bath toys

[laangel]

talk to me about bath toys folks. What do you have in your tub? What do your kids play with?

Until recently the kids have had no bath toys really. We had a lot of plastic for a couple of years, but many of them went yucky and we also have tried to get rid of all the plastic toys in the house, bath toys included. So as a result the kids have had the odd empty shampoo bottle, or a duck or a plastic animal toy brought from the playroom. I thought this was enough. I also feel that it's nice to just enjoy the sensations of being in the water with the smells of oils and bubbles and each other's company. I don't think bath time needs to be totally over taken by 'play' with toys.

My mum came to visit this week and secretly has bought some plastic bath toys for the kids. They just appeared at the side of the bath. She obviously felt they were lacking in the toy dept. there. How do you feel about toys in the bath? Are there any non plastic, or really nice you can recommend?

Thanks Laura x

[Evandy]

One of the things my DD has really enjoyed in the bath is wooden bowls. The ones we have are straight-sided rather than angled, and when they float upside-down, she can tap them to make pretty sounds. Definitely percussive, but with a pitch. Right side-up, they can be boats, or she can scoop up bubbles or water. We didn't buy these specifically for play--they are just an old set of salad bowls. Other than that, she just plays with a metal milk frothing pitcher leftover from a cappuccino phase of mine.

[mommariffic]

We *do* allow plastic in the tub, but some more "Waldorf" inspired toys are: little wooden boats, wooden bowls and cups for pouring and making bubble potions! Really those two things alone can make for any great water play : ) We also love bath crayons for drawing 

[Gunter]

we have a metal sifter, of sorts.  It has a metal lid with holes that one could shake powdered sugar through if it was being used in the kitchen. It's great for pouring water in the tub!

[treehugz]

Ooh, I love the sifter idea... I have a tiny metal colander I could add!  We have some stainless steel bowls in different sizes, seashells, some smooth beach rocks, and cloth animal puppets (a.k.a. washcloths). 

[sprinkle pocket]

We have corks someone passed on to us. Like from bottles of.wine. they usually become a flock of ducks. Also the half of a coconut hell that has three holes knocked in it. Super fun! Porcelain enamel cups. Wooden boats.Our two boys in water don't need much else. They never seem to lack for inspiration. The excitable one ends up laying with his ears under water in a meditative state after the younger one climbs out...well that or providing us with a super loud rendition of jingle.bells. LOL

[Gunter]

oh, yes, we have a small colander, too!  i had forgotten about that. 

[quantumleap]

We're pretty pared down in the tub too, mostly because I limit the plastic too. We do always have one or two of these hanging around: http://www.nurtured.ca/Natural-Rubber-Dolphin_p_964.html They make all sorts of aquatic animals (octopus, different ducks, frogs, etc). They're spendy, so they tend to be birthday or Christmas gifts. We also have a few seashells, a mason jar for pouring and scooping (and rinsing heads!), a little wooden duck from a broken haba toy, and sometimes I throw in a whisk if they have bubbles. The corks are a brilliant idea - I'll have to drink some more wine! :)

[WindyCityMom]

Right now, in our tub, there are:

• Seashells of various sizes, but none small enough to be choked on or go down the drain
• Enamel colander
• Stainless Steel bowls of different sizes
• Random Sliech horses, since they're plastic. 

[mamazee]

kitchen stuff - measuring cups and funnels.

[WednesdayO]

I know this is an older thread, but I just saw these goodies on Etsy and wanted to share.

Wooden Tub Toys by MamaMadeThem on Etsy