Duplo v Lego which is best for 18 month old?

[Pocket1]

Trying to get ideas for DD for Christmas and I can't tell the difference. Are they interchangeable? Is one better than the other?
TIA

Duplo is bigger and easier to handle for small ones. Lego is very small and for 5+ really and is a choking hazard. However, my 3 year loves it but plays it at the table away from my 14 month old.

Duplo bricks are much bigger, so more suitable for 18 months. Most kids wouldn't br ready for lego until 4. As they are made by the same people, they are compatible with each other to some extent.

Mega Blox! They are fab at that age - my dc played with them till much older. Much easier to manipulate for little hands.

Duplo! Even my 4yo struggles with lego

At 18 months mine were having fun with Primo to be honest. Much easier for little hands. They will actually play with it rather than just choking getting frustrated.

Duplo for definate. It's a good investment.

Lego is much smaller - there's plenty of time for that!

An 18m old would not be able to cope with Lego and it's a choking hazard. You need good fine motor skills to put it together and the logic of a child of I'd say at least 4, maybe 3 for a simpler kit like Lego Juniors, to follow the instructions independently of an adult.

As PP said Duplo is larger, can be put in mouth without risk and will be a good way of improving those fine motor skills for Lego later.

Duplo!

Duplo.

Duplo is made by Lego and is essentially Leho for toddlers. It is same brick/nobble design but bigger - less fiddly and less chocking hazard for children under 4 or 5.

Duplo without a doubt. Mine still loved it up to 4/5yo.

Duplo or MegaBlocks.

Duplo. My middle GS started being able to do regular Lego when he was nearly four. He could build them by himself, I would just sit with him, and sort parts.

Duplo comes with zoo creatures, wonderful trucks. We bought a train and sold it probably four years later for half what we paid. My DIL sold a large amount of Duplo, via eBay, to someone in another country. Her three children had the best collection I have ever seen. Some came from eBay, some from a classy thrift store.

For my oldest GS, he had no duplo yet. This was at 18 months. I had him with me at Target and put a box of Duplo in the cart. I gave it to him when we got home and as he was playing with it, he looked up at me and said "ank oo" for thank you.

You can't give Lego to an 18mo, some of the pieces are tiny and IMO most of the minimum age ranges on the boxes are a bit over optimistic and better left a year or two.

Even Duplo might be a bit tricky at 18mo, although those early years all blur into one, so maybe I don't remember all the stages properly. Mega BloX were a big hit here - the giant ones. They do Lego sized stuff as well now.

Brilliant thank you. Just checking out duplo and megablocks on amazon. One or the other will make it into DDs Christmas list! Thanks for all the great info xxx

I believe Lego is for 4 years plus, but I reckon from 3 is fine. Not sure when the Duplo age stops, but they're still liking it at 5.

Duplo and Lego are name brands, and what I recommend. We call the other brands fake Lego, and toss them aside. This is when I buy Lego at the thrift store, and it is not always pure Lego. Sometimes it is everything from the floor of a kid's room.

There are Lego stores, which are superb. I thought very fairly priced too. But check around. Olivia's House was $78 at ToysRUs and $58 at Amazon.

That's so sweet, HansieLove!

Another one here saying Duplo at that age. DS2 is 2.4 and LOVES the idea of his big brother's Lego, but he doesn't have the dexterity to put it all together. This creates much wailing, and then I start shouting at DS1 as it is a choking hazard and he is not allowed to let his brother near it!

Actually, just been and checked, and we do have one box of Lego that is much bigger pieces than the normal Lego. DS2 plays lots with that. It is size wise midway between the big Duplo blocks and the little Lego. I'd thought it was Duplo, but no it is Lego.

Always found Megablocks a bit crap compared with the stuff that goes with Duplo: Farm, zoo, train etc.

DS (6) started playing with Lego, with help, shortly before he was 4. He's 6 now and a little obsessed. DD (3) has a big tub of Duplo, which DS also plays with ehen he thinks no one is looking.

Duplo is lego for little kids, no choking hazard and more appropriate for stage of development, fine motor skills etc

Definitely duplo, my DS turned 4 recently and got a lot of lego and I think it's only now that he can properly play with it.

DD will be almost 18 months at Christmas and loves her brothers duplo, much easier for her age. DS still enjoys playing with it too so it does have longevity.

I've got DD the duplo play house for Christmas, looking forward to opening that

My seventeen month old adores duplo. We got the starter set and the zookeeper one and the shop one as his sister was jealous. The circus looks fab but expensive. I would have a look on eBay or freestyle for bulk as you don't seem to get a lot for your money but it is good size.
On the Xmas thread on eBay but Argos via eBay there was a megapixels wow deal for forty quid but you got loads of stuff including the table to build on. Would buy that like a shot if I were in the UK

Freecycle Gumtree preloved et cetera Stupid kindle