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

It's mind-boggling how many toddler toys there are on the market. I know it can get overwhelming looking through a toy aisle trying to pick out a great gift for your grandchild, niece, nephew...or even for your own child. There's a lot of cute stuff out there, but if you're like me, you want to focus the purchasing power of your hard-earned dollars on toys your child will actually play with and that won't break after a few weeks.

I love playing with toddlers. Volunteering in my church's childcare program is quite fun for me, and the bonus is that over the years I've seen both through the children in my classes and through my daughter, her cousins and their friends, some great examples of toys that are worth the money and get a lot of use.

To give you some ideas, I want to share my very favorite toys in some general categories of playthings recommended for toddlers 18-24 months (1 1/2 to 2 years) old. These toys consistently get high ranks with parents and children, including my own family and circle of friends, as well as in Amazon reviews.

Here's what gets a toy on my 'favorite things' list:

- Holds child's interest...engages them and invites them to interact

- Fun/Enjoyable

- Durable/Quality Construction

- Age and Developmentally Appropriate

Have fun!

--photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/melalouise/191251537/

Knowing where your child is in his or her development, as well what his/her interests are can help you choose the best toys for how they are developing and growing.

I've heard toddlerhood called 'the first adolescence,' in one sense because both stages are about being excited about independence and pushing to see where the limits are. Your 18-24 month old may push you away to try something on his own, only to turn to you for help moments later.

As a result, this age is full of experimentation. She wants to figure out what she can do, so her little hands are all over anything that can be manipulated - knobs, switches, doors, dials and the like. Spinning wheels and bouncing balls can provide great entertainment. Finding a variety of toys that have these appealing factors for your little problem solver to focus on will keep her exploring and testing her abilities in more appropriate places than door locks or DVD player knobs.

You'll see your toddler start imitating what he sees grownups do like holding a phone to their ear or 'driving' with a toy car's steering wheel, and he'll get a big kick out of you taking a 'bite' out of a piece of toy food he offers. On the other hand, the vast majority of children nearing 2 years old aren't able to play cooperatively with other kids their own age yet. Going-on-two year-olds do really well with unstructured play, so give them toys and let them have at it.

In this photo, my daughter's having fun with a musical activity table we got from a toy exchange. Read further down to learn about more great musical toys for 18-24 month olds.

--photo credit: BunnyFabulous - my daughter BunnyJunior enjoying her activity table. It's an older Chicco model that she happened to love, but I don't think it's available any more. Bummer.