Here we have another ‘Top 10 Toys’ post for you. Fee is 18 months now and we are at that stage where I am having a good clear out of the toy box. I have a pretty good idea of which toys are her favourites at the moment and which toys need to be put in the loft or passed on.
So here is a list of the toys that are getting played with/thrown about the most.
As usual, I have cut the list down to 10 toys that I would recommend to friends and ones that Fee and I have enjoyed playing with the most. Enjoy!
First on the list is a toy kitchen. I have put this at number one as it is the toy that Fee plays with everyday and it is one that I know will keep her entertained for another couple of years. So while it is a ‘big’ toy/present, it has in my opinion been money well spent.
Since Fee turned one and started toddling about, she was always in the kitchen with me, following me about and trying to open and close all the drawers and empty the cupboard contents.
We bought her a toy kitchen at Christmas and it was a big hit straight away. It also meant that Fee wasn’t so interested in emptying my cupboards which was a bonus.
There are lots of toy kitchens to choose from (the options out there are endless – I took longer deciding on this toy kitchen than my own kitchen!). It all depends on your preference and budget. I chose this one for the following reasons:
– I love the country kitchen style and it matches my cream kitchen
– It is wooden (which I preferred over plastic)
– It isn’t too big
– It has lots of doors and drawers to open/close
– It has some shelves for storing all the little pots and pans
– It was on offer at the time
Santa (- Grandma) got Fee this nice wooden kitchen utensil set to match her kitchen. All the items in the set fit the kitchen nicely (Clever Santa/Grandma) and Fee has been cooking up a storm! There is also a blue option for all those budding Jamie Olivers.
This singing Teapot and Cake Set is one of Fee’s favourite toys. It is one that we pack in the bag if we are away for the weekend as it will keep her entertained and making tea and cake for everyone we meet. It goes nicely with her toy kitchen (can be stored away on the kitchen shelves or in the cupboard) and I would recommend it even if you don’t have a toy kitchen as it is so much fun.
The teapot sings and tells you when it is half full / empty and when you need to brew more tea (by pressing the button on the front of the pot). It also gets you to match the type of tea (blueberry, strawberry..etc.) to the different type of cake. Fee is not quite matching her tea and cake yet but she loves pouring and drinking cups of tea with everyone.
I like the idea of Fee having her own table and chairs so that she can sit, eat and play independently. I got a wooden table and chairs set similar to this one and she has her snacks at the table most days when we are at home. She enjoys sitting up on the chair (and trying to climb on to the table!) and it will be good for when she can use it for colouring and lego too.
This set has a nice and sturdy construction and is easy to wipe down (good for spillages). I also got a small low wooden stool from a second hand shop so that I could sit and play with her at the table.
I first saw one of these at a baby/toddler group I go to. When I saw how excited Fee and the other kids got when the group leader got the bubble machine out and knew I had to get one. I did purchase a cheaper alternative to this one at first which lasted a week and then broke, so I threw it out and bought this one. It is great fun in the bathroom, out in the garden or when Fee has her friends over. Who doesn’t like bubbles?!
Shape sorters are always a good toy at this age as they help with manual dexterity and problem solving and can keep little ones occupied for a little while. Fee was given this shape sorter as a hand-me-down from her cousins (now 8 and 5 Years). Considering it has been used by two very active little boys it is in great condition, it is also very reasonably priced. I like the fact that it is a toy bus and a shape sorter all in one and that it has over 18 shapes. It is also lightweight, tough and compact enough to take along with you on holidays. Fee loves it 🙂
Now that summer is just around the corner, we will be spending a lot more time outside. We have taken Fee to the park on a little push along tricycle similar to this one (the one we have is now discontinued as it was another hand me down) She cant quite reach the peddles yet
but she loves being pushed around the garden on it.
I love traditional wooden toys. Don’t get me wrong, we have plenty of plastic-fantastic toys here in the house, but there is something great about solid wooden toys that can be passed down through the generations. This is in my opinion one of those toys. It is the tradition wooden stacker toy with a twist. It has three stacking elements. The wooden posts are flexible meaning that there are no rigid pointy bits when the shapes are removed. The shapes are brightly coloured and well made. Fee loves stacking and unstacking the shapes and even though she hasn’t quite got the hang of the more tricky geometric square stacker, I know that she will enjoy figuring it out as she gets older. We had a 3 1/2 year old over the other day and she was busy trying to figure out how to stack all three for a good 20 mins.
Another toy that toddlers at this age love are mini pushchairs/strollers. Fee pushes around Mr Bunny and his friends Miss Dolly and Peppa Pig all day long. The pushchair has proved so popular in fact that we had to get a spare one for when has friend over for playdates as ‘sharing’ can sometimes be difficult when you are a toddler 🙂
Fee loves these jigsaws and she will happily sit and empty the box of jigsaw pieces onto the floor or table and put the pieces together, then pull them apart, and then put back together – repeat 3 / 4 times in a row.
These jigsaws from Galt are great as they are very simple (two pieces per animal) and you can practice learning the names of the animals at the same time. The jigsaw pieces are made from pretty thick cardboard which means they don’t get bent that easily. They are also a good size for little hands and are nice bright colours which keeps the little ones engaged.
TIP: I always pack a few of these jigsaw animals in a plastic ziplock bag when I am out and about so that if I fancy a quick coffee in town, I can whip these out and keep Fee entertained long enough for a me to say ‘skinny latte and double chocolate muffin please…’.
And there we have another Top 10 Toys post for you. If you want more Toy recommendations check out my other posts: ‘Top 10 Toys for 0-6 month olds’ and ‘Top 10 Toys for 12-18 month olds’.
