Toddler Water Toys

Somewhere between 18 months and three years you and your youngster may be ready for some new and more interesting toddler water toys.

You may be tempted to buy one or two new toys for your toddler's bath time play. Walk into any store and you'll see variations on the tried-and-true little squirters and boats. Unless there's something new to offer, you might as well stick with what you've got.

Look For Imaginative Water Toys: We always tend to gravitate toward toys that allow a child's imagination free rein, rather than toys that do it all for the child. No self-respecting child ever plays with a bath toy in just the way the manufacturer anticipated, and this is as it should be! Toddlers need to be exercising their imaginations every bit as much as their large and fine motor skills.

Play is a toddler's most important awake activity. Through play little hands and bodies become more coordinated, so toddlers need bath toys that are going to be fun, not frustrating.

Choose Age Appropriate Toddler Water Toys: Use common sense about the age level of a toddler bath toy. Toddler's hands are still small, their coordination is not yet developed, and they don't always grasp things well. If a toddler's bath toy is too advanced it will be a source of frustration, not fun. Look for sturdy, colorful toys that could be used several different ways in the bath.

Use Toys to Help Toddlers Overcome Fear of the Water: This is the age that many toddlers develop a real fear of the water. Little splashing games and games that involve pouring water over your toddler's head will go a long way toward eliminating this fear.

Add New Toddler Water Toys Slowly: If you're adding new toys to the bath, do it one at a time. If you add more than one new toy to the bath, your toddler won't know where to start first. Every time you add a toy, take one away so the play options aren't overwhelming. You can always re-introduce it later, when it's new again.

Inexpensive Toddler Water Toys Are Usually Best: Most of the best toddler bath toys aren't particularly expensive. Look for assorted containers that will hold water, toys that will pop to the surface with energy when they are pushed down under water, and toys that become containers to hold other toys. Be sure to avoid thin plastic toys that could shatter. Toys with a textured surface are easier to hold when wet and soapy. Avoid wind-up bath toys - your toddler won't be able to do that independently.

NEVER LEAVE YOUR CHILD ALONE IN OR NEAR THE WATER