Best gifts for 18-month-olds (the in-between age)

A small ride-on with a red steel frame, four wheels and real steering. The maker labels it ages 1 to 3 and says it holds up to 42 lb.

The front wheels sit wide for stability, and a front bumper protects walls and furniture. The seat adjusts up as the child grows. It weighs 17.2 lb and measures 23.54 x 18.98 x 17.64 in, so it fits a hallway.

Pros: real steering and an adjustable seat; the 42 lb limit. Con: Walmart reviewers say kids outgrow it fast, since the seat tops out low.

The classic foot-powered car. The label runs 18 months to 5 years, the widest span in this guide, and the car holds up to 50 lb.

It has a removable floorboard and a push handle, so a parent can steer while the child learns to push with their feet. It weighs 17.25 lb and is made in the USA. Adult assembly is required.

Pros: the 18-month-to-5-year label; the push handle. Con: you build it first, and some reviews report missing parts.

Our pick. The box holds 65 DUPLO bricks and pieces plus 2 DUPLO figures, and the bricks go back into the box when play ends. LEGO labels it 1½ and up.

Some bricks carry the numbers 1, 2 and 3, and the set includes simple instructions for a few models. DUPLO bricks fit every other DUPLO set, so this can be the start of a collection.

Pros: 65 bricks and pieces with 2 figures; it fits later DUPLO sets. Con: Walmart reviewers say the box arrives half empty, so the quantity is a starter one.

A padded case with a handle, 2 activity sides, 9 textured blocks and crinkly flaps with matching shapes. The maker’s page says no batteries are required, and the label is 9 months and up.

It folds shut with the blocks inside, which is the point: it goes in the diaper bag for the car or the waiting room.

Pros: a handle and a padded case; no batteries. Con: the set has only 9 blocks.

Our Best Value pick, from the maker’s First Play line. Three linking wooden cars on wheels with a pull string, and three farm animals that ride in them: a pig, a cow and a horse.

The animals are about 4.5 in tall, have art on both sides and stand up on curved bases that rock. The whole train measures 16.4 x 7.3 x 3.2 in. For now the button goes to the maker’s own store.

Pros: 3 cars and 3 animals at the lowest price range here; the animals rock and stand alone. Con: only three animals.

A green, polka-dot wooden frog on wheels. As it is pulled, it bounces and bobs, and its mouth opens and closes. The non-skid wheels go forward and backward.

It measures 8.15 x 7.75 x 7.5 in and is labeled 18 months and up. Like the train, it is sold through the maker’s store for now.

Pros: the moving parts; the non-skid wheels. Con: it does one thing: it is a pull toy only.