By the time your baby is a year old, his sensory development and learning would have come on in leaps and bounds – and so will his sense of fun and play! Most babies will be well on their way to walking by just over a year, even if they are just at the crawling or cruising stage. This exciting new milestone heralds lots of new discoveries, and of course, new playthings! As well as burgeoning mobility, your little one's vocabulary and fine-motor skills will also be on the increase, so you will be wanting to challenge them a little bit more through play.

Socialisation is probably high on you and your little one's agenda by this stage, and as he becomes more mobile and interactive with others (even if he is just playing 'alongside' other children, rather than with them) you will find a whole new level of inquisitiveness and playfulness coming to the fore!

Toddler Timeline:

18 months - Your toddler has a rapidly increasing vocabulary by a year and a half and not only knows their own name, but body parts, pets names, and close friends and family's too!

2 years – Your tot is developing physical skills at a fast and furious pace and can jump and run – albeit in a rather stiff leg manner!

21/2 years – Your little on will be pretty adept and remembering and singing nursery rhymes and songs by now – and will be questioning EVERYTHING!

3 years – By three, your toddler's sense of adventure is at an all time high – he'll be climbing and jumping without fear at this age – so watch out!

Toys for Toddlers

Investing in toys your toddler can play with alongside other children as well as on his own will help him with the idea of sharing and team-work – think of toys like pretend tills, baskets of toy fruit and vegetables, chunky wooden trainsets and other toys that encourage imaginative 'role play'. Good old-fashioned fail-safes like building blocks, alphabet sorters and number sets are a toy-box essential, setting youngsters on the path to word and number recognition through gently challenging play.

Outdoor toys really come into their own once your baby becomes a toddler – baby swings and slides, ball pits and play tunnels will not only give them hours of fun, but also help them further develop their agility and balancing skills, as well building their confidence.

And as your little one will be able to throw a ball, scribble, build towers and have a vocabulary of around 40 words by eighteen months – so what better time to really get interactive with their play? Music and singing classes, baby-gyms and parent-and-baby swimming lessons will all give your tot an excellent introduction to the socialisation skills needed for nursery and pre-school - not to mention hours of fun!

Top Tips:

Let your toddler experiment with messy play – finger paints and water-based paints for hand-printing and foot-printing (an ideal outdoor activity on a roll of plain wall paper!) are not only great fun, but also fantastic for their eye to hand co-ordination and creative skills!

Did you know?

Your little one's eyesight is acute by a year old, and by eighteen months he can even judge distance! He will also be starting to work out concepts of logic by around a year and a half – though not necessarily acting on it!