Your toddler is becoming more independent, but is constantly being reminded of her own limits. So while she insists on doing something “Myself!” one moment, the next might find her turning to you for help.

The way she learns what she can do is by getting her hands into everything. She fiddles with knobs, opens and shuts doors, flips light switches on and off — it’s enough to drive you nuts. Toys with interlocking parts — pop-up toys, nesting toys, sorting toys, trucks with doors that open and shut, play kitchens with knobs and doors — can create endless opportunities for your child to explore, and push, her limits while keeping her away from the light switch.

At this age, children learn best from unstructured play, so just make the toys available and off she’ll go.

Tea set or playhouse: Your child will get a kick out of play eating and drinking. And in general, scaled-down toys, from rakes, brushes and shopping trolleys to miniature kitchens, give her a chance to do one of the things she loves best — mimic what she sees the adults around her do and organise her world to her own satisfaction.

Large and small blocks: Working with blocks lets your toddler build her handling skills by grabbing, stacking, and sorting. Large bricks easily add up to toddler-size forts and hiding spaces. Small wooden ones can be sorted and organised into any number of original designs.

Toy instruments: Children generally love music and the chance to create their own sound, no matter how cacophonous. Give her a toy guitar to strum or a keyboard to bang on and she’ll treat you to lots of original compositions. Make sure whatever instrument you find has a volume dial you can turn down so that you — and your neighbours — can tolerate those early tunes.

Puzzles: Puzzles are a good way to give your young child little victories — the simple satisfaction of putting something exactly in place is a wonderful thing. Choose puzzles that have very few pieces and are made of thick, easy-to-manipulate blocks of wood.

Illustrated books and cassette tapes: While recorded stories are no substitute for reading to your child, many toddlers do enjoy the novelty of hearing a voice come out of a machine and can appreciate that the voice is new and different. The regular patter of nursery rhymes is particularly pleasing to a toddler’s ear.

Train sets: Your toddler can use her new dexterity to link the coaches and zoom the whole train around the house. She’ll love seeing how it can take corners, and the difference between running it over a carpet and across a bare floor.

Washable crayons and paper: Your child is becoming more interested in making her own mark — on floors, walls, furniture. Clear a space for her to work, give her a big sheet of paper (tape it to the table) and a couple of crayons (you don’t want to overwhelm her), and she’ll get the idea that art has its place. Hang up whatever she makes for you.

Your toddler is really taking off these days — and as you chase your little runaway down the street yet again, you may miss the days before she learned to use her legs so well. “Active” is the best way to describe her now, and she likes any toy or game that allows her to throw her whole self into it — balls, swings and little climbing frames to name a few.

Her hands are becoming more coordinated, too, and she can now use shape sorters more efficiently, build even bigger block towers, and scribble a drawing. Her play involves lots of experimentation, such as “What happens if I drop this ball?” or “What happens if I pull this lever?” She’s very interested in the consequences of her actions, and because her memory isn’t well developed she won’t tire of repetition. Toddlers also like to try out what they see adults doing, so look for toys that imitate daily life.

Push and pull toys: Heavily weighted push toys can give your beginner something to lean on as she motors around your home. Pull toys are great for more advanced walkers who can look behind them as they move forward: ones that flap, bob up and down, squeak or in any other way catch attention are favourites.

Sorting and nesting toys: Toddlers love to sort, stack, unsort, unstack, and basically reorganise their lives. Sorting and nesting toys are great fun for those who are trying out their early problem-solving skills.

Climbing frame: A small climbing frame can give your toddler a safe place to climb, hide, slide, and practice all her emerging motor skills — over and over again.

Balls: Any ball that’s easy to grasp will be a hit with this group — underinflated beach balls, tennis balls, cloth balls. Stay away from foam balls that could end up as a mouthful. This is the age at which you can introduce your child to “catch”. Start slowly — she’ll begin to get the back-and-forth rhythm with some practice.

Washable crayons and paper: Let the scribbling begin! Hand your toddler no more than a couple of crayons at a time — you don’t want to overwhelm her — and tape the paper to the floor so she can make her mark without dragging the paper along with her.

Ride-on vehicles: This mode of locomotion may be even more popular than walking. Many small ride-on toys have handles for an adult to push when the child gets tired. Avoid the electronic versions — they’re expensive and take away from the fun of getting around under your own power.

Tool bench or toy kitchen: Fix-it kids or aspiring chefs will get hours of play out of plastic or wooden models scaled to their size. Toys like these give a child a chance to emulate the things he sees adults doing, and they’ll continue to hold his interest for several months as his play gets more sophisticated.

Picture books: Your toddler will enjoy more advanced picture books showing familiar objects and activities. She may also start to take pride in her own library and the chance to pick out a favourite for you to read.

In her first months, before she learns to grasp objects or sit up, your baby will most appreciate things she can look at and listen to. Her vision will be fuzzy at first and she’ll fix on things that are about eight to 14 inches from her eyes. She’s drawn to the human face — and can recognise yours at about 1 month — but she will also enjoy large pictures of faces.

High-contrast patterns and bright colours captivate her because they’re the easiest for her to see. She’s already learned to appreciate sounds and soft music. Objects that move slowly and produce a gentle sound are far more interesting to her than those that are fixed and silent.

Hand-held toys: Her short sight makes her appreciate anything you can move into her line of vision. She won’t be able to hold toys for a while, but she’ll demonstrate her preferences by batting at the ones she likes.

Music is one of the best ways to entertain and soothe your infant. Play a variety of music — nothing too raucous — and see how she responds.

Mobile: A mobile can add a new dimension to a baby’s horizontal view of life. Look for ones with high-contrast colours and patterns.  Babies this age look to the right 80 per cent of the time, so a toy hung overhead or on the left will be of limited value now. For safety’s sake, keep the mobile out of your baby’s reach.

Unbreakable mirror: Although she won’t realise it’s herself she’s seeing at this stage, your baby will find her own reflection fascinating. By three months, she may begin smiling at it.

Soft books with high-contrast patterns: Soft books with easy-to-see patterns or decorations are designed just for babies. Lie down next to her so she can watch you turn the pages as you read aloud to her — even at this age it pays off.

Sensory toys: A soft toy that trills or tweets when pressed will please a baby for months to come. The accidental squeaks will also help her become aware of what her hand is doing.

Sock and wrist rattles: Attach a  rattle to your baby’s wrist or ankle  to provide lots of entertainment as she experiments with new sounds she can make herself.

Wind chimes: Babies love soft music, so hang a set of these in a place where she can watch them move and listen to the sound. If the chimes are over her cot, your baby may fall into the habit of watching them for a few minutes before drifting to sleep. Hold her up once in a while so she can sound the chimes herself, too.

Black, white and red toys: These high-contrast toys and playmats are designed to help your child pick out the differences in shapes and patterns, stimulating his visual development.