There is an upcoming event that everyone’s been waiting for, and there is another addition to your family that you are all excited about. Whether this will be your first-born or your second or your third, this soon-to-be baby is a blessing. He or she is unique and special. And so with much accordance, you want things to be just perfect in welcoming your most precious little one.

In doing so, you should be able to paint his or her nursery room with colors so vibrant that will surely excite the senses of your child. On the walls, you can put cute sticky labels or signage markers. Moreover, you should be able to create a ceiling that will surely enhance your child’s mental development. All over the room the toys should be fun, colorful, but educational.

You should keep in mind your baby’s safety and comfort in playing while lying down or crawling in his or her crib. Most likely, you will opt to purchase the best baby crib that will fit your budget. In addition, the baby crib that you will buy should first and foremost have the right baby crib toy which will serve as the first non-living, fun but educational thing that your child will interact and play with. With various baby crib toys already up in our world today, we have some of the few common examples which are the baby mobile and the toy bar.

Baby Mobile

One of the very common and well-known baby crib toys is the baby mobile. It is structurally attached by a bracket at the side or at the end part of the crib. It is strategically positioned just on top of the upper half of the baby’s body so he or she can interact with it both with her hands and her head as well as appreciate the toy’s features such as colors and sub-elements.

Aside from the main features of the baby crib toy that dangles from the bracket support, it can also extend its playful elements. One particular example would be a carousel as the main thematic object and having various animals dangle under it.

More often than not, the construction and manufacture of the baby crib toy is done with a rotational ability on its own which allows a circular movement of the baby mobile above the baby. Aside from its main technical elements, it is made to function as an enjoyable toy for the baby. Additionally, it may come in with baby sounds that will definitely add more enjoyment and development for the baby’s senses.

There are many advantages of this type of baby toy. Firstly, it excites and opens the baby’s senses. It stimulates the eyesight of the child which results in a beneficial advantage of having a more focused exercise for the eye accomplished through looking at the brightness and colors of the whole toy. And when equipped with sound, the hearing sense is also stimulated. Not only that, but an exercise of locating the object or the toy is also created. Furthermore, this baby crib toy also serves as an extension of the total thematic design of the nursery room.

On the other hand, parents and guardians should make sure that the baby mobile has been installed properly to the end part of the crib. Also, the total height of the toy should also be considered. It should be just above the baby, enough for him or her to play and interact with the toy. In addition to all these, the placement of the mobile should also be checked that it should not be shifted down towards the baby.

Toy Bars

Aside from the 1st baby crib toy that we mentioned there is also another one, which is also common amongst the baby toys around. Toys that can be attached to the baby crib, toy bars are another type. It spans across the crib’s length and is attached to both sides by using a guardrail. It enables the baby to touch it and interact with it.

More often than not, this baby crib toy is multi-color and interactive. The colors as well as the elements included in the toy bar provide a good hand and eye coordination exercise for the baby. The elements included can either be a spinning device, a clicking device, or a reflective surface. These features are uniquely designed and well-thought of for the over-all development and enhancement of the infant.

If you’ve been thinking about the best toys for 18 month old kids remember children are absolute sponges when it comes to learning. When you think about all of the major milestones they learn in their first two years of life it really is amazing. Toys are an integral part of that learning process and foster development in your child. The right toys at the right time will bring a lot of joy.

18 month old children are really at a very unique age. They are still babies in many senses of the word but they are also beginning to exhibit some very independent behavior. By this age there are certain things you can use as a base to see that a child is developing normally, or identify when they may not be and seek professional advice.

What they can and can’t do with simple toys and objects is a great indicator for parents and care givers. We may not have a handbook on parenting but there are a solid set of measures used to see your 18 month old has normal development.

Types of Development

Children develop in a few ways as they grow. Here are the major areas:

* Social Skills- how they might act socially and interact with people around them. This can be family, friends, other children, child care providers, and strangers. How they understand and respond to the emotions of others is another important social skill.

* Gross Motor Skills- Take in the major muscle groups that are used to walk, run, sit, stand etc. All of these things they will learn by the age of 18 months. There’s also keeping balance, climbing and moving from one position to another.

* Fine Motor Skills – These include the smaller movement and many hand-eye coordination activities. Using the hands to eat, writing, drawing, get dressed, catch a ball etc.

* Cognitive Skills – This encompasses the brain activities of thinking, memory, problem solving, and reasoning (if you leave the room you are still there and will be back, for example). You could say that all developmental skills rely on the cognitive.

* Language Skills – This area includes not only speech but the body language and gestures in communication with others. It is clear that babies understand a lot more than they can speak to us about and they have many ways of letting us know there needs without speech.

What Should An 18 Month Old Be Capable Of?

Remember that all children can learn differently and thrive in some areas. But there are some ways to ascertain what is known as a normal development for an 18 month old. Once you can understand each of the developmental skill categories and where the average 18 month old should be, then you begin to see clearly which toys are going to be the best for them to learn with.

Toys designed to fulfill their learning needs will keep them satisfied, and advancing normally in their learning journey. The following is a guide and not by any means an exhaustive list, nor meant as professional advice. The list will help you to buy the right toy for this age group.

Motor Skills -Both Gross and Fine

* Enjoys pushing, pulling and dumping things

* Runs with rigid movements and can keep eyes on the ground

* Can turn book pages

* Can stack two blocks on top of each other

* Can remove hats, socks, mittens etc

* Scribbles with crayons and thick pencils

* Walks unaided with good balance

Cognitive Skills

* Identifies an object in a book

* Can laugh at actions they see as funny (using a box as a hat for example)

* Knows something out of sight is still there and looks for it

* Can fit objects the correct shape together (square lid onto a square box)

* Does problem solving which involves trial and error

* Can understand and follow simple directions with one step

Social and Language Skills

* Can seem a little selfish

* Will compete with other children for the toys

* Like to play alone on the floor with toys

* May still be anxious when separating from parents

* Actively looks for attention

* Can use eight to ten words that are said clearly

* Points to objects and uses one word descriptions

* Can play pretend games with adult

* Draw your attention to an object or to an action

* Can place words like Bye, Hi, Please and remembers to use them when prompted

* Can communicate frustration and make a protest

* Will ask for mum or dad in a specific manner

* Can recognize themselves in a mirror or in photographs

Best Toys for the 18 Month Old Child

So now a good picture of educational and developmental toys becomes apparent. With not too much trouble there are many choices available in toys and they don’t have to cost the earth. Just be sure they are sturdy and safe as they are likely to take some banging and crashing together quite often.

Here are a few that come to mind:

* Large blocks

* Toys with wheels that can be pushed and pulled

* Simple hide and seek games

* Shape puzzles and games

* Dolls and soft toys

* Sturdy and colorful books

* Low climbing toys

* Crayons ( but protect your walls)

* Simple dress ups

* Basic role play (kitchen sets, tea party, shops)

* Simple puzzle and problem solving games and activities

Being 18 months old puts your child right into the middle of the toddler toys in the 1-3 years age group. Look for toys by Playskool and Little Tikes.

There are so many kinds of baby toys to choose from. But the most important thing to consider when picking a baby toy is how much enjoyment it will give to the child. The physical appearance of the toy, its shape, color, and texture, determines how engaged and delighted the baby will be with his/her toy, which will allow the mother to prepare his/her food and complete other tasks, like household chores, etc. The toys should also introduce the baby to the basic concepts of shape and color. Baby toys are usually labeled according to age groups and this also helps the parent decide which toys are ideal for their child. As with any other purchase for the baby’s needs, safety of the baby should always be the foremost consideration. Make sure that the material the toy is made of is not hazardous to the baby’s health and that the toy itself is safe to play with, i.e., no sharp edges or not too small.

Aside from pure enjoyment, baby toys should be educational, too. Puzzles are very ideal educational toys because they promote mental coordination and problem solving skills of the baby. The baby also learns more about different images, like their shapes and colors. Puzzles have different difficulty levels depending on the baby age groups; but the kind of puzzle that’s right for the baby is also dependent on the baby’s own skills. There are babies who can solve puzzles with higher difficulty levels than their own. Other educational toys introduce the concepts of letters and numbers. Sometimes, these toys also include musical and lighting features to make them more stimulating for and interesting to the baby. In addition to piquing the baby’s interest, the baby also gets familiarized with simple musical notes.

Even at a very young age, some toys are made specific for boys and girls. Generally, baby boys play with construction toys and baby girls with doll houses. But babies do not really understand the differences between the two and would be more than happy to play with either one or both. More often than not, babies play pretend games when they use their doll houses or construction toys. When baby boys play with their sister’s or friend’s doll houses, for example, they usually play a special role in the pretend game. Simple building blocks are one of the most popular construction toys that can also be used for babies’ pretend games. Babies can enjoy endless hours building pyramids with their blocks, knocking them over, and then building them again.

Another favorite that has withstood the test of time is the rocking horse. These are very simple toys for baby but they never fail to captivate the baby’s imagination and take him/her away as far as his/her imagination would go. Stuffed character toys, which are usually soft, fluffy, and cuddly versions of animals, like the teddy bear, are perfect companions for babies. They rouse feelings of intimacy and comfort and almost always become the child’s friends for years.