My Toddler Must-Have's: 12-18 months

These were my must-have's for the first 6 months of toddlerhood:

Educational Toys

Brighton was lucky to receive a few educational toys for her first birthday. She especially loved flash cards (a letter on one side with a word and picture on the other), foam letters and numbers she could use in the bath, wooden puzzles and a shape sorter. Brighton also loved things that helped her fine motor skills and imagination like Mega Blocks. She played with those blocks almost every day for three months and still enjoys them. 

We also were blessed with some pretend play toys like a mini kitchen (my parents purchased Ikea's version for her Christmas present), a mini shopping cart and items like plastic or wooden food and cups, plates and utensils. I felt like I saw a lot of language and fine motor development once she started to pretend play. 

Art Supplies

Right after Brighton turned one, she became interested in drawing with crayons. We loved the basic Crayola crayons and water based paint, but we also got some large sticked sidewalk chalk. Painting and drawing are an easy activity and we enjoyed making art together. 

Toddler size eating utensils & divided plates

Around 15 months Brighton wanted to start using a spoon and fork. We purchased a few rubber handled versions and she still uses them at 2+ years old. We also moved from using the tray attached to the high chair as her plate and started giving Brighton her food on a "big kid" plate or bowl - the divided ones made it easy for her to eat each item without it touching (she is just like her mama that way). 

Leggings/ Cotton Pants

Because this is such a mobile and sort of klutzy stage, toddlers need to be able to move in their clothes. Leggings and cotton pants with elastic waists were a must. Target's Circo brand and Old Navy were the best price for the value and we were able to pair them with anything - she even wore leggings under dresses for church. Plus they made baby "jeggings" which were a weekly staple in her wardrobe. 

Honorable mentions: 

Sippy cups, those applesauce packs and snack cups were also a staple, but we started using all of those prior to toddlerhood. 

Brighton also had to (and still has to), wear a bow or clip in her hair to keep it out of her face and the hair clips from H&M are great - cheap, lots of fun colors and glitter and they stay put in even the finest hair. 

Baby pool or water table (for the warmer months) - kept her busy for hours!

What is on your must-have list for 12-18 months?

For my other lists, click here, here, here and here.