Now is when the fun amps up! By 18 months, baby is really enjoying playtime, and using the toys around them to learn constantly about their new world. Developmental milestones are coming fast and furious right now and toys for babies at this stage should help to reinforce those crucial developments.

When selecting baby gear for your 18 month old, look for play items with these key characteristics:

The market for best toys for 18 month old is remarkably crowded—but we’re here to help. Sorting through the best learning toys, best musical toys, best bath toys, and others is what we love to do!

This is the age where learning really blossoms. It’s exciting for baby, and lots of fun for caregivers to watch. Toys to promote new development and learnings are a great way to capture this excitement and reinforce a love of learning for your little one. And, learning toys are a fun way for you to bond with baby over the shared joy of finding new skills and information.

Here are four best learning toys that we love:

Get ready for lots of beautiful music (read: loud, cacophonous sounds!) because your 18 month old definitely wants to make some noise! In addition to reinforcing cause and effect skills, musical toys help baby explore their own creativity and can be a great mood booster. Plus, the whole family can join in on the fun with some group music-making.

Here are three best musical toys that we love:

Bath time at 18 months can be a blast, as babies at this age really come alive in the water. Splashing and playing are a learning experience as well as an exercise in cleanliness—and you definitely want to keep encouraging water play for your little one.

Here are three best bath toys that we love:

Getting baby moving is so important at 18 months. Their natural desire to move and explore should be reinforced—it’s a great way to promote a love of exercise and to ensure that they continue in their physical development. Bonus: a moving kid is a tired kid… is a napping kid!

Here are three best movement toys that we love:

Babies are natural mimics! At this age, they love nothing better than to imitate what they see others doing. So, talking on the phone, making dinner, putting baby to bed—all fair game for baby to want to mimic. Pretend toys allow them to enjoy that sense of repeating what they see being done all around them.

Here are four best pretend toys we love:

Save time, money, space, and resources by renting a toy box from Loop for your 18-month-old! It's easy and fun. Kids love to play with all the different toys and you'll be stunned by the beauty of the box.