21 best toys for 18-month-olds to boost their development

best toys for 18 month old

by Lily Anderson |
Updated on

It's no secret that babies are developing at record speed during 12-18 months. Luckily, there are some great toys that can help your little one learn through play as they grow from babyhood to toddlerhood and the terrific two's

Toddlers' brains are growing at a rapid rate. Motor skills are advancing. Balance is getting better. Speech is fast becoming coherent and adorable. So, ideally, you'd like them to play with toys that can aid their development.

A favourite toy could be played with daily and perfect on train journeys or road trips. A good trick is to operate the toys on a rotational basis. Hiding some and giving them others to play with. Swapping them over weekly to keep their interest fresh.

The best Black Friday toy deals for 18-month-olds 2023:

With Black Friday 2023 just around the corner, starting on November 24 2023, there are so many deals and discounts to look forward to. We'll be updating this page with the best toys for 18-month-olds 2023, on everything from electronic to soft toys, plush and sensory, you'll be able to grab the best products at a lower price, so be sure to bookmark this page and keep coming back to save yourself some money.

Get 34% on the Pop Up Toy Musical Light

Sensory Bus with Xylophone: NOW 16.98, WAS 24.99

25% off the Montessori Toys, Silicone Pull String Activity

Fun Time Busy Phone: NOW 5.00, WAS 10.00

Save 25% on the Chad Valley My 1st Kitchen

Chad Valley 62cm Dinosaur Soft Toy, WAS 25.00, NOW 15.00

Vtech Toot-Toot Friends Pirate Ship: NOW 30.00, WAS 50.00

Chad Valley Activity Table: HALF PRICE, NOW 15.00

And with a range of toys to choose from, including some that are fun and educational, we've collected the best of them below.

Best interactive unicorn toy

ON SALE

Vtech Electronic Toot-toot Friends Magical Unicorn
Price: £39.99
Alternative retailers
The Entertainer£45.99View offer

Description

This is an interactive toy{href='https://www.motherandbaby.com/reviews/toys/interactive-toys/'

Best interactive till toy

ON SALE

Leapfrog Count Along Till

Rrp: £27.00

Price: £27.00
Alternative retailers
Currys£19.99View offer
The Entertainer£27.00View offer

Description

Fun and

Best Peter Rabbit playset

ON SALE

Orange Tree Toys Peter Rabbit Play Set

Rrp: £36.99

Price: £22.49

Description

A sweet [wooden

Best learning vacuum toy

ON SALE

Fisher Price Laugh Light-up Learning Vacuum

Rrp: £33.99

Price: £25.49
Alternative retailers
The Entertainer£25.49View offer

Description

Fisher-Price's push toy vacuum has it all - music, lights, and phrases to encourage your baby to

Best interactive dog toy

ON SALE

Description

Dr Pooch helps your tot learn how to dress themselves, whilst giving them a cuddly companion to

Best snap-based game

ON SALE

Orchard Toys Smelly Wellies

Rrp: £9.50

Price: £4.99
Alternative retailers
Waterstones£10.99View offer

Description

Although it's for ages two and up, this is a fun, snap-based game that can help your toddler use

Best interactive dragon toy

ON SALE

Baby Clementoni Dragon Plush Toy
Price: £22.99

Description

This cute dragon is made from super soft plush which will be a perfect playmate in a world of

Recommended puppy interactive toy

ON SALE

LeapFrog My Pal Scout and Violet
Price: £26.39 (was £32.99)

www.johnlewis.com

Description

The puppies talk, sing rhymes and songs, and teach little ones about numbers, letters, colours and

Best ice cream truck toy

ON SALE

Description

While aimed at ages two and up, we think this is a lovely [role-playing

ON SALE

hammering wood toy
Price: £17.99

Description

Kids will love the tactile wooden block pieces in this sweet colour sorting toy. The house design

Best unicorn ride-on toy

ON SALE

Description

This Baby Clementoni Interactive Ride On Unicorn offers a whole range of play possibilities. This

Best learning and activity workbench

ON SALE

Clementoni Work Bench Learning and Activity Toy

Rrp: £10.00

Price: £10.00
Alternative retailers
Argos£10.00View offer

Description

An [activity

Best interactive learning cube

SALE

Educational activity centre block toy

Rrp: £32.98

Price: £23.18

Description

The interactive design of this toy encourages the use of language, motor, and cognitive skills;

Best Peppa Pig toy for boosting development

ON SALE

Peppa Pig Weebles Wind and Wobble Playhouse
Price: £27.99

Description

There are lots of fun features to discover in the Peppa Pig Weebles Wind and Wobble Playhouse.

Best toy for learning about animals

ON SALE

Description

For those vital first years of schooling, keep little minds active and inspired by their favourite

Best stacking toy

ON SALE

My First Totem
Price: £20.99

Description

Trigger your child’s creativity with SmartMax My First Totem [stacking

ON SALE

RODZON PLAY MAT

Rrp: £20.99

Price: £14.49

Description

Does your little one love music? Perhaps they would benefit from a [musical

Best wooden counting toy

ON SALE

Tender Leaf Toys Counting Carrots

Rrp: £25.00

Price: £25.00

Description

Learning numbers has never been more fun than with Tender Leaf Toys' endearing Counting Carrots.

FAQs

Children aged 12-24 months need stimulation. Toys that are brightly coloured and delight them with noises will help keep them busy and learning.

From ride-on toys to soft toys, look for toys for 18 months and up which encourage your tot to problem solve, and improve their motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

You might think that you have chosen the best baby toy and find that your child only plays with it for a few minutes and then discards it. Don't be disheartened; they have the attention span of a gnat at this age and tend to favour certain toys over others.

Why are toys important to toddler development?

Research shows that learning through play is an important part of a child's development. Educational toys can help develop problem-solving skills, and teach about conflict resolution and how cause and effect work. They also teach children about sharing, help develop their fine and gross motor skills and nurture their creativity and imagination.

What skills will playing with toys help develop?

When your child plays with more educational toys, they are building pre-academic skills. Here are just five of the skills that they build while playing with particular toys.

Physical dexterity

Swings, child-sized vehicles, and ride-on toys help build strength, confidence, and balance.

Creativity

Finger painting and colouring encourage artistic development, plus the fine motor skills required for writing.

Problem-solving

Nature-based activities, like digging in a sand pit, help your child become an experimenter and investigator. Building blocks, or anything your child can separate into groups, also encourages manipulation (good for motor-skill development) and categorisation.

Language development

Reading picture books together or playing with interactive toys that talk and listen are extremely important to building your little one's communication skills.

Social skills

Dolls and soft toys can be used to represent people and play out troubling emotions or situations.

Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us