How A Bath Toy Can Turn Cleanup Time Into Fun Playtime

The right bath toy can turn clean-up time into a delightful playtime... even if your kid enjoys baths about as much as a plate full of spinach.

Today's bath buddies include the usual suspects-rubber duckies, boats, and floating animals that squirt water-but you might be surprised at what else kids are getting wet.

Bathtub-friendly toys on the market include finger paints, toy musical instruments, coloring boards, mobiles and books.

So, by choosing the right bath toys, you can unnoticed use cleanup time to grow your kid's skills.

But, before you rush off to buy the first bath toy, have a look at some of the basic guidelines for educational toys... even if they're bath tub toys.

For infants, the best bets are plastic and foam animals, hand-puppet washcloths, and the always-popular foam toys that stick to tub walls. Some bathtub friends serve a double purpose by warning parents if the bath water is too hot. Some rubber duckies and other animals come with thermometers to measure water temperature.

As your child gets older, water-safe toy cars, dump trucks, and other pretend forms of transportation are great options. So are toy flutes, drums, and nesting-doll animals.

Toys for toddlers can make bath time learning time, too. Counting and shape-identifying toys are popular as are sets of farm toys, underwater cities, and foam letters and numbers.

For just a few dollars, bath toys can make for a more pleasant bathing experience while allowing children to stretch their imaginations, have fun and develop some of their skills.

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