Toddler Water Play Setup
This water table setup has been a game changer for us in the super hot summer months here in Virginia Beach. Inspired by the 1000 Hours Outside movement, I’m doing everything I can to give my daughter time outdoors without getting overheated. I wanted to share a few hacks that I’ve found helpful.
Some version of this setup usually keeps her busy for 30+ minutes. Granted, she’s 12 months so that’s all fully supervised time with lots of interruptions for me to engage with her, but she’ll often play in good stretches on her own. I make sure to always keep her within arms reach whenever she’s near water.
Our top water play hacks:
A rechargeable pump keeps water circulating through the water table which helps her stay engaged. Once the water stops flowing, I find that she loses interest. That said, this pump only runs for about a minute and then stops, so I keep it close enough to press the button easily when I find she’s getting bored. We can easily bring it in and charge it in between playing times. This also saves on our water bill as it keeps the water moving once the hose is off.
Adding a cheap kiddie pool to the water table setup really elevated the experience! The one we have was $10 from the dollar store, though you can pick up a cheap, hard shell pool most places for a few bucks. The pavement was really hot so this kept her little toes cool while playing with the water table.
I threw in a few mold-free bath toys. These are nice because you can either open them up, or they’re open on one side, so no mold develops inside the hollow cavity. Here are some great options - Option 1, Option 2!
The robotic fish are a great addition! They start swimming as soon as they get wet so they definitely keep our daughter entertained. There are a few varieties of sea creatures available, I like the fish and turtles.
Another key element is the umbrella, a must for hot summer days. I got mine off of Facebook marketplace but there are great options here and here.
The water table itself was purchased from Costco, but there are very similar options available here and here.
A water table cover has also come in very handy, especially with the amount of rain we receive in Virginia! I have found that it keeps a lot of debris out of the water table, making it easy to get set up when I’m ready to use it. Here’s a second cute option I found, wish we had this one!
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