goes out of stock often; try Fat Brain if it isn't on Amazon.
5. Tobbles Neo: I recommend the Tobbles Neo for any baby that just started sitting up and is interacting more with their surroundings. I bring this toy out for all of my kids at this stage of life, and their eyes always light up with wonder at the bright colors and scalloped edges. Their unique bowl-shape invites creative stacks and helps with fine motor skills.
6. Silks Teether: Teethers are soothing enough, but the addition of silk draping from it provides the ultimate comfort experience. We have all of Sarah’s Silks products, and the quality of the silk is standardized across the board. Our older kids will use the teethers as rings around their pony tails, so they can be decorated head to toe in Sarah’s Silks.
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7. Play Tab: The PlayTab is one of my favorite developmental toys for babies and toddlers. Every tile has its own sensory experience, whether it is tactile or visual. There are 12 tile options to pick from and 6 fit inside the board. This means your toddler can switch out the tiles as much as they like and keep busy for ages!
8. Cluth and Teether: Teethers get more and more creative each day, and this one is no exception. My one year old lived for her HABA teether because the colorful wooden balls were so fun for him to clutch in his hands and the sensory experience was so nice for his aching gums.
9. Wood and Silicone Blocks: Wood ABCs blocks are essential for your baby’s toy room. What make these ones special is their silicone edges that provide a safe sensory experience and won’t chip! The faces of the blocks are wood, which give the classic block feel and get kids used to different textures. Each block also contains patterns and numbers for the ultimate learning experience. The sleeves easily remove to fast cleaning.
10. Swing and Hardware: The Monkey & Mouse Baby Swing Seat is an adorable choice for your little to be able to swing in the comfort of your own home! The double sided canvas allows for the swing to be outside temporarily, but is meant to be stored inside. I trust that my one year old will be safe and secure in the swing, especially with the hardware we linked. It was so easy to set up and my baby will just chill in there for ages while I do work and his siblings play around him!
11. Busy Board: I kid you not, it took my one year old a solid week of exploring the Busy Board before he had seen all it has to offer. Wonder & Wise fit so many adventures onto one small board, and it can be played on the floor or standing up, so your baby doesn’t have to be standing to enjoy it! It is so easy to store yet so cute to display.
12. Play Gym: This viral play gym is worth the hype, no questions asked. It is specifically designed with developmental stages in mind, and is meant for babies as young as one week old. The design encourages tummy time with various toys around the edges of the mat for babies to bat, pull, munch and crunch. But it is also great for babies just lying on their backs, with different toys and images provided to hang from the bars. I used this gym with all my babies and it has stood the test of time!
13. Ball Drop Box: As soon as you can, start teaching your baby the skill of problem solving and object permanence with the Ball Drop Box! My one year old started playing with this simple toy around 9 months old and it was amazing watching his little brain figure out how to get the ball out of the box. We started with keeping the door open so he could see the ball drop, and then started closing the door so he had to figure out where it went on his own. He still loves it today!
14. Sensory Fish: I have said it before and I will say it again, multi-use toys are always the way to go. I love my Sensory Fish Bath Scrub because my baby will play with and chew on it during the bath, and I can give him the head massage of his life with it at the end! The cute fish shape adds to the bathing experience, teaching him the association between fish and water. It was also the best possible brush I could get for him when he had cradle cap.
15. Wooden Sensory Toy Set: It is common knowledge that babies can either get sucked into a toy for eternity, or move on within seconds from toy to toy. Fortunately, with the Hape Multi-Stage sensory set, I don’t have to worry about that! All 5 pieces are unique in design and style, enlisting his little brain to soak up all different sights, sounds, and feelings. It is a great gift set for baby showers or to spoil your own little one.
16. Little Bloomer: Mothers can do it all, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it all. Sometimes it is easier to get your toys sent to you without the stress of finding the perfect toy for a specific age range. Little Bloomer has done all that work for you, and crafted an amazing toy subscription service. Every three months you’ll get a new box of toys for your baby in their first year of life, filled with expertly designed, colorful toys that will engage and excite your little one. It even comes with an app to help you along the way!
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17. Jumbo Shape Puzzle: If you are looking for a simple, cost effective toy, this jumbo shape puzzle is for you. It is meant to teach your small child shapes, the primary colors, and spatial discrimination. My baby started out simply banging the pieces against the board, but even that was enough to keep him entertained until he figured it out. The backs of the pieces are magnetic, providing both a fun and functional experience.
18. Cuddle and Kind: Cuddle and Kind dolls have taken the world by storm with their initiative to provide meals to children around the globe. With each purchase, the company donates 10 meals to children in need, so the price is not only justified by the high quality product, but the good it does as well. There are dozens of designs to choose from, making it a perfect collectable! Each doll has a name and a background story, adding a personal touch to each purchase.
19. Soft Triangles: Wooden blocks do not own the stacking world, and the Rubbabu soft, "flocked:", triangles proves that! These rubber foam triangular blocks are so fun for my baby to stack, while learning his colors. The triangular shape allows for creative stacking potential, and my older girls help him learn new stacking techniques every day!
20. Slide: Slides are essential to the childhood experience, and having a sturdy, timeless slide in your own home or out in the backyard will excite your kids more than you could imagine! My kids think it is so cool that we let them slide in the house, and this Step1Play and Fold Jr slide is great for littles just learning to slide, or big kids who will turn anything into a slide! It is foldable, so it can easily be stored when not in use. This toy has been going strong for 9 years at my house.
21. Pull Back Soft Vehicles: Once my one year old started sitting up, I got him the Melissa & Doug Pull Back vehicles. They are so soft, so I felt safe with him chewing on them. The colors are vibrant, and the construction-specific theme of the cars is unique and fun for learning about the world. He still has so much fun with them at his age and loves to crash them into each other! Which doesn’t bother me because I can’t hear it!
22. Soft Play Adventure Center: Foamnasium has some of the highest quality foam climbing cushions on the market. They take pride in the durability of their product, and I can attest to it first-hand! The Adventure Center is designed for everyday exploration and movement, with stairs, a slide, and a tunnel! Configuration ideas are endless, and so are the color options! All three of my kids get equal enjoyment out of this set, playing together like friends instead of siblings.
23. Play Mat: Every baby should have a comfortable surface to spend their tummy time, and the Toki play mat is up to the challenge. The removable cover makes it so easy to clean so I don’t have to worry about spit up or blow-outs ruining the mat. The cover is also so soft and inviting for my baby’s skin. He spent so much time on his mat in his early days and it is so easy for me to keep around with its easy-to-store design.
24. Drip Drop Cups: Bath time just got so much better with Lovevery’s Drip Drop Cups. Each cup has varying numbers of holes in them, so babies and toddlers can observe how water escapes cups at different speeds! They are also nesting and stacking cups, so your littles can enjoy them outside of the bath, too, practicing their stacking skills! We’ve been incorporating these into bathtime for a while, now, and they never get old.
25. Disney Wooden Balance Toys: The Disney Wooden Balance Blocks have been an incredible teaching tool for my kids, teaching them the effects of gravity and playing with different ways to balance the figures! Kids love to mix up the character’s pieces and stack them up in silly ways. It's a great problem solving opportunity, and encourages them to put them back together moving only one piece at a time.
26. Jumbo Farm Animal Puzzle: Babies and farm animals go together, like sugar and spice or peanut butter and jelly. Every baby needs a starter animal farm toy, and this puzzle is a great option! The large knobs are a good size for small hands to grab, and a matching picture of each animal is underneath, making matching easy for early learners!
27. Magic Touch Keyboard: The Baby Einstein Magic Touch Keyboard is designed specifically for all things babies and music. Not only is it colorful and intriguing to look at, but babies can learn different musical sounds besides the piano like xylophone, beats and drums. The keyless keys light up, inviting babies to follow along and learn how to play songs!
28. Bounce and Spin Puppy: This toy quite literally has it all. My one year old is finally old enough to ride it, so I picked it up as soon as I could and he cannot get enough of it. She bounces, spins, and dances to the music it plays, all while learning her ABCs. The handles are firm and the base is sturdy, so I know that he is safe from toppling over. He just giggles and giggles riding his puppy, since we don’t let him ride the real “puppy” in our house. Kohls typically has in stock if it's out of stock on Amazon.
29. Teether: We love this teether in our house. The countless colorful tubes make it easy to hold onto, and my baby gets totally fixated by the complex design! It is so light that he can throw it across the room and it won’t damage the floor or make any loud noises. It is genius for your teether to also be stimulating enough to hold your baby’s attention and distract from their achy gums!
30. Barnyard Go Tots: Fascinate your toddlers with the Go Tots Barnyard Tumble! They get so excited watching the wooden disks fall into the slots, and they learn object permanence as they discover how to reveal the disks through magical sliding doors. Melissa & Doug always delivers on high quality, colorful, wooden toys, and my 18 month old is simply obsessed with this one.
31. Melody Mansion Ball Run: I promise, my love for this toy runs deeper than my sharing a name with it! Ball runs are a classic toy for toddlers, and for good reason. It is so fun for them to watch the ball travel down the tracks, but their excitement skyrockets once the ball lands on the xylophone and makes beautiful sounds! One detail about this toy that is really developmentally special is that your little one has to pound the ball into the chimney with a mallet, practicing their motor and aiming skills.
32. Whirly Squigz: Silicone spinners are a necessity for bath time, and the Whirly Squigz fulfill that role wonderfully. My toddler loves to spin them, and gets so excited everytime she gets a good spin. I will sometimes use the spinners for my own relaxation, spinning it while I watch a show or Facetime a friend. They can easily be used on multiple surfaces, so they aren’t exclusive to bath time!
33. Wooden Stacker: Getting toys that I am comfortable displaying around the house is so helpful as a mom of 3, who tests toys for a living! It is nice to keep some toys out that are beautiful as well as fun to play with. I love Grimm's X Neon Small Conical Tower because of its bright colors and creative stacking potential!
34. Tummy Time Triangle: The Tummy Time Triangle is a genius solution to getting your little one to love playing on their tummy. It can lie down flat for tummy time beginners, or stand up in a pyramid shape for the more experienced babies. It is reversible, with a black and white side to showcase contrast to itty bitty babies, and a colorful side for when your baby is a little older.
35. Lion Lovey: Loveys are a family favorite among my kiddos because of their breathability and snuggliness! Their little lion faces are too cute, each one of my kids has spent many nights sleeping with their loveys. They are so easy to wash, so the more my kids love them the better! The muslin is so soft and does not lose its feel in the wash.
36. Squeeze and Stack Blocks: Babies love, and need, to squeeze things to help strengthen their little hands and arm muscles! I love these squeeze and stack blocks because their colors are unique and bright, but also because the soft plastic is great for bath time or taking outdoors. The come with a storage case, which is so convenient for packing up and putting away when he is done! This is a great transition toy for little kids too.
37. Starter Wooden Block Set: It is a priority in my home to get as much non-toxic items as I can get my hands on, and I appreciate The Wooden Wagon’s commitment to making safe toys for my kiddos. The naturally-stained wood is so bright and beautifully graded, so I love to leave it out and just look at it when the blocks aren’t being played with!
38. Open-ended Balls: A ball that is more than a ball, what more could you want? The B is for Ball toy is versatile in its design, with a removable section that allows for creativity at every stage in the first few years of childhood. Little holes allow for water play in the bath, or take off the cap to reveal a shape perfect for practicing balancing skills or sticking the ball to glass! Open ended toys are full of potential and help maintain a minimalistic lifestyle.
39. Mini Bounce House: Smol makes some of our favorite bouncy houses for every occasion. If your little loves jumping up and down and you want to create a safe environment for them to do so, the Mushie Mini Tumble is what you need. We love that we can blow it up once without needing continuous air keeping it full, giving us the freedom to move it around the house wherever and whenever we want! Code: TOYTESTINGSISTERS
40. Slumberkins Lovey: No matter what your child is going through emotionally or developmentally, there are customized Slumberkins for them. I am obsessed with these kits and have collected probably too many of them. The stuffed animals are all so unique and designed to represent the skill or idea it is trying to teach. The lovey is great for babies and toddlers. You can save the book for when your kids are older to discuss emotions, conflicts, and communication skills.
41. Tilt Scooter: Finally, a scooter that grows with your toddler! The Micro Mini 3-in-1 Deluxe scooter has three different attachments, for kids as young as one to enjoy! Remove the seat once they are big enough for the O-bar, and congratulate them when they graduate to the taller T-bar!