Must Have Toys for Your Toddler

It's inevitable whenever you have children; there will be toys. There will be quiet toys, loud toys, toys you love, toys you hate, etc. Yep; there's going to be toys. Since you're going to have toys around your house that you're going to trip over and walk on (and they do hurt no matter what they are) you may as well have toys that you don't hate as much and toys that are somewhat educational. Here are some of the favorite toys that my seventeen-month-old son has that I think everyone child his age should have.

Bee-Bop Music Set-I love this toy. It is a set of musical instruments designed to look like bugs (examples include a ladybug xylophone and centipedes drumsticks) that all come in a drum that doubles as a container. It is a wonderful way to introduce your child to music plus it's fun and you will find how easy it is to ignore happy noise when your child is making a lot of music by himself. Plus as a bonus everything fits inside the drum so clean up is easy at the end of the day. Everyone says how important it is to expose your child to music and this will help. I will note that these parts are plastic and they can hurt. My son chipped a tooth on the drumstick (thankfully not an adult tooth) but he still enjoys making music with it. His favorite is the ladybug xylophone.

The Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Puppy-okay this toy can get kind of annoying because it can turn on easily, which is what makes it fun for the kids. As a bonus it does turn off by itself if no one plays with it by pushing it's paws, the heart, or ears (it tells you "Bye-Bye"). I like this dog for the most part because when you press a body part it will say what part it is, what color it is, and then both words together. It also says the alphabet and tells your child endearing things such as "I love you" and "You're my friend". My son loves this puppy and he will cuddle it all the time even if I have turned it to the OFF position to get some quiet time. As you probably noted it does have an ON/OFF switch so you can always turn it off and let your child play with it just as a stuffed animal.

Stacking rings-everyone remembers this toy because they probably had it. It is a simple toy that helps build many skills, including problem solving and independence skills. My son loves his and spends long bursts of time stacking them (although not always in order) and taking it down to stack it again. This is a classic toy and it doesn't cost much and your child can have all kinds of fun with this toy. Plus it builds so many developmental skills that you almost have to buy it for your child.

ABC Blocks-of course these are essential as well. Everyone remembers the wood blocks that have letters of the alphabet written on them as well as items that begin with that letter of the alphabet. The reason these toys are so awesome is that it teachers letter recognition and you can even spell out simples words with your child to promote word recognition. Children also have fun stacking the blocks and knocking them down as well as buildings that the parents have built. These are classic but goodies you will not regret getting these toys for your child.

There are many toys out there for your toddler but these are some of the essentials. They all promote some developmental skill, which is wonderful because if you have to have a noisy toy it may as well be one that helps their brain to grow. Enjoy!!