Parents everywhere realize that bath time is a break somewhere between 14 months and age six. Once that water hits the base of the tub, a silent hum of independent play arises. And after years (like nine years of baths over here), I’ve got a few bath toys for kids who take the lead on fun.
RELATED: Looking for an easy low-prep after-school activity? Try moving bath time to after school to allow your child to decompress and enjoy open-ended play.
Are bath toys even necessary?
Tub toys inspire imagination, creativity, and independent play. (Cough, like play until your fingers look like a prune play). Investing in a few quality bath toys that have held over the years is essential to making bath time a success.
Big kids enjoy quality time in the bath as well. Offering a bath is one of my favorite ways to help my child hit restart after a long school day or during a rainy day.
Holiday Toy Guides
Welcome to the Days with Grey 2024-2025 holiday gift guide for kids. These toy lists are carefully curated to help you effortlessly make a gift selection you feel great about.
Best Bath Toys for Toddler and Kids
Our list of bath toys includes our favorite open-ended tools and toys for scooping, pouring, and experimenting. Traditional rubber duckies get moldy, and we don’t need that in our clean water.
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Boon Bath Gears
We love these bathtub-spinning gears made by Boon! Introduce your little one to early STEM ideas as they learn to connect and spin the gears to make water flow. I am also a fan of the Boon pipes.
Bath Hoop
My child, who loves basketball, gets a kick out of sitting back and shooting hoops. It’s the perfect toy for him to unwind after a long school day.
Boon FLEET Stackable Boats
These multi-purpose bathboats are lovely for stacking and pouring and have drain holes for all those necessary rain shower bath moments.
Tea Set
Every time we bathe at my Mother-in-Law’s house, my seven-year-old asks me to find the tea set! It cracks me up, but gives us a chance to spend some quality time as I order my tea from “Starbucks”.
Suction toys
Young minds and hands enjoy playing with these suction toys as they soak in the tub. I love how this inspires imaginative play.
USA Map in the Tub
This USA map in the tub is a huge hit with my three boys. We received it as a gift a few years ago, and they still enjoy putting it together. It’s a great addition to bathtime!
Collapsible Silicone Funnel Set
This cute set of 4 funnels is excellent for pouring and playing. They come in bright colors, are easy to wipe down and take up very little space since they collapse for easy storage.
Fat Brain Toys Squigz
Squigz are such a fun way to build! We had these awesome silicone Squigz for a few years before we realized how fun they would be in the bath. Use these Squizz for STEM building and learning in and out of the bathtub.
Green Toys Submarine
This submarine is the perfect bath toy for pouring and rinsing with your toddler. It has a handle for easy holding and a spinning propeller for real-life excitement. This submarine is made of sustainable, earth-friendly materials, making it easy to clean.
Jumbo Colorful Eyedroppers
Looking for a way for your toddler to practice fine motor skills in the bath tub? These jumbo eyedroppers are a must-have for learning how to pinch, squeeze and squirt! Sensory play is never complete in our book without these giant eyedroppers that we use both in and out of the bath.
Learning Resources Kitchen Set
This kitchen essential set for bathtime cooking will inspire your little one’s imagination in the bathtub. Note: This kitchen set is large, so we like to designate a few items for bath time and use the rest outside of the bath.
Learning Resources Jumbo Test Tubes
Another favorite sensory play essential! We LOVE using these giant test tubes in our tub for measuring and pouring bath water and bubbles.
Munchkin Bath Toy
This classic ring toss and stack style bath toy is great for practicing hand-eye coordination and color sorting.
Magnetic Baby and Toddler Bath Toy
We love this cute magnetic fishing toy that will help your little one develop early awareness of magnets and connection in the tub.
Bath Letters and Numbers
Working with your toddler on the alphabet and number recognition? Why not continue their learning in the bath?! These foam bath letters and numbers can help develop letter and number awareness and color sorting.
Watering Can Bath Toy
Watering cans make for the best bathtime toys for rinsing and pouring! You can use this cute watering can outside to water your garden or for fun sensory play in the tub.
Reusable Water Balloons
Reusable water balloons for the win! These reusable water balloons have become my kids’ favorite water toy (maybe of all time)! We LOVE using them outside in the summer, but they make for the perfect bathtime sensory toy for scooping, filling, and popping in the tub. (BEST FOR OLDER KIDS.)
Funnel Stem Learning Bath Toy
Watch the water spin and pour with this cute funnel toy for the bath that helps to develop hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and early STEM learning.
Bathtime accessory essentials
After three kids, I have finally narrowed down our favorite bathtime essential accessories that will last a long time!
Hair Bucket
Does washing hair get easier? Yes, and no, but this bucket will help!
Hanging Bath Toy Storage
A mesh bag is THE best way to drain and dry your bath toys and prevent them from getting yucky and slimy between baths. This mesh bag from Munchkin comes with a handle for easy scooping to store all your bath toys.
Universal Drain Stopper Plug Cover
Keep your bathtub water from draining with this silicone suction cup-style drain stopper guaranteed to keep your little one’s bath warm and full.
Swap out bathtime toys
Bath toy swapping is a must! Even with this list of 15 favorite toys, I do not recommend keeping all your bath toys in the tub simultaneously. Just like with most things, LESS IS MORE! Keep a few current favorites in the tub for your child to explore, practice, and play with. After a few days or weeks, swap out the toys with a few you have set in storage to create a whole new learning and play experience!
So, stop dreading bath time! These fun, open-ended bath toys for toddlers and big kids can make bath time enjoyable for your little one and help them develop lots of independent play, sensory, and motor skills in the tub.
Empower your child with skills to thrive.
24 low-prep activities and relatable conversation starters that equip kids for life.
- Order the easy-to-follow activity cards.
- Build the foundation for social-emotional learning.
- Notice a shift in self-confidence and self-regulation as you and your child implement what you practice.
Bath toys FAQ
The best way to clean and disinfect bath toys is by using equal parts vinegar and water and then setting them out to dry. We try to avoid unnecessary chemicals in our home so this non-toxic and inexpensive way is effective all around!
The short answer is yes! Bath toys offer opportunities for learning, development and independent play. Don’t overwhelm your child or the bathtub with too many toys at a time, so we like to swap them out every few weeks.
Our favorite way to store bath toys is using a mesh-style basket or bag that allows for full drainage and air circulation for drying.
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