Luca’s Favorite Toddler Toys: 16 months

Buying toys that are appropriate for your child can be overwhelming – at least it...

Buying toys that are appropriate for your child can be overwhelming – at least it is at times, for me! Not every child develops the same and not every child is interested in the same things that other children their age are. For example, one of Luca’s friends LOVES toy trucks. While Luca shows some interest, he is by no means obsessed. And while Luca is obsessed with anything kitchen or cleaning related (I think because he spends a lot of time watching me cook and clean!), this same friend has zero interest.

Luca is also a very physical player. He loves climbing, moving, and doesn’t love many toys that require you to sit and do something with focus. His attention span just isn’t there! Now, there are times when he’s very into that, but more times than not, he loves making forts, balancing on foam blocks, and filling his play kitchen with play food. Most recently, I got him his own play set of cleaning tools and it’s a Godsend, because while I’m in the kitchen, he’ll grab a broom and play around, sweeping everything in the kitchen. It gives me a 10 minute break!

Below is a list of his most-played-with toys at the moment!

Luca’s Favorite Toddler Toys: 16 months

  1. Cleaning Tools: we keep these in the kitchen, and Luca loves them. he literally walks around sweeping and dusting, it’s so cute! they’re very high quality and I can tell will last a long time!
  2. Foam Blocks 1 and Foam Blocks 4: a big hit with him! we keep them in our living room and although they are big and bulky, we got them in a color that complements our blue living room carpet. he loves building forts, balancing on the blocks, and stacking them up to knock them down. he makes little obstacle courses!
  3. Grocery Cart: he loves pushing this around and adding things to do. he really loves dumping it all on the floor and taking the pieces one by one and handing them to people, haha.
  4. Foam Blocks: see above.
  5. Play Kitchen : we originally got this for him for his 1 year birthday (but gave it to him around 11 months) and it’s been the best investment I’ve made for his play area – he LOVES it and spends so much time there. he knows what “kitchen” means now.
  6. Push Popper: what a classic child toy, right? my sister bought this for him and he loves pushing it around and the noise it makes. he’ll take it in the hallway and walk up and down the corridors, haha.
  7. Sticker Pad: these stickers aren’t actually sticky, they only stick on the pads inside. Luca doesn’t do well with the true sticky stickers, but these he loves. we call it “playing stickers.” it really helps with his fine motor skills, too.
  8. Sports Center: this was a hand me down gift from my sister in law and he loves playing with Daddy! it’s a fun way to get excited about sports play.
  9. Stacking Cupcakes: this is probably his favorite toy that lives in his play kitchen. he takes all of the “muffins” out of the holes and lays them out and then puts them back in. he loves offering us them, too. it’s precious.
  10. Finger Puppets: when Luca was an infant and we were desperate for anything exciting to play with him (haha, those months are tough, right?!), we bought these finger puppets and he’s always liked them, but now he actually grabs the bag they live in and gives them to us, because he loves us to stack them on all of his fingers. it’s a great 10-15 minute activity and a good way to teach animals.
  11. Pound-a-Peg Toy: he recently started showing interest in peg toys, so we got this – he doesn’t always use the mallet, but he likes putting the pegs in the holes. again, great for motor skill development!

What are your favorite toys for your young toddler?

with love, Ali

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