Toys for Toddlers 18-24 Months Old - My Favorites List

Not only is this soft-rubber cow completely adorable, it's phthalate and latex-free. Once a child figures out that Howdy bounces, it's pretty much irresistible. My daughter is a bouncing addict, so this is perfect for her. I also love that the cow's ears and horns make natural handles. If you have more than one child, be prepared to have more than one Howdy Cow to prevent conflict.

This would be my daughter's dream present. If we got this for her, she'd be over the moon, and probably tire herself out every day for a great naptime. It's designed to fit in smaller indoor spaces, but it still takes up more room than your typical toy. So, if you've got a decent size playroom or basement, this mini bounce house has gotten fantastic reviews from parents about ease of setup and how much fun their children have. It's phthalate-free too. Or, if you're really wanting to go for the gusto, this company has larger bounce houses available too. I know a set of neighbors who've bought a bounce house together and let all the kids play in it. Just an idea. ;)

These Melissa and Doug bricks are sturdy enough to take a beating from rough and tumble toddler play. Different sizes and colors stimulate creative building and sorting. The set in my church's toddler childcare area gets heavy use each week with kids delightedly building and knocking down, and the blocks still look great.

It's got solid, durable construction, but is still easy to maneuver for kids in this age group. My daughter took her stuffed animals 'shopping' quite a bit and enjoyed piling all sorts of things into the large basket. She has a toy stroller too, but the grocery cart tends to get more use between her play food and zooming her baby dolls and play animals around. The 'kids' seat is a good size for many dolls or stuffed toys, and there's even an extra storage area underneath. I like that there aren't any holes in the basket for play food, blocks, or other little treasures to fall out.

A cute tea set with a shape-sorting snack plate to delight young tea party-goers. My best friend's daughter started getting into learning her manners from the phrases the sweet little teapot says.

I wish this new little laptop was around when my daughter was just becoming aware of our computers. She was sooooo into ours, and she would have been entertained by one where she could really make stuff happen, and I would have been delighted not to have little fingerprints and crumbs all over my keyboard.

My daughter got this set as a gift, and it's a lot of fun for us to play with together. The beauty of this particular set is the cards that show kids and adults how to build some simple structures from the blocks. They're easy to follow, and give kids lots of ideas. She liked that there's a person figure and a dog, a wheeled block for making cars, some play food pieces and a gas station. Easy to combine building and pretend play. The food is a little random...it's a huge loaf of bread and then some meat on a grill, but this ended up being a springboard for my family's silliness during playtime.

The big drum can store all the colorfully fascinating bug instruments for this appealing set. One of my daughter's friends gets loads of use out of hers and especially enjoys the jingle bell ant and the shakey eggs. I like that the drum is loud enough to satisfy toddlers' noisemaking desires, but still not too much for parents' ears...a big plus for when your child's into drumming. All the instruments are a great size for little hands and feature a good variety of textures too.

There's so much to love about this bike. My daughter got one at 22 months and it's been one of her very favorite toys. The seat and handlebars adjust for kids from 18 months to 5 years. Talk about a toy that lasts! It's very durable and stands up to what young children can dish out; ours is still looking great. You may not think that's a big deal until your child decides that he or she has had enough of riding and you're 6 blocks from home. The tires look like they're inflatable, but they're actually a spongy but very durable plastic. They give a good ride, but there's no maintenance.

At this stage, toddlers can handle slightly more complex pictures, so bring out Go, Dog. Go! I loved this one as a child, and my daughter followed suit. There are all sorts of dog activities, colors, motions and the toddler-appropriate suspense of wondering where the dogs are going. We enjoy talking about all the activities at the crazy dog party at the end of the book. You'll find yourself repeating lots of lines from this one...'Do you like my hat?', etc. Another bonus...it's a good one for explaining what we do at bedtime. I told my daughter that at bedtime we go to sleep and sleep all night just like the dogs.

Can't tell you how many times I've read this book with my child. The sound effects of a father leading his children off to look for a bear through grass, a river, a forest and more are addicting to little kids, and the repetitive nature of the story helps them follow the whimsical plot. There's a silly chase at the end with more sound effects for a satisfying ending.

An enjoyable book for toddlers and parents alike. It's hard to get tired of reading this one about a train's journey through the city, the country, day and night. The colored train cars are illustrated clearly and labeled with their proper types, much to the delight of children gathering new words and knowledge. Our library's storytime for toddlers uses this book on a regular basis for a good reason. It's a quality book that kids love.

So many of our friends own this charming, funny book and enjoy it with their toddlers. The illustrations are detailed and the colors exemplify the time of day along with the story. It's a rhyming, cumulative story (think 'The old lady who swallowed the fly') that has a grandma, child, dog, etc. sleeping all piled up and then a wakeful flea hilariously rousts everyone from bed. An excellent read for bedtime, naptime or any time of day.