Top Toys: 12-18 months old

It’s time for another toy roundup!  Today I am sharing with you our favorite toys for the 12-18 month old age group. I tried to keep this post for the most part "gender neutral" so that both Mommy's of girls and boys can find this review resourceful.

Back in December I shared with you The Must Have Baby Toys for a 12 month old. My daughter is just about 17 months old and since then we have established some new "favorites" I thought I would share with you all now.

1. Melissa & Doug Shape Puzzle: This puzzle is awesome, it helps with your child's motor skills as well as helping them with learning colors and shapes. We got this puzzle for our daughter's first birthday and I would say for the first month she showed no interest in it. Now, at 16 months our child can put the shapes correctly in the puzzle. The only thing I wish was if this puzzle was magnetic, the shapes just sit in the slots. Price as of 3/1: $9.99
2. Little People: Our child probably has over 20 of these "Little People." She also has the Little People house. These people are great for on the go entertainment. I show her that we can place all her people in a line and then I go over the names of the people and then describe what each individual person is wearing or holding. These toys do not talk, but we are fine with that because it encourages her to use her imagination. We play in the "Little People" House and I show her where the person sleeps, eats, showers, and relaxes. I will talk more about the house in my 2 year toy review. Price ranges from $7.99 to $19.99 (depending on how many people)
3. Melissa & Doug Farm Puzzle: This puzzle is a farm, with doors that are on hinges that open and close. Inside each door is a different animal. The puzzle pieces are magnetic which is a nice little plus.This toy helps with her motor skills as well as identifying farm animals. Not only is she learning the animals but we are teaching her what sounds they make. You can make up a few different games to go along with making this puzzle a little more interactive. Price as of 3/1: $15.43
4. Highlights Books (for Babies): My mother subscribed our daughter to her first set of "Highlight Books." I grew up with these activity books and had no clue they were still around, nor did I have a clue that they made them for babies (Hello Magazine.) I started reading them to her when she was little, and now these books are definitely her "go to" books. They are scattered all around the house and in the cars as well as the diaper bag. For some reason she just loves these books. Personally I think its because they do not resemble her normal books. They have fun rhymes and songs and activities that our little girl enjoys.
5. Leap Frog Fridge Phonics: This by far is one of our favorite toys. Santa gave this to our daughter for Christmas and she just loves it! This is an interactive toy that can go on your fridge. It features bright letters that are easy for children to grasp. At first our child could not put the letter in the slot. It took her about a month to grasp this motor skill and now she has no problem with it. The way it works is that it has each letter of the alphabet and you can place one letter in a time in the school bus. Once the letter is inside the bus it will say "B, B, B says Ba, B says Ba, every letter makes a sound B says Ba. Then it will use the letter in a sentence, "Its time to catch the school BUS. The price isn't bad for this toy either, we paid under $15.00 at around Christmas time. Price as of 3/1: $20.69
6. Little Tikes Classic Big Waffle Block (set of18): Who didn't love this waffle blocks as a child? We purchased a set of these a little over a month ago and our child loves them. The dog does too, well somewhat. We construct mazes and little houses out of them, right now our child is enjoying to climb on them. So needless to say, we have to block off the room when we are not in there or dismantle them when we are done playing with them. These blocks are a little pricey, but we think they are totally worth it. Daddy loves them too, because to him they are like giant legos! Price as of 3/: $69.99
7. Walt Disney Children's Favorite (Vol.2): This is a childhood classic. I grew up listening to the cassette tape version. They have all the old classic songs like "B-I-N-G-O," "Farmer in the Dell and many more. We listen to the cd in her room or on the road. She loves it and she claps as soon as BINGO comes on. We play a wide variety of music for her such as classic rock, 80s, 90s, and today's hits. We feel its important to expose her to some classic clean children's hits. Price as of 3/1: $5.59.
8. Fisher-Price Bright Beats Dance & Move BeatBo- We love BeatBo! This toy is an interactive toy that sings and dances. It can also record your voice, a small little phrase and then it will repeat it back (in a "techno like" version) and dance to it. This toy might be a little on the pricey side, but we were able to purchase it for about $23 around Christmas time. This toy is a really hot item right now. Price as of 3/1:$30.49
9. V-tech Go! Go! Smart Friends- This is an interactive toy that talks and sings. This particular one that I have noted above is "Princess Robin" My mother got this as well as a few other prince and princesses for my daughter for Christmas. My mom got her "Princess Robin" because that is my daughter's favorite teacher at school. Our child loves these, the Prince came with a thrown to sit on. Another Princess came with a Unicorn. Our child loves places the toys on different interactive points and listening to them talk or sing. Our child has a wide variety of "V-tech Go! Go! Smart Animals" and she loved them, so it was perfect timing to introduce her to the "people" version. They are reasonable priced toys and it all depends on whether you purchase just the person or the person along with a "magical point" item. Note: You do not need to purchase the magical points for these toys to talk. There is a heart like button on their chest and each character has their own set of phrases and songs. Price range $7.99-$20.99 depending on if the smart person has a magical point included.
   
10. Pottery Barn Rocking Lamb- Santa brought this "Rocking Lamb" to our house. When my daughter was first introduced to the Lamb she really was not interested in it. Our first thought was "Lovely, she wants nothing to do with her BIG toy from Santa." Well it took about 2 weeks and now it is almost a nightly routine to get on the Lamb and rock for a little bit. This Rocking Lamb is most definitely on the pricey side, but for us it totally works. She likes to get on it now and rock and say "Weeeee!" Huge plus in our book! Price as of 3/1 $149.00 (Remember to sign up for their emails and they will send you 20% off often enough!)

Well there it is! It was really difficult to narrow down all the toys, but I hope this review helped educate you in finding a new toy for your little one or help give you ideas for purchasing a gift for someone.

I would love to hear about other Mommy's recommendations as well, so please leave your child's favorite toy (boy or girl) from when they were 12-18 months old in the comment section!

Its also a good idea to check the Consumer Product Safety Commission for Recall listings  for the latest list of children's toys that have been recalled.

All of these products were purchased and evaluated over a course of a few months by us "the parents."  All opinions are our own.