Water play: how to mix it up in 7 fun ways
Water play is a great way to get your little toddler busy for a while, and when going to the beach or pool is not always an easy option, you can definitely get creative with water indoors too. Of course, an inflatable pool can be a great idea, but if you don’t want the hassle of filling, emptying, cleaning… you can do it differently, and I assure you your little toddler will be delighted!
A quick but important note before we start – play it safe! Don’t ever let your baby out of your sight while they are playing with water. Even shallow water can be extremely dangerous, so never underestimate the amount of water you use. Letting your toddlers play with water gives you time to relax as they are in one place and generally play by themselves, but you should still be close by and supervise.
The two basic things you need for some fun water time indoors
High Chair
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If you have a toddler, surely you already have a high chair at hand. You technically can do without it but it will get messier. By putting your kid in the high chair to play with the water you also create a much safer area for them to play in, and with babies – the safer the better.
Toy Bucket
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It can be a toy bucket you use for the beach, or some big empty plastic box, even a shallow rectangular dish will work here, the main thing is it’s a dish you can easily fill with water. However, don’t use something that is too big, again – you want your little one to play safely.
Okay, these are the two basic things you need, but do we want our toddlers to get bored?
No..
No..
No.
So here are a few great ideas for extras you can use:
Toy Dishes
my son really enjoy “making coffee”, pouring water from cup to cup and mixing with a spoon. They can also make soup, wash the dishes and imitate any other kitchen activity they are already familiar with, depending on their age.
Paper Boats
I simply use colourful memo papers to make tiny boats that float on the water. Because of their small size, we can easily fit quite a few of them into the bucket. It can also be a good way to practice colours. Don’t be lazy, it takes less than a minute to make! See {here} for simple instructions.
Baby Soap
While playing with water is fun, playing with soapy water is quite a different experience! I use the baby shower gel for that so it’s completely safe (especially if you use a natural soap – which I can’t recommend enough). Make sure you give your toddler something he can stir the water with, like a spoon or a long toy.
Water Guns and Bubble Guns
you don’t need anything fancy as your toddler’s hands are too small for the big guns anyway. A small colourful water gun or bubble gun will get your little ones super excited. And if you have plants or pot plants nearby, you can also let him use the gun to water the plants!
Messy Food
You know what I mean, some foods are messier than others. For every baby it’s different foods that create the biggest mess. What better chance will you get to give them messy food than when they are wearing only diaper and are sitting on a high chair? I give my boys homemade fruit popsicles which are fun, yummy and healthy but also really messy when eaten with clothes.
Toy Animals
Add some toy animals to the water so that your little one can give them a bath. If you went with soapy water it will be a complete bubble bath but it will work just as well with plain water. You can include a wipe too, so your toddler can have a “towel” to wipe the animals dry after their bath.
Drawing
Your kid is already playing with water, so that’s a great chance to use bath crayons to draw on the tray of the high chair. If you don’t have bath crayons yet you are seriously missing out on some massive fun, so get them here.
Do you have other ideas for mixing up the water play time? Please let me know in a comment below, you can never have too many ideas!
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