Bath Toy Recommendations

We've got a foam type house building blocks set that my kids love. It's made of the same material that the bath letters and numbers are made out of so it'll stick to the wall but doesn't take on water. We got them at Toys that Teach in Country Village (in Bothell).

My children had wind up motor boats that could be held by a very small hand. Even after the toys were wound down the kids pushed the boats around the tub.

We stick with the foam letters that stick to the side of the tub. We also found a foam puzzle, but can't find another one.

I'm constantly looking for bath toys that don't take in water! They're hard to find in stores, but are abundant online if you're willing to pay a bit more.

Target does have a few I like - turtles that float and have weak magnets in the nose and tail so that they can trail each other in a line.

I second the vote for kitchen cups and funnels, etc. as well as the hard plastic animals. My older daughters have outgrown most of those toys, though, and now just play with their Barbies in the tub. I let them use the ones I get in a bag for $1 at Goodwill while their more expensive ones are not allowed to get wet.

Be creative. You don't need to buy a specific bath toy to have a great bath toy!

Tub crayons! They're the best non-container-ish thing you can put in the bathtub. Also, foam letters and numbers; sailboats (the Nova Naturals site has some beautiful wooden ones); and plain old plastic animals: if dramatic play is their thing, the plastic animals are wonderful. Just make sure they're solid so that the bodies don't take on water.

- Containers have always been a favorite (not for yours right now though, sounds like)
- Foam letters
- Bath paint/crayons (some stain plastic tubs, btw, especially red)
- Hotwheels
- sea anemones (the weird skull cap things that were all the rage awhile ago, in the tub look like sea anemones
- Bubble (both bubble bath bubbles, and wand bubbles)
- Sponges
- coins (when a little older)
- Boats
- leggos
- "pool" sharks (the motorized kind that swim around)
- goggles

Hi N.,

I can understanding not wanting containers in the tub. My daughter loves to drink the bathwater, too. :)

We have the Boon foam toys that stick to the walls of the tub and any other flat surface (including tummies and foreheads, briefly). They stand up well to biting. My daughter has put tooth marks on a few, but hasn't actually bitten through any of them yet.
http://www.amazon.com/Boon-901-Bath-Goods/dp/B000G7WU5K/r...
Another one we have is a whale shape sorter with four shapes by Alex company. The pieces could be used for drinking, but my daughter likes to play with it. My only real complaint is that the tabs that hold the bottom of the whale to the top broke easily. But the set still works using just the top.
http://www.target.com/dp/B000OVEP5Q/sr=1-1/qid=1259426848...

One grandma has a set of rubber ducks that float, light up and quack a song. They're sealed so they don't end up with water inside. She also has a small mesh basketball hoop that suction cups to the side of the tub with a couple of sealed plastic balls.

Another grandma has a set of hard plastic floating fish and a small net to catch them in and go fishing. That would probably be more appropriate for the older one.

I don't know the brands for any of the grandma's house toys, but I'm sure you could find something similar if you search. Good luck.

I just bought my 18 month old daughter foam numbers and letters that stick on the wall for the tub... She LOVES them. Your 14 month old might like to chew on them, though!

My kids love the bath crayola crayons. They color on the inside of the tub and on themselves, but it washes off very easily. There are also fingerpaints by crayola for the bath and they really like that too.

My son has a fishing game that I got a Kmart. There are little (about the size of your hand) fish, crabs, seahorses, ect. that float and you catch them with a little fishing pole. They are foam so they also stick on the walls. Also very easy to clean, I just throw them in the dishwasher.

My grandkids take regular toys into the tub with them. My granddaughter collects My Littlest Pet Shop animals that are made of plastic. Since she was a toddler she has played imaginative games with them in the tub.

I also gave them empty plastic bottles and plastic cups. The cups were cheapies from the Dollar Store that we had never used as drinking cups. They quickly learned that they were not for drinking just by me playing with them and telling them these are toys and not to be used for drinking. That sort of thing. Perhaps the 14 month old is too young to understand that.

Most plastic toys are safe in the tub. You could possibly find toy boats as well as other toys at the Dollar Store. Of course there are all sorts of tub toys to found in the toy store or department. My grandkids had one that was a water wheel that attached to the tub wall with suction cups. They also used sand toys. One had a sieve thru which they poured water instead of sand. The shapes are wide and do not look like a drinking cup. They are also shallow so the baby is less apt to get it to his mouth without spilling all the water.

You can sterilize the squirt toys by sucking in a mixture of vinegar and water, letting it stay for a minute or two and then squirting it out.

My boys love all things cars. I did not want the metal hot wheels scratching the tub up, so I got them some plastic cars and boats for the tub. They don't want to get out!

Lots of empty plastic containers, bottles, cups and etc, plastic spoons, balls and etc. Punch some holes on some of the containers for extra fun. Your kids don't need fancy toys, let them explore theirs own imagination. Have fun!

We got one of my girls favorite bath toys at www.mybabycrazy.com.
It is the Memory Match Clams-Each in this set of six 2-piece clams in 3 colors contains a small fish, crab or starfish hidden inside to help build children's memory skills! Made of soft, mold-resistant plastic, each set comes with a convenient mesh storage bag.
Best of all it is only $14.95!

www.mybabycrazy.com has a 100% money back or replacement guarantee on all their products for life!

My kids loved this car wash toy. It was very durable and has its own hook for hanging from the shower head, plus a built in net to hold the cars.
http://www.babiestravellite.com/SCWBT/Sassy-Car-Wash-Bath...
I also found this fishing boat toy online. Didn't have it, but had a good experience with other "Parents" brand toys
http://www.amazon.com/Tubby-Tug-Boat-Clear-Packaging/dp/B...

Let them have at some cups and containers they are great fun and easy to clean (dishwasher). As for the drinking bathwater - that's so normal just don't put any bubble bath in the water and wash their hair towards the end of bathtime...

not sure if this will fit in the container you mentioned for storing, but it is relatively small. my toddlers have always loved the little fishing pole bath toys where they can fish for their floaties. you can even fish for the little spongey bath letters and then when they catch one you can ask them what they caught! (=

B. in WA, happily raising 8 blessings ages 5 months to 14 years

a cup, thats all you need. lol, its true.