Gear
The Best Bath Toys for Babies and Toddlers
We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite bath toys for babies and toddlers so your little ones can have fun splashing in the water.
- Written By
- Alicia Betz
Of course, baby bath toys increase the fun and can even help develop essential skills like pouring and grip strength. Water play is also one of baby’s first sensory experiences. With the right toys and atmosphere, the bathroom can be the place you and your children create some of your most cherished memories.
How to Choose the Best Bath Toys
Any time you’re looking for toys for babies or young toddlers, it’s important to avoid small parts that could be choking hazards. However, older toddlers (three and up) can usually handle small parts safely.
Look for fun toys that invite kids to explore and play in the water. Toys that encourage skills like scooping, pouring, and squeezing are great, too.
Popular bath toys include cups, floating toys, and foam shapes. Because bathrooms can be breeding grounds for mold and bacteria, choose toys that are easy to clean and dry. Some bath toys are dishwasher safe or can even be thrown in with the laundry.
When buying bath toys, be wary of anything that is not easy to clean. Squirting toys are notorious for developing mold because it’s difficult to clean and dry the inside.
Here are some of our favorite bath toys:
Best Baby Bath Toys
This floating Neoprene whale comes with four quick-dry sea creatures. Little ones working on understanding object permanence will have a blast putting the toys in and out of the whale. You can also encourage older babies to work on their pincer grasp by having them pull the toys out of the whale with their thumb and first finger. Not to mention, the whale itself can act as a storage container when not in use.
Phillup Cups or Bella Tunno Stacking Cups
One of my daughter’s favorite things to play with in the bath is cups. It’s simple but so much fun for them to practice pouring water. Transferring water from one cup to another lets minis flex their fine motor skills and explore volume. Pouring can get pretty messy, making the tub the ideal place to practice. This set comes with color-coded suction cups, so they can hang up the cups when they’re done playing.
Ubbi Cloud & Droplet Bath Toys
Your little one can make it rain in the tub with this mini cloud and water droplet. They can easily fill them by holding them underwater and then control the rain by covering or uncovering a hole. Best of all: they open completely so you can clean and dry them without worrying about mold growing inside. Make playtime with these toys fun and educational by singing songs like “Rain, Rain, Go Away” or “If All The Raindrops.”
Sometimes the simplest bath toys are the most fun, and that’s certainly the case with these starfish suction toys. They can suction to the tub surface or each other, and when your kids are finished playing, these toys are dishwasher safe.
Everyone’s favorite giraffe can play with your kids in the bath via this bath set. It includes a Sophie toy, two boats, and a storage container that suctions to the tub wall. All three toys float, and the storage container has mesh sides for water to drain.
Best Toddler Bath Toys
Ideal for toddlers, this toy includes two play figurines they can use to create stories and play scenes. The friends can jump off the diving board or play with the dolphin. Kids can also use the boat to scoop and pour water. If your kids are ready to start playing pretend, they’ll enjoy this set.
If you’re worried about mold growing in traditional water squirt toys, this set provides a solution! These squirting bath toys unscrew for cleaning and can go in the dishwasher. Not only are squirting toys fun, but they can also help develop the grip strength needed for coloring and writing. Just be prepared to get wet next time you give your kids a bath!
Deep Sea Dive Bath Time Activity Book
Like all books, bath books encourage a love for reading; the more you can make books enjoyable, the more kids will want to pick them up. This one is undoubtedly fun with five attached sea creatures. There aren’t any words, so you and your kids can enjoy making up your own stories about the animals under the sea.
This baby doll is made to get wet! It even comes with a washcloth and bathrobe. Any kid can enjoy a bath with their baby doll, but this toy is particularly beneficial for babies and toddlers who may be reluctant to take a bath. Seeing another (albeit pretend) baby get in the tub can give them the encouragement they need to get in themselves.
Alicia is a freelance writer, wife, and mom to three. She has a bachelor's degree in education from Penn State and a master's degree in education from Michigan State. Her work has been featured by Scholastic, AARP, Insider, MSN, Yahoo, Motherly, Cubby, and more. You can see more of her work on her website.