Aves' Favs - Best Toys For 12 - 18 Month Olds


Often on Instagram stories I share toys that Avery is loving lately but I realized I haven't done an actual post combining everything in a while! I know I always love seeing what other kids are loving when looking for something new for Avery, because there are just so many different toys available these days that it can be overwhelming! And no one wants to spend a bunch of money on something that is just going to sit there. So here we go with the toys that Avery actually plays with and enjoys!


You'll find a common theme with a lot of these - drawing. Avery is obsessed with drawing/coloring right now! If she even sees me with a pen she asks to draw. I've found pretty much all of the mess free options for a one year old who wants to color and its nice to not have to worry about a huge mess every time she wants to channel her inner artist.



Good 'ole fashioned crayons and paper - this weekend we bought Avery her first set of crayons and a pad of paper. So far they're a hit! Luckily she is a pretty neat kid and with her practice from all of the above doesn't try to color off the paper for the most part. And when she does crayon isn't that bad in terms of a mess. If she ever tries that drawing on the wall business - bye bye crayons!

Water Mat - this one is so great because it's literally just water! She enjoys running it over her arms and legs too because it feels cool, though we try to encourage her to just use it on the mat so she doesn't think it's okay to color herself when we do move on to real markers.

Magnetic Drawing Board - this one lives in the car. It's the perfect size for her lap and she loves to color the whole board in as she's riding along. Again, totally mess free - mom win!

Color Wonder - we just recently picked these up at Walmart and she loves it! I feel like I have to keep the most watch over her with this option just because even though the markers are clear I still don't want clear marker all over everything. So we usually color together. It's neat because she now knows that each marker is a different color and has learned each of the colors by name.



Laptop - this one has been on my stories quite a few times now because we just can't live without it now! Don't worry - I don't even consider this screen time when you see what the screen is - it is the most basic, pixelated, black and white "screen" ever. And she has actually learned letters and sounds from this thing! We only use it in the car and it has made car rides incredible peaceful which is honestly much safer for everyone. If you buy one thing from this post, let it be this.

Doctor Kit - I shared about this life saver on Instagram stories! After playing with this kit at her Grandma's house on her dolls she did not shed a single tear at her last doctor's appointment! Including for her shots! We were in shock but it is definitely thanks to this kit. She also now knows where her heart is and what a boo boo is, which is totally adorable.

Flash Cards - don't knock it til you try it! We picked up a small pack at our dollar store and of course she has the most fun with them when I'm playing with them with her, but she also enjoys dumping out all the cards and looking over them on her own. While picking up a whole pack of cards over and over again does get old, in terms of kid messes it isn't that bad for how long they can keep her occupied. Plus, they're sponges at this age so your little one will pick up more than you even know!



Play Kitchen/Play Food - she has a set at our house and my moms and it's arguably her favorite toy. She always has some plastic food item with her it seems! At home we have the actual play kitchen with pots and pans too and it is the cutest thing to see her cooking for us! It also keeps her occupied for an incredibly long time which comes in handy when I am actually cooking for us.

Doll House - okay this goes right up there with her play kitchen. My mom kept my doll house all this time (many a cousin has played with it since I did, and now my own baby gets to!) and Avery is obsessed! It's so special to see her play with it and she adores it.



Shape Puzzle/Sorter - we love doing the shape puzzle together! We've been doing the shape sorter with her for many months now and she can now do it on her own. Such a classic toy but it really has stood the test of time apparently!

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What toys are your little ones' favorite? I think I need to go through all our toy baskets and put away some of the "baby" toys already. I can't believe that but my little boo is moving on to bigger and better things already. I love watching her play - it is absolute magic!


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