30 Best Toys for 18-Month-Old Kids, Because Toddlers Love to Play
Get the most out of their love of fun with these educational toddler toys.
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The 18-month mark is such a perfect in-between stage. They're not babies anymore — they're walking, talking and able to understand and communicate their own preferences (for better or worse). But they're not quite at the bossy, 2-year-old toddler stage. That's why getting gifts for kids of this age can be a little bit tricky. The baby toys are too young, but they might not be ready for toys for 2-year-olds.
The Good Housekeeping Institute not only helps shoppers thread the needle, they help adults figure out what toys and games are worth buying, too. In advance of its yearly Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards, we test toys with real toddlers to find out which ones were the favorites for 18-month-olds specifically. In addition to kid (and parent) feedback, we also evaluate the toys for safety (since choking and pinching hazards are still an issue with this age group) and durability (since toddlers are not gentle with their things). We also added some editors' picks and best-sellers to come up with this list.
Toddlers can build with this set, just like they would with any other LEGO. But the real fun comes when the tree is built on the rounded base—then, kids have to experiment with how to place the pieces to balance out the sides. The eggs and owls also let them practice color-matching. A parent tester called it “a great introduction to LEGO.” Ages 18 months+
For fans of CoComelon, this set comes with figures of JJ and Cody, which kids can then put into the school bus and wheel them around. The bus also opens to reveal a classroom and playground, and the whole thing also plays songs like "The Wheels on the Bus." Good Housekeeping parent testers said it was a hit with kids into pretend play. “[My 1-year-old] put the characters through their day — nap time, craft time and playground time.” Ages 18 months+
Parents loved the sweet story of this board book, but kids couldn't get enough of the plush moose antlers. Good Housekeeping Institute experts report that toddlers loved toting this one around by the antlers, and they held on firm. Ages 0+
Kids can try to build tall towers with these extra-large blocks, which come in a big set of 80 blocks in 10 different shapes. Amazon users say the set is a great value for the money, and it also comes in a set of pink and purple hues. Ages 1+
Good Housekeeping testers were charmed by this book because of its seven mirrors throughout; the pages encourage kids to look in the mirrors and make different animal noises. Tester families reported this resulted in lots of laughs! Ages 1+
Toddlers love seeing these cars zoom down the rack, switch directions and start zooming again. This one comes seven cars and seven track segments, so they can also practice color matching and counting, too. Ages 18 months+
Parent testers loved how there are multiple ways to play with this toy: When it's closed, it acts as a ride-on toy (good for working on those toddler muscles), and then it opens up into a play set with animal characters (for imaginative play). “It’s a nice, quality toy with multiple features,” one parent said. Ages 18 months+
This ingenious play set lets adults squeeze finger paint onto a paper, and then lock it into a board with a flexible covering on top. Toddlers can still make their masterpieces by smushing the paint around, but the covering keeps paint from getting on their hands — and all over your furniture and walls. After the masterpiece is complete, the container and lid can go in the dishwasher. Ages 1+
This play set is cute enough on its own, with flowers of different shades and shapes that can be popped out and re-planted. But the flowers are also numbered, and the numbers correspond to the number of leaves, so kids can use this to practice numbers and counting, too. It also comes with a watering can that really works. Good Housekeeping Institute Lab experts were pleased that it's made from recycled materials, too. Ages 18 months+
Each page of this interactive book features animals from a different habitat, and then the book teaches kids animal names, offers fun facts and sings songs in both English and Spanish. Good Housekeeping Institute parent testers loved showing their kids the photos of the different animals. Ages 18 months+
Get them using their arm muscles and working on their motor coordination with this classic spinning toy. Amazon reviewers say it's easy to set up, and also very durable. Ages 18 months+
A longtime favorite of the toy experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute, this happy hedgehog encourages toddlers to improve their fine motor coordination as they place the spikes into the holes. They can also practice their color recognition and counting skills, too. Plus, parents love that the spikes can be neatly stored inside. Ages 18 months+
Good Housekeeping Institute testers said that these were just the right amount of challenge for their toddlers, who were able to match the pieces and stack them to make builds like fruits, veggies and animals. Parents loved the natural theme of the set, too — in addition to flora and fauna, there are also pieces that show the weather, so kids can learn what makes plants grow. Ages 18 months+
If you want them to hoop like LeBron when they get older, better start them early. (Or, you know, just let them have fun getting these balls into the net.) This has six height pre-sets so it can grow with them as they get older, and it also comes with three balls. You can use it indoors or outdoors, and it also comes in pink. Ages 18 months+
Tub time gets an upgrade with these toys, which keeps them entertained while encouraging imaginative play. It comes with a boat that really floats, a sail, a Moana figure, a Hei Hei rooster figure and three floating flowers. The flowers can stack, spray or sprout from a pot that also floats. Ages 1+
If you've ever envisioned the toddler in your life zooming down a European village's cobblestoned street on a Vespa, well, this is the next best thing. Kids push it with their own feet, so they work on their motor coordination and balance, but it's got four wheels to help with stability. There's even a seat in the back for a beloved doll or stuffed animal. It comes in aqua, pink or white. Ages 18 months+
Stacking these funny fruits inside each other and sorting them from smallest to largest is fun enough on its own. But each fruit also has two different faces that show different emotions, so kids can start talking about and naming their feelings. Ages 18 months+
This transitions from a ride-on toy to a three-wheeled scooter, which means it's meant to last them between the ages of 1 and 5. At first, kids sit on the detachable seat and push with their feet, then they can stand and use the O-bar to steer. At age 3, the O-bar can be replaced with the regular T-bar. So, no matter how old they are, they'll always be on the go! Ages 1+
There are so many ways to play with this cart: For starters, it works as a regular push toy, and kids can imagine themselves toting it up and down the grocery aisles. (It even has a coffee cup for verisimilitude.) It's also a shape sorter, and kids can take the time to match up the right wooden food pieces with the right-shaped holes in the side of the cart. But those food pieces can also be used for two different chunky puzzles, one of which also is a color-matching activity. When playtime is over, everything stores in the cart. Ages 1+
Train enthusiasts will thrill to learn that Brio battery-powered trains have been taken down to toddler size. This set comes with 25 pieces — including tracks, supports, a tunnel and more — and one AA battery will send the engine chugging around the track. As the kids get older, these pieces are compatible with other Brio sets. Ages 18 months+
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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