Toys for Toddlers

As Levi gets older, I find it fascinating to watch how he plays and interacts with his toys. At 21 months old, he’s doing a lot more pretend play, trying to simulate grown-up behavior that he observes. He’s also showing a renewed interest in toys that have been sitting in storage bins for the past couple of months — or perhaps he’s just finally growing into them.

Just this past week, for example, Levi began pushing his wooden cars across the living room floor, something he’s never really been keen on doing before. He also has a new affection for his wooden alligator toy that he received from grandma for Chanukah. Previously, he seemed afraid by its clickity-clack noise, but now he’s so enamored by it that he wants to take his alligator in the car and to school with him!

I try to limit the number of toys that Levi has out at any given time, but if I were to add to his toy collection, here are the things I would buy him now:

1.Hape Coffee Maker and 7. Plan Toys Microwave because his two favorite kitchen appliances are our Keurig machine and microwave!

2. North Star Toys Camera because he’s been trying to pull my DSLR off my neck and up to his eyes.

3. Melissa & Doug Shopping Cart because he loves the ones at the pretend grocery store in the Omaha Children’s Museum.

4. Plan Toys Build-A-Robot because he’s starting to understand the difference between happy and sad, and this toy might be a great way to teach emotions.

5. Little Tikes Turtle Sandbox because he loves playing in the sand, and this beloved backyard sandbox would keep the sand clean and dry.

6. Tegu Blocks because these magnetic wooden blocks can entertain him at restaurants and on airplanes.

What toys are your kids loving these days? Do you own any of the toys on Levi’s wish list? If so, are they just as fun as they appear to be?

P.S. – Nine favorite toys for toddlers, the top 10 toys for infants, and my favorite play kitchens for budding chefs.