15 Best Water Toys for Toddlers Who Stay Active

Summertime is a great time for people of every age. You get to soak up the sun and, best of all, get out in the water! It’s no secret that kids love water.

Playing in the water is a great way for families to keep their kids entertained and happy. However, not everyone has access to a swimming pool and, even if you do, splashing around in it won’t keep your kids entertained for very long.

Water toys are a great way to keep both you and your child entertained right in your backyard. From a sand and water pit to floating fish, you have hours of fun ahead of you. You don’t need a water park.

Best Water Toys for Toddlers – Comparison Table

IMAGE	TOYS	FEATURES
	Little Tikes Spiralin’ Seas Waterpark Play-Table	Water Capacity: 7 Gallons Comes with: 1 Cup and 5 Character Balls Price: $$	Check Price
	Intex Rainbow Ring Inflatable Play Center	Water Capacity: 77 Gallons Comes with: 4 inflatable rings Price: $$	Check Price
	Nerf Super Soaker Tidal Tube Blaster 2-Pack	Water Capacity: 10 ounces Pack Includes: 2 Blasters Price: $$	Check Price
	Green Toys My First Tug Boat	Comes with: Sturdy Design Great For: 6 months and up Price: $$	Check Price
	ZURU Bunch O’ Balloons	Comes with: 350 Water Balloons Great For: 3 years old kids Price: $$	Check Price
	Intex Wave Rider Ride-On	Comes with: Heavy-Duty Grab Handle Great For: 3 Years and Older Kids Price: $	Check Price
	Little Tikes Rocky Mountain River Race Inflatable Slide Bouncer	Comes With: Repair Kit and Storage Bag Weight Limit: 350 lbs Price: $$$	Check Price
	Step2 Play & Shade Pool	Comes with: 3 Funnel Cups Weight: 12.99 pounds Price: $$	Check Price
	Zing Toys H2O Wet Head Toy	Item Weight: 1 pounds Recommended for: 3+ years older kids Price: $$	Check Price
	Step2 Duck Pond Water Table	Comes with: 2 decorated ducks Recommended For: Preschoolers Price: $$	Check Price

You can have fun right in your backyard. If you’re looking for the best water toys for children or outdoor baby toys, we have a few suggestions we’d like to make.

Why Is Water Play So Important For Children?

Nature has always been rich with educational opportunities for people of all ages, but especially for toddlers. Everyone knows that children love playing in the water. But what you might know is that waterplay plays a key role for children’s development.

Children who play in the water are able to develop their motor skills, including hand eye coordination and dexterity. Scrubbing, squeezing and pouring water are great ways to work on a lot of skills.

It also offers children the opportunities to improve their problem-solving skills. By watching a toy float or move, toddlers can further develop their imagination, as well as creative ways to play with these outdoor toys.

As surprising as it may sound, water gives your child a great opportunity to improve their language skills. When they have conversations about water and actively use words such as basin, drizzle, damp and drain, they can start growing their vocabulary. It’s amazing for their memory, thought retention and thinking.

Their concentration will also improve, especially if they’re doing one repetitive act such as scooping or pouring. They will learn to be social, as well as cooperate and collaborate with other children.

Finally, your children can learn basic math skills from water. The concepts of full, empty, less and more can be conveyed to children through water toys, cups, sifters, etc.

This will also help them stimulate their sense of fantasy and play. Both the right and left hemisphere of a child’s brain can be stimulated through water play. This is why it’s such a crucial part of child development.

How Do I Choose The Best Toy For My Children?

Water toys are the ideal way to help kids develop their life skills and motor skills. A water toy, above all else, should be educational. They should help your children start discussions about water, how to play properly, and many other things. It should be fun for both a child and adults.

Outdoor toddler toys should also help your child develop their social skills. As they work and collaborate with other children, they will learn how to co-exist with other people and have fun while they’re doing it.

Can I Make My Own Water Toys?

Absolutely! You shouldn’t have to spend a fortune in order to entertain your kid. Here some ideas for water toys that kids love and that you can make from simple materials. They will be perfect for both kids and adults!

Safety Tips For Water Toys

Even though water toys and water play can be fun, you need to keep your children safe. Drowning and injuries are very common when people play in the water. Here are a few recommended safety tips for when you’re dealing with a child and water toys.

Make sure that, if you’re playing with a new toy for the first time, that you’re not playing unsupervised. It’s perfect for an adult to try out a new water toy with a baby or younger child.

If you’re taking a toy out into open waters, it’s best to know the weather conditions and water hazards that you can come across. If the weather is not suitable or dangerous, then don’t go out.

If you bring water toys into the pool with your child, make sure that they get in the habit of taking the toys out of pool. If they see toys randomly floating on the water, they might be tempted to reach in and grab them.

That could lead to them falling in and possibly hurting themselves. If they learn to start taking the toys out of the pool with them when they’re done, it significantly reduces this hazard.

Best Water Toys For A Child

1. Little Tikes Spiralin’ Seas Waterpark Play Table

The amazing thing about Little Tikes Spiralin’ Seas Waterpark Play Table is that it combines learning and fun. Your child will learn motor skills and have a great time in the water.
They can power a water wheel with water and watch balls float down a lazy river. This water table comes with the amazing accessories, including a cup and squirt balls in the shape of fun characters that kids will love.

Unfortunately, this water table doesn’t please everyone. The price might be a point of contention for some customers. It also has been known to leak quite badly and the plugs are difficult to put in.

2. Intex Rainbow Ring Inflatable Play Center

Kids will love the Intex Rainbow Ring Inflatable Play Center! It includes balls, inflatable rings, and a water slide. You can use a water hose and fill it up in no time. People of all ages will have fun playing games in the water and spending time together.
Reviewers have loved this water toy for kids. You won’t run out of enough great things to say about this inflatable water toy. It has great value and you will be able to use it for months.

3. Nerf Super Soaker Tidal Tube Blaster 2-Pack

People of every age, whether they admit it or not, love a good water fight. Nerf Super Soaker Tidal Tube Blaster 2-Pack is a great investment you could make.
This water gun can shoot a stream of water up to 23 feet. This makes for hours of water play out in the sun. It’s the best water toy for toddlers (and adults)!

This Nerf product, unfortunately, isn’t perfect. It doesn’t have the longest lifespan and its jet blaster has a very short range. This would make hitting targets far away difficult.

4. Green Toys My First Tug Boat

If you want to keep your child entertained during bath time, Green Toys My First Tug Boat is one of the best water toys to get. Your child can develop their imagination while enjoying the water. This colorful toy comes in three different colors and is fun for the whole family.
This water toy is exactly what you need, especially if you have kids. Even your fussiest child will love having their hair washed with this toy. And here’s the best part: it’s educational! You can teach your child about floating and sinking while having some fun in the bathtub.

5. ZURU Bunch O’ Balloons

Nothing spells out the fun in the sun than a good old-fashioned water balloon fight! These water toys are guaranteed fun, whether you’re a toddler, baby or the whole family.
If you connect these to a garden hose, you’ll have up to 100 balloons filled up in under a minute to share with an entire group! What’s even better is that they’re biodegradable and better for the environment than most water toys.

The main problem with these water toys is that they deflate quickly and that they aren’t suitable for extensive use.

6. Intex Wave Rider Ride-On

You can buy your child their very own jet ski, without wasting your money! Your kid will love this inflatable toy, imagining that they’re out on the water. The base is stable, sturdy and suitable for children.How colorful they are is are a bonus!

This wave rider is an amazing toy to have that is fun for the whole family! It can safely carry multiple people so that you can share a ride. It’s made of durable material and can survive even the rowdiest pool party.

7. Little Tikes Rocky Mountain River Race Inflatable Slide Bouncer

Water slides are the best way for your toddler to have fun during the summer. The Little Tikes Rocky Mountain River Race Inflatable Slide Bouncer is the perfect water toy for the family to enjoy. It includes a climbing wall, two slides, and a splash pool. Its design allows four kids to play on it safely at once.

This slide is an ideal summer toy! It can be used outside in the summer and, during the winter months, it can be used to entertain your kids away from the cold. It’s also easy to set up, guaranteeing that it will be the best purchase you’ve ever made.

8. Step2 Play & Shade Pool

Water toys that are simple and accessible for your baby or toddler is the best investment. Step2 Play & Shade Pool comes with funnel cups and a water wheel so that your toddlers can exercise their imagination while having fun.

This water toy is a great choice to keep your little one entertained during the summer. The design will keep your baby comfortable while they play. This toy, unfortunately, doesn’t have a drain. This means that emptying can be a challenge.

9. Zing Toys H2O Wet Head Toy

If you want a safe game of Russian roulette that involves water and the whole family on their feet, then you need Zing Toys H2O Wet Head Toy.

This suspenseful and fun game will keep your toddler laughing and on their feet all summer. The best thing about it is that it can be used all year round.

There were a few disappointed customers, unfortunately. One customer stated that the product was defective and that it continually leaked, causing things to become unnecessarily wet. Another reviewer stated that the water toy didn’t work well.

10. Step2 Duck Pond Water Table

The Step2 water table is a guaranteed blast for any kid that loves water. Your toddler can have lots of fun sliding the ducks down the slide and squirting each other with the frogs. There’s even a cat-tail scoop that you can use to empty the Step2 water table.

If you have a baby that needs entertaining during the summer, this water table is a great investment. Its simple design will keep you busy, ensuring that you get some quiet time to yourself.

11. Jasonwell Sprinkle & Splash Play Mat

The best way to keep your toddler entertained on a hot summer day is with the Jasonwell Sprinkle & Splash Play Mat. Its unique design and large size make it one of the best water toys for kids.

It’s also easy to set up and lots of fun. Its non-toxic and environmentally friendly materials make it secure for children of any age to play on.

The main detractor of this product is that it is not the most durable toy and it can damage easily. This toy does come with a repair patch, though it’s been known to not be very effective.

12. Tolo Toys Funtime Fishing

With Tolo Toys Funtime Fishing, your child can experience fishing right from the backyard! This water toy is made from plastic and has a long lifespan. The bright colors of the fish, fishing pole and worm will keep your toddler or baby entertained for the summer.

The best part is that they’re educational. Your kids will develop hand-eye coordination and dexterity while they’re having lots of fun and keeping cool.

Unfortunately, the fish have been known to easily fill up with water, affecting their ability to float.

13. Swimways Toypedo Bandits

Swimways Toypedo Bandits are the perfect water toys for your diving aficionado toddler. These colorful toy torpedoes have a hydrodynamic design, allowing them to glide easily in the water. They sink easily so that your child can go retrieve them. Their bright colors are a bonus.

These toy torpedoes are great fun for the whole family. People of any age can have fun throwing them across the water and they’re guaranteed hours of fun in the sun. You can use them to create many water games.

14. Banzai 54in-Diameter Sprinkle and Splash Play MatPros

You don’t need a water park for hours of splashing fun for your toddler. This playmat is the best water toys for kids.

It sits easily on soft surfaces and its bright colors are visually stimulating for your baby or toddler. The fact that it’s easy to assemble is one less hassle for parents.
If you’re looking for a replacement for the pool this summer, this is it. Due to its large size, people of various ages will enjoy this. Best of all, more than one person can use it at the same time! The one risk is that the water may be a bit cold.

15. Melissa & Doug On The Go Water Wow! 3-Pack

Whoever said that coloring was not a water sport has never seen Melissa & Doug On The Go Water Wow! 3-Pack.

These educational coloring books are great products for your child to develop motor skills while in the water. The pages are reusable, which is great for the environment.

If you want the best water toys for toddlers, then we recommend that you go for Little Tikes Rocky Mountain River Race Inflatable Slide Bouncer.

The features are sure to bring many people together for hours of fun. It’s extremely strong which means that it can withstand whatever game your child decides to use it for.

Some of the other water toys, such as the Super Soaker and the Zing Wet-Head toy, don’t offer a wide range for your child to learn and explore. Water toys should always come with features that allow them to grow as people. Best of all, the Mountain River Race toy will allow them to share this experience with their friends.