Top 10 Toys to keep you Toddler Entertained!
Toddler-hood is hard! They are always growing, learning, and wanting to explore everything around them. These are the top 10 toys we use in our house to keep our little dude entertained throughout a given day!
In our house, toddler-hood started at 12 months. They are no longer a baby, mobile, and starting to form their own sense of self. With this comes the fact that simply sleeping and laying around is not an options anymore. They need activities, games, toys to help them learn and develop!
Every family is different, but in our house we try to find toys that are more open ended, can be used in multiple ways, and not very flashy. I also opt for toys that are wooden or built to last. That being said, our toddler also LOVES his characters figurines and obnoxiously loud light up cars. Life is about balance right?
Our Toddler’s 10 All Time Favorite Toys
From 12 to 20 months I can confidently say these toys entertained & helped him grow daily:
1. Wooden Blocks
We started with a basket of just 3-4 square pieces and worked on stacking those. Once he mastered this I added more, still rectangle shaped. I have now added some more odd shapes for us to talk about. Some days he has all the attention in the world to “build” other days he simply like to dump the basket over and over.
Our block set is no longer available and was very small (24 pieces). However this Melissa and Doug Set is very similar and our next purchase when the time comes we need more!
2. Pretend Animal Figurines
I once bought this tub of animals on a whim at target because it was too good of a sale to pass up. Little did I know it would literally be THE toys he played with the most. I’d like to say we normally have 5-6 out at a time. However, they are so loved that some are in the car, stroller, our back pack, and bath tub. They have been great in his learning of animal sounds, words, and pretend play. I kid you not when I say we have used at least one animal every day in some sort of play.
From this I learned animals are his thing. So we now have sea creatures, dinosaurs and this Melissa and Doug farm set! Safe to say these might actually be HIS #1 toy.
3. Wooden Balance Board
This rocker has been the ultimate opened ended toy. It has been a slide, a tunnel for toys, hiding spot for play animals, a rocker, a store front when our older cousin visits, and so much more. Even before he could walk I checked it off as a great purchase. However, as he gets older I really see it is something that will be used for years to come. BONUS- there is felt on the bottom so it doesn’t damage your floors and toys don’t fall off as easily.
4. Pop-up People
A very simple toy, and yet still one of his favorites. In the beginning he simply loved to put the “people” back. Then he learned they popped out when pushed on, and now he is matching the colors. This pop-up people toy is one of the few toys we keep in his room because I feel like it is a good calming activity that can be played with while we wind down for the day.
5. Rain Cloud Tub Toy
Our toddler LOVES bath time. He has since he was born. In addition to normally having a few animals mentioned above, we also keep this rain cloud in the bath. Educational? Yes! Simple? Yes! Easy to clean? YES! Still fun? You bet! You might doubt it being on our list of TOP 10, but trust me, it make bath time much more fun!
BONUS TIP: Get this bubble solution for easy refilling both the machine and the wands!
6. Bubbles
What kid doesn’t like bubbles?! We have had tons of different brands and kinds in our toddler’s short life already. Our two go-to bubble products are a good bubble wand & a bubble machine. This bubble machine has lasted hundreds of uses and holds up well to a toddler who loves to turn it on/off. I tend to keep at least two bubble wands open at a time. One in the car (along with a bag of sand toys) in case we make an impromptu park stop & one wand strapped to a post in our backyard for him to practice his own blowing.
7. Puzzles
Although our collection keeps building, we only tend to keep one out at a time. Right now, he is into shapes so we have this shape puzzle out. Prior to this we had the Melissa and Doug barn puzzle shown to the right out for many months. He loves to name the animals, open the doors, and try to place them all in different spaces. Highly recommend!
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