Coolest Bath Toys for Toddlers and All Kids

Depending on your child, bath time may be the highlight of the evening or the low point of the day. Some children just don't want to stop playing to get clean, while other kids love to splash about in the tub. If your preschooler refuses to bathe, or if your toddler is a messy bather, there are some toys that can make bath time more fun but not as messy. Parents, preschoolers and toddlers alike will love these creative, safe, inexpensive, easy-to-use toys. Splashing isn't the only fun bathtub activity!

Tub Tunes Musical Instruments

At Wal-Mart for $10 or less, you can purchase a water xylophone, flutes set, drum, or trumpet. You tune the instruments by filling them with water, which is easily drained. They come with waterproof song sheets that are easy to follow. These are recommended for ages 3+, but toddlers could use them with some help. These products have won several awards including the Parenting Media Award, the NAPPA Gold Seal, and Parents Magazine Best Toy.

Coloring

Any toy store sells bathtub markers, crayons, and even fingerpaints. These are a lot of fun and allow your child to be creative while getting clean. Watercolor paint is also great for the bathtub. You need water to make it work, and the drawings easily erase with a little water as well. Let your child color, then just before it's time to get out, give him a quick scrubbing to make sure no fingerpaint is still in his hair!

Aquadoodle

Another great option for the bathtub is the Aquadoodle Wall Mat, which comes with a marker pen to be filled with water. With this toy you literally color with water, and there is no mess. Your child can color with the marker, by splashing, or even with a wet finger. This can be a good incentive not to splash too much, because if your child does, the mat will have to dry (within a few minutes) before he can continue coloring.

Fun with Bubbles

Everyone knows bubble baths are fun, but there are ways to make them even more entertaining. Allow your child to blow bubbles during his bubble bath, or better yet, get a bubble blower. For about $10, Babies R Us offers a bath time bubble blower that attaches to the bathtub. You can also purchase scented bubble bath, bubble bath in containers that double as toys, or fingerpaint bubble bath.

Food Coloring

Adding 2-3 drops of food coloring to your child's bath water can make your tub seem like a whole new world. He can pretend to be swimming in the deep blue sea or splashing in slime. You can combine colors to create your own shades. Don't let your child handle the food coloring, though, and be sure it has dissolved in the water before she plays.

Classics

There are always the classics, such as squirt toys, pitchers to dump, wind-up toys, plastic boats, and stackable cups. These can get boring, and they can be messy. However, they should still be part of your child's bath toy collection. Everyone needs a rubber ducky!

Regardless of your price range or your child's age, you can find some bath toys that will capture their fancy. Most of these toys will make bath time less messy, and all of them will make it more fun. Squirting will always make for good clean fun, but now your child can have bath time music recitals and art lessons. These toys are also easy to share, because two or even three children can color or play with bubbles at once. Whether your child is 2 or 8, she will enjoy these bath activities.