12-18 Month Toddler Gear Guide

To start, we are still using some things from previous guides. Rather than listing them again here, 

I'll just make note of what is still useful: 

What are we still using religiously from the Newborn Gear Guide at eighteen months old? 
Portable night light 
Sleep Sheep 
Diaper bags 
Cloth diapers 
Beco Gemini baby carrier 
Nosefrida 
Sprout towel 
Graco Blossom high chair (we have moved to using the booster seat portion rather than the high chair)
Sassy Look Book 

What are we still using religiously from the Six Month Gear Guide at eighteen months old? (Some are listed above and here because I didn't think to cross-reference the guides when I first did them.) 
Britax B-Agile stroller 
Graco Blossom high chair (booster part)
Smock/sleeved bib
Table protector 
Splat mat 
Travel high chair
Nuby sippy cups 
Books
B Zany activity cube (a HUGE favorite still) 
Munchkin Caterpillar 
Stacking Blocks 
Breathable Bumper 
Sprout towel 
Weeble Playset 
Britax Boulevard/Evenflo Triumph car seats

What are we still using religiously from the 12 Month Gear Guide at eighteen months old?
Wallet
Dump Truck
Weeble
Foam shapes
Snack cup
Sunscreen
Slide


Hey! We have an twelve-month-old, what! Here are some of the things that she is into at the moment. This list is short compared to other lists on here, because she is much more into imaginative play and it takes far less to keep her happy and entertained, and she doesn't need as much "gear" as babies do (no more breast pump! no more bottles! no more millions of bibs!). 


1. Stella Doll (or any doll) 
Lifespan: Used from 12 Months +

  

The Stella Doll is one of those things you'll hear about or see a lot if you have little ones. It's well made, soft, and baby-safe - all huge hits! I believe he or she is even machine washable, but I'm not sure if that's an "official" thing or if I just got lucky. We got the boy version pictured above because come on, how CUTE is that romper? She also has this Corolle Mon Premiere Tidoo doll (that we did not pay even close to $40 for, so price shop if the cost at that link is high!) that goes in the bathtub. She's a big fan of that doll as well.  But really, any doll will likely be a hit for kids this age of either sex. She loves feeding it, putting diapers on it, putting it down to go night-night, patting it's back...I'm incredibly surprised at the level of imaginative play that pops up when she has a doll around!

18 Month Update: She is obsessed with babies. She loves to feed them and give them bottles and change their diapers and put them night-night. 
2 Year Update: She has started to prefer the more life-like plastic dolls than the cloth dolls, but still pulls Stella out every once in a while. She still LOVES her Corolle doll. 

2. Meowsic

Lifespan: Used from about 9+ months

You can get this online through Amazon or other retailers, but it's cheapest at Target. This keyboard keeps her occupied for quite a while, and she loves singing into the microphone. As with any "noise" toy, the songs and sounds can get grating after five hours of continuous play, but it's not nearly as irritating as others to which I've listened. It's recommended for ages 2+, so as always, use with supervision. 

18 Month Update: B toys are always a hit in this house! This is no exception. 
2 Year Update: She still loves this. 

3. Egg toy

Lifespan: Used from about 12+ months, but could be used MUCH younger

I got this darn thing on a whim from WALGREENS, of all the silly places. I'm sure our version is made in China and covered in lead paint, but she loves it. She loves dumping it out, fitting the caps back on the eggs, taking them all out and putting other things in the egg carton, making them squeak...this is a toy that I wish we would have had when she was much younger, as I think it would have been just as entertaining to her as a baby. The whole egg comes out, and then the top of the egg comes off (so it's a total of 13 pieces - two pieces for each of the six eggs and the case). The bottom of each egg has a different shape on it that corresponds to a shape in the bottom of the egg carton, so she can't perfectly put the eggs back in yet, as she doesn't know her shapes. I think it could be used for matching, color recognition, and shape recognition as well eventually. But for well under $10, it's a definite win. Unless you step on it. Then you may curse. 

18 Month Update: In explicable news, she still loves this. 
2 Year Update: I think we may have lost this, actually. I can't remember the last time I saw it...now I need to go find it, because she loves matching things right now. 

4. Art Supplies

Lifespan:  12+ months

Though we started coloring or painting with her a little before she turned a year old, she really started to get into it at around a year and has been obsessed ever since. Crayons, colored pencils, pens (under close watch), paint, bath crayons, and anything else you can think of with which to color - name it, and she will use it.  Pictured here are the Melissa and Doug Jumbo Triangular Crayons.  Target right now also has a great line called Kids Made Modern that has some great, fun options, like this giant crazy crayon.  I taped poster board onto her table to completely cover it, and then put crayons, colored pencils, and blank paper and coloring books into a three-bucket spinning caddy. It's a perfect little art center!

18 Month Update: The kid loves to color and paint and stamp - I recommend paint and stamps too!
2 Year Update: We got an easel for her from Craigslist to add to her art supplies, and she still loves them. 

5. Little People (Farm, Zoo, House)

Lifespan: 14+ months

While we "only" have the zoo, she's also played with and really enjoyed the zoo and the house. Oh - okay, I lied. We have the vintage Little People house from back when they were small wooden or plastic choking hazards.  Now, if you've read any of my previous posts, you know that I am so anti big pieces of crap toys in the house, and now I have this plus two Weebles playsets (both smaller ones) plus a vintage Little People house (which is pretty small, actually). I actually do the toy rotation thing that's so popular right now, where you pack away a number of toys every couple months and bring out ones that had previously been packed away, so we really only have one of them out at any given time. But still, it's three more pieces of big plastic playsets than I ever wanted in the house. However, my whining aside, she loves this. She especially loves making the animal sounds.  And the nice thing about these Little People and their corresponding playsets is that they're all interchangeable, so her Super Hero Wonder People can take a turn at playing zoo keeper and vice versa.

18 Month Update: She really enjoys this still.
2 Year Update: I actually sold this on Craigslist. It was taking up too much room for the amount of time that she actually spent playing with it. She still enjoys it when we're visiting friends who have it, but it had stopped being used regularly at our house. We still have the vintage farm and house, which take up MUCH less space, have no batteries/sounds, and are still used quite often.

6.  Scooter

Lifespan: Used from 10+ months

We don't have this exact one, but similar (we got ours on sale at Target for around $10 at the end of the summer).  You could also go fancier and prettier and less plastic-y with something like this Radio Flyer version.  At first, she was too little to do it herself, so she had us pushing it around for her. However, at about 15 months she learned to do it herself and will push it in circles around the kitchen island...then insist that I sit in it and go....then push me out and do it herself again....rinse and repeat.

18 Month Update: Once we got the Cozy Coupe car, this stopped being such a favorite, but she'll still regularly pull it out to scoot around.
2 Year Update: She actually still pulls this out and scoots around with it. She's really fast!

7. Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair (or knockoff)
Lifespan: Used from 12 months + 

We got the above "Grass Green" version, which is a wonderful bright but neutral color. We gave it to her as her "big" present on her first birthday, and she was hooked instantly. She loves sitting in it and jumping off, climbing on the back, and, of course, sitting in it to read. It's great quality and I can sit in it, so I think it will last for years to come. You can get cheaper knockoffs here, on eBay, or look online for instructions to make your own (hint: it's actually pretty easy). 

18 Month Update: We actually had to move it to a less accessible place so it's not used as much, but when I take the rocking chair out of her room, this will go in there, and I think it will go back to being a huge hit.
2 Year Update: As predicted, when this replaced the rocking chair in her room, she started using it every single day. 

8. Metal tableware 

Lifespan: 12+ months

Since we did baby-led weaning, Carys has been using forks and spoons for quite a while. We graduated her to metal ones recently, and she uses them pretty expertly. Since we don't need/use the knives yet and had plenty of spoons, we actually bought the pack that had just forks in it.  They're high quality, easy to grip, and not sharp, though they are pointy enough that she can use them to stab just about any food. A great transitional piece from plastic spoons to real flatware! We actually take one with us (alone with a sleeved bib and a disposable table protector) whenever we go out to eat.  

18 Month Update: She refuses plastic forks and spoons, so these are great. 
2 Year Update: We've moved to mostly full-size utensils (her choice) but these are still used quite a bit. 

9. Spill-proof real cup
Lifespan: 12+ months

You're not supposed to use sippy cups past a certain age (maybe...two?) because they can start to affect tooth and soft palate development. or something.  Also, kids want to be like you. They want to drink how you're drinking...and you aren't drinking out of a sippy cup. Unless you are. Sometimes I am. But usually, I'm just using a real cup, and she wants to use a real cup, and that means a mess. Because she gets how to do it, but she doesn't get that she can't swing it around like she did her sippy cups. Enter this cup. Apparently there's a learning curve with it, though, so if it's leaking or you're not getting anything out of it, you might be doing it wrong, just FYI. But we love it. And just two parts! (I know Avent makes a similar one, but the reviews on Amazon aren't nearly as good and the people I know who have it say it's leaky, so we went with this one). 

18 Month Update: Still my favorite cups!
2 Year Update: She's started using "real" cups now, but when we are on the go or I need a spill-proof option, these are the go-to cups.

10. Water table
Lifespan: 9+ months

Oh, my gosh. FAVORITE. I can't believe I didn't add this to the list until number 10. It could be number one. We love this darn thing. We got ours off Craigslist, and I always see them listed there, so definitely check before buying new. We have this one, but there are a ton of them out there to choose from.  We keep it on our deck in the summer and let her go crazy. I plan on filling it with rice or beans in the winter and setting it in a hard-sided plastic pool for her to play with indoors in the winter. Warning: she likes to climb in it and sit, so watch out for that!

18 Month Update: I did fill it with beans for indoor play in the winter and it's a big hit!
2 Year Update: Still completely in love. Water, beans, whatever - she loves it! It's temporarily out of commission as our deck is redone, but I cannot WAIT to get it back out. 

11. Little Tikes Cozy Coupe

So this got moved from "Want" to "Need" thanks to my mother-in-law. It is predictably a HUGE hit. I knew it would be, since every time she's ever seen one she has freaked out and wanted it badly.  We usually keep it in the garage to play with outside, but every once in a while we bring it inside, and she plays with it constantly. 

18 Month Update: Probably her second favorite toy after babies and books.
2 Year Update: She still absolutely LOVES this. She gets it out every single time we're outside in the front yard.

WANT: 

There are a couple things I'm looking to get her, and if I do, I'll let you know what I think of them!

1. Prince Wheely Bug 

This might be the cutest thing I've ever seen! We don't need it...at ALL...but it's so darn cute!

2. Wagon

This is still on the list from last time, though after reading the comment a reader left about it not being that great of quality, I'm looking for a different/better version. 

2 Year Update: We got a super cheap wagon (different brand) from Aldi, of all places (regularly priced on Amazon at $89, got it from Aldi for $40!). It's not the smoothest ride, but she loves going on wagon rides.

  

ON THE FENCE: 

Got this, but haven't used it enough yet to be able to give a recommendation.

***None at this time***