Water Fun for Babies and Toddlers

It’s 90 degrees and sunny yet again. It’s too hot to do anything but stay inside in the A/C or get into a pool, lake, or ocean. Sounds easy, right? Maybe pre-kids when you just had to get yourself ready and out the door. Now, the thought of packing up everything you need for a baby or todder for a day at the pool seems a little overwhelming. Good news! There’s plenty of ways to get your baby playing in water without ever leaving your house. Check out some of our ideas!

For babies 0-6 months

1. Give baby a bath. We know. That’s not super exciting becuase you do it all the time. BUT, shake things up a bit by using the shower head or sink spray head to spray water over your baby’s feet or belly (this is also helpful if you feel like they have some gas pains). Let your new baby practice tracking by letting the follow the nozzle as you move it from side to side and up and down.

2. Tummy time on a water mat! There are so many cute playmats out there. Your baby will love looking at objects moving in the water. As they get older they will love patting the objects and enjoy watching things move around in the mat when they place their hands in different places.

3. Take a bath with your baby. This can be a really relaxing way to spend some time with your baby. It may even help a fussy baby become more calm. Get towels ready before getting in the tub. Make sure the water is warm but not too hot. Protip: this is probably a better idea if you have another adult around and they can hand you baby after you get in the tub. You can also hand baby off to the them while you get out of the tub.

For babies 6-12 months

1. Grab a small kiddie pool and fill it up about halfway. Sit baby inside. Give your baby lots of items that they can fill with water and pour out. While you can definitely by some fun baby water toys we recommend going old school and throwing a couple of measuring cups and plastic drinking cups into the water.

2. Set up a small sprinkler. Undress your baby down to their diaper and let them crawl through the sprinkler. If your baby is not yet mobile, throw on a bathing suit and hold them while you hop through the sprinkler.

3. Put a towel down. Half-fill some different sizes of Tupperware containers with water and sit them on the towel. Put baby down in front of the containers. Your baby will enjoy splashing with their hands in the water!

4. We love this idea from the Mommy and Me website: place a jumper over the doorframe. Put a kiddy pool underneath. Put your baby in the jumper and let them jump up and down in the kiddie pool.

For babies and toddlers 12-24 months

1. See the above activities for 6-12 months…..babies 12-18 months may still enjoy a lot of those same activities.

2. Invest in a great water table. While many of these water tables say they are for ages 24 months and older, we find that toddlers of any age enjoy playing with water tables in some capacity.

3. Play car wash! If your little one has some toys that could use a rinse, this is the perfect game. Fill a container with warm water and a mild soap. Sit the container down on a large towel. Gather toys with your toddler. Take the toys to the “car wash”. Have them take a dip in the water and then sit them out in the sun to dry. Or, give your older toddler a small towel or washcloth and let them “dry” the toys.

4. Give your toddler a water can and set them loose outside (with your supervision, of course!). They can have fun watching water come out of the watering can while learning a little bit about cause and effect.

Water play is a great way to beat the summer heat while bonding with your toddler or baby. They’ll enjoy spending time with you but they will also be learning about the world around them by doing these hands-on activities. Pick a couple of the above activities and try them this week!