There’s nothing like ending a long, exhausting day with a meltdown: a bad bath can ruin your night.
Worst case scenario, a bad bath time can push bedtime back even further. There’s nothing like a cranky, overtired toddler to make you wish you were anywhere else. But I’ve decided it doesn’t have to be that way anymore, and here’s why.
I am done with bath toys that don’t bring my baby joy. I’m even more done with bath toys that ooze slimy water and need to be cleaned constantly. My family and I are breaking up with every bad bath toy we’ve ever had — and you should, too.
It’s time to make baths fun again. Here is our detailed list of the best baby bath toys that won’t disappoint you or your little ones.
- Provides multi-sensory bath tub experience
- Battery operated
- High contrast colors
- 100% non-toxic
- Educational
- Economical and convenient
- Asthma friendly & BPA free
- Set of four bath books
- Helps develop child's fine motor skills
- With hot water indicator
- Easy-to-grasp
- Water-tight
- Easy to operate
- Built-in music
- 100% quality warranty
- Various water activities
- Promotes sensory development
- Designed for tiny hands
- 60 fragrance-free bathtub tints
- Completely washable
- Entirely toxic-free
- BPA-free
- Comes with 2 protectors
- Highly adjustable
- ASTM approved non-toxic product
- Durable silicone
- Smooth & sealed construction
- Safety tested
- Innovative and high quality
- Encourages active & imaginative play
How to Choose the Best Bath Toy
Baths are a great tool to have in your bedtime routine. They can help your baby begin to process their day and prepare for sleep. Used effectively, a bath can signal and help trigger an easy transition to bedtime.
But a bath can be so much more than just a segue into sleep. It’s the perfect time for you to bond with your baby. It’s a moment for your child to continue their essential task of exploring, playing, and learning in a different environment.
You want to look for toys that will encourage this kind of growth and imaginative play. Whether you opt for foam letters, fine motor skill toys, or those geared toward creative play, will depend on what you and your child prefer (1).
Regarding quality, I have the same standards for bath toys as I do with regular toys. Pay attention to where your toys are manufactured and make sure they can be exposed to heat. Even if your baby’s bathwater is at room temperature, there’s no guarantee the toys won’t be affected by your hot shower steam.
The Best Bath Toys of 2021
Here are our favorite bath toys for babies and toddlers.
1. Yookidoo Baby Bath Mobile
As far as baby bath toys go, I can’t get enough of the Yookidoo baby bath mobile. This sensory toy provides gentle mental stimulation and distraction during bath time. I love that the water feature helps desensitize your baby to water spray in a fun way.
The mobile fits a wide variety of tubs, grows with your baby into toddlerhood, and stays out of the way for when the rest of the family need a shower.
It’s easy to keep clean. It’s entertaining for the baby during bath time. A bonus is that you don’t need to collect lots of small parts to put away afterward.
2. Foam Bath Toys Numbers and Animals
My favorite toddler bath toys are this take on foam letters. I love that it gives you a variety of skills to develop. Using their motor skills, toddlers can catch the floating toys and practice sticking them to the walls and side of the tub.
Just like with a foam alphabet, you can help your child learn the different names of the animals, their numbers, and colors. It’s a great spin on a classic bath toy. They won’t even realize they’re learning.
My kids love books, and I believe you can never provide them with too many. Bath time is as good a time as any to push reading.
My favorite bath book set is this collection of books from BabyBibi. I like the different learning opportunities they provide for children. If your baby is at a place where color and objects are still new, these books are great.
If, however, your child has already mastered those skills, there’s enough artwork in this collection to focus on counting. The art is eye-catching and the books are made out of quality materials.
4. Munchkin White Hot Safety Bath Ducky
Every child needs a rubber ducky. This is your simple and classic yellow rubber ducky for the bath.
What I love about it, though, is that it doubles as a safety precaution — it’s a thermometer in disguise. If the water is too hot for your baby, the word “HOT” appears in white on your yellow ducky.
You have enough worries to contend with during bath time. Thanks to this little toy, the temperature of the water doesn’t have to be one of them.
5. Bubble Crab
Kids love music. They also love bubbles. It doesn’t get much better than a toy that can bring both of those together at bath time.
This bubble maker is eco-friendly and has passed rigorous safety testing. What do I love best about it, though? I can use the same baby body wash that I love for my sensitive-skinned babies, to make the frothiest bubbles imaginable.
The crab plays 12 different nursery rhymes, which only adds to the fun. It does run on AA batteries, so you’ll want to make sure it’s affixed securely outside of the tub or basin.
6. Yookidoo Spin N Sort Spout
If you are looking for an interactive bath toy that encourages motor skills development, this might be the one for you.
The Spin n Sort Spout provides lots of fun at bath time. It has 10 different water activities to keep your little one occupied and challenged as you wash them before bed. With three interchangeable bath cups, the toy uses bath water to create different water effects such as spraying, straining and floating.
Your little one can also play with each part, whether that’s just in the water or learning how to stack and store the pieces. It’s suitable for babies from nine to 36 months.
7. Crayola Bathtub Crayons
Nothing is going to help develop those fine motor skills faster than writing implements. If you’re looking to encourage little ones to work on fine motor skills, bath crayons are a low-pressure way to do it.
These crayons are toxin-free and wipe clean from the walls after bathtime murals are complete. They come in a great variety of colors and won’t irritate sensitive skin. Go ahead and let your little ones practice holding those crayons.
8. Skip Hop Whale Bath Toy
Here’s another safety measure, thinly veiled as a toy. Have you ever watched your little one hit their head on the faucet or end up with a face full of water? If you have, I don’t need to tell you why I love this little whale so much.
In a matter of moments, this rubber covering slips over the faucet and covers hard edges. You’ll receive a set of two and an additional accessory so that you can alternate for variety.
Easy enough for you to remove — but not easy for little fingers to interfere with — and BPA-free, there’s really no reason to pass this up.
9. Fajiabao Fishing Game
I love that this fishing set comes with two fishing rods. Instead of fighting over who gets to use the fishing rod next, your kids can get right to the fishing.
This is a great activity to improve hand and eye coordination, and practice patience. The colors in this set are attractive and fun, and the materials used in its construction are soft, durable silicone. This set has passed safety testing, is toxin-free, and easily cleaned.
10. Little Tikes Bath Letters and Numbers
Foam bath letters are a classic bath toy for a reason. They provide a great opportunity to introduce colors, sounds, and other early reader skills. These letters are safety tested, float, and stick easily to the tub or bathroom walls.
This letter set includes numbers 0–9 as well. Perfect for little fingers to trace and identify, this is a bath toy that’s more than just fun. It’s a great educational tool that you can sneak in under the radar.
How to Store Bath Toys
Two things get me all the time with bath toys. The first is how to store them. The second is how to clean them.
Imagine this — you stagger into the bathroom ready for the fastest shower known to man. The next thing you know, a small toy with a name you can’t remember is wedged between your toes. Maybe you don’t even have to imagine this scenario, and you’re just remembering your shower from this morning.
I have to confess that this was my morning routine for years, before I bucked up and invested in a storage system for my kids’ bath toys. It took me a while to find what worked for us, but I can’t recommend it enough.
If you’re anything like me, you think new bath toys are great, and so do your kids. That is, of course, until they’ve been around for a little while. Then you wonder what kind of germs they might be harboring.
I spent a long time searching for the perfect way to clean my bath toys, in the hopes I wouldn’t need to replace them as often. This recipe for clean toys is simple, effective, and cost-efficient.
The Bath Time You’ve Dreamed Of
If you’ve been dreading bath time, you don’t have to anymore. The right bath toys and accessories can change how you approach your end-of-day routine — for the better.
There are so many great options here. But my top pick for the best bath toy has to be the Little Tikes Bath Letters and Numbers. I love the many variations of learning games you can play with them — and your child will think it’s all just bath time fun.
Foam letters are easy to care for and clean. They also store well and encourage tactile and cognitive development. There aren’t enough good things to say about introducing letters early and consistently to your children.
