Best bath toys, tried and tested by parents and children
We pick the most fun bath toys for splashing around the bath with – all tried and tested and suitable for boys and girls from 3 months up
How do you choose which bath toys are best for your child's age and stage – and which ones will keep your little one entertained for more than 3 seconds flat?
"While a 3-month-old will love watching you make bubbles pop and water sprinkle, a 3-year-old is going to be more focused on things they can stack and build, and fill and pour themselves", explains MFM's Helen Brown, author of Parenting for Dummies.
With that in mind, we’ve been testing a whole load of bath toys with a range of children under the age of 4, as well as with parents and toy experts, to find out which ones kept them smiling – and splashing – the most.
Best bath toys at a glance
- Bburago BB Junior Splash n Play Submarine Projector, £9.99
- Early Learning Centre Bath Time Tea Party Set, £16
- Toomies Bubble & Bake Bathtime Kitchen, £17.99
- Matchstick Monkey Bathtime Wobblers, £12.99
- Nuby Floating Octopus, £7.60
- Vtech Splash & Play Elephant, £16.99
- Infantino Senso Plug and Squirt, £6.77
- Skip Hop Full Up Bee Fountain, £18
- Water flutes, £6.99
- Vtech 6-in-1 Bath Set Toys, £24.99
- Toomies Bath Barista, £20
- BB Junior Splash and Play Music Tug Boat, £14
- Matchstick Monkey Bathtime Slide Toy Set, £14.99
- Bath Crayons, £5.99
Best bath toys to buy your baby in 2025
1. Bburago BB Junior Splash n Play Submarine Projector, £9.99
Available at: Robert Dyas, OnBuy and Toy Street
Age suitability: From birth | Best for age: 6 months+ | Batteries: 3 x button cell (included)
An 14cm x 10cm submarine toy with a projector in its base that beams an image of a sea-life scene below it – activated by pressing the periscope.
The idea behind this is so original, and my kids loved the fact it's not like their other bath toys. Zac also projected the images on the wall to make a disco in our lounge! In the bath, Bella clapped her hands and pointed at the animals and images. I think this toy will be last a long time.
2. Early Learning Centre Bath Time Tea Party Set, £20
Available at: ELC and Marks and Spencer
Age suitability: 12 months+ | Best for age: 18 months+ | Batteries: None
A tea time set on a floating 34cm x 18cm tray that can be used in the bath. It includes a transparent teapot, 3 cake-shaped water squirters and 2 tea-cup-shaped sieves. The tray also doubles up as a shape sorter. Pretend tea parties are already a firm favourite with many children – so creating a set specially designed for bathtime is an ingenious idea.
My girls found it so exciting. They loved pretending to have tea and cake, pouring the water from the teapot and trying to catch it coming through the cup sieves.
3. Toomies Bubble & Bake Bathtime Kitchen, £19.99
Age suitability: 18 months+ | Best for age: 18 months+ | Batteries: None
A 28cm x 15cm x 21cm bathtime pretend-cooking set with suction pads, featuring an oven, hob and sink. There's a pump tap at the sink (which you can also fill) and an option to create bath foam using bubble bath. Comes with a ladle, saucepan and pie dish.
She loved playing with this. It can be used in the bath but also out of it, which I really like. My children have just started doing role play and this has been great: they use the sink and tap to pretend they're giving their other bath toys a wash, then use the hob, saucepan and oven to 'cook dinner'.
4. Matchstick Monkey Bathtime Wobblers, £14.99
Available at: Boots
Age suitability: 12 months+ | Best for age: 12 months+ | Batteries: Non
A pack of two 10cm-tall monkeys that wobble and float in the bath. Made from silicone and coated in antimicrobial protection to keep mould at bay. These cheeky monkeys are smooth, tactile and well-made. Their bold, smiling faces might be designed to appeal to toddlers but their soothing, subtle colours also got our parent testers’ vote. They're also ultra-hygienic, impressing our judges in previous Toy Awards.
I love that they're completely sealed and coated. It's great my little boy can play with these and I can have peace of mind he's not chomping on mouldy bits!
5. Nuby Floating Octopus, £9.50
Age suitability: 18 months+ | Best for age: 18 months+ | Batteries: None
This floating purple octopus comes with three colourful hoops to throw onto its tentacles. The vibrant colours, patterns and shapes will stimulate your children's senses, while the game will help improve hand-eye coordination. The octopus is BPA-free, soft to play with and fully sealed so no water will get in. And you can also take it outside of the bath too so it's a super versatile toy for all the kids to enjoy.
6. Vtech Splash & Play Elephant, £22.99
Available at: Amazon and Argos
Age: 12 months+ | Best for age: 12 months+ | Batteries: 1 x AAA (not included)
A singing elephant that sticks to the side of your bath and squirts water from its trunk. It has all sorts of accessories, from manipulative beads, a spring back seahorse, a spinning starfish and a wobbling water container to a twisting foot, a sliding leg and a scoop accessory. We like that it features 4 sing-along songs and 15 melodies, so you don't get too frustrated hearing the same tune all the time. It's not cheap but if you want all-singing, all-splashing bath toy, this is it.
7. Infantino Senso Plug and Squirt, £13.95
Available at: OnBuy and Amazon
Age suitability: 6 months+ | Best for age: 9 months+ | Batteries: None
A set of 4 16cm-high squirty bathtime friends (octopus, sea horse, turtle and frog) which you can pull apart and snap back together in different combinations. Our baby testers loved these characters' friendly faces and gentle squirtiness – and the older ones loved switching and swapping the colourful heads and bottoms to create silly 'octohorses' and 'frogtles'.
I think they are great and the fact they come apart is brilliant. They also feel durable, well-made and soft to the touch.
8. Skip Hop Full Up Bee Fountain, £15
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 9 months+ | Best for age: 12 months+ | Batteries: None
A 30cm-tall fill-up-and-spill water shower toy with 2 easy-to-grab handles in a super cute bee design.
We really rated this bath toy's friendly face and grabbable handles and the very gentle spill of cascading water that comes out. The fact it's made from PVC and phthalate-free materials is also a huge bonus. It's lovely and soothing and looks really cute too. You could probably get the same sort of fun from stacking cups but the design makes this product stand out.
9 Water flutes, £7
Available at: Amazon and Mulberry Bush
Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 3+ | Batteries: None
A colourful set of 26cm-high plastic flutes that you can fill up to different levels with water and then then blow through to ‘play’ different notes. Comes with 5 colour-coded waterproof music sheets.
10. Vtech 6-in-1 Bath Set Toys, £24.99
Available at: Mamas & Papas and Argos
Age suitability: From birth | Best for age: 6 months+ | Batteries: None
A six-in-one bath set featuring shape blocks, animal cups, balls, stackable boats, a zebra net, elephant squirter and giraffe. Let your child's imagination flow with this animal-themed set of bath toys, encouraging role play and creativity. From filling up the giraffe with water, squirting water from the elephant squirter, and pouring water with the animal cups, to stacking the multi-coloured boats and using the bath net to scoop up the balls, there's plenty to keep them entertained while in the tub.
11. Toomies Bath Barista, £20
Age suitability: 18 months+ | Best for age: 18 months+ | Batteries: None | Awards: Silver, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023
A bath-friendly coffee machine, complete with shakers, spinners, dials and handles for fully immersive play, ideal for little ones keen to copy their grown-up's routines. The toy features useful suction pads to fit onto wall tiles and bath sides.
Watch them as they open up their own café from the bath tub, creating make believe lattes and cappuccinos to help bathtime fly by. Pour water with the jug, place a cup under the filter and use the handle twist to make up their beverages and serve up bath-time coffee. There's a foamer too - simply fill with bubble bath and water and create frothy bubbles.
12. BB Junior Splash and Play Music Tug Boat, £10.50
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 12 months+ | Best for age: 12-36 months | Batteries: None
Super simple and great value, just twist and play. Wind up the motor by turning the rescue ring and the boat will be off, gliding around the bath. Little water fans will love watching it go, while also helping them understand the principles of cause and effect. A robust design to withstand babies and toddlers in action!
13. Matchstick Monkey Bathtime Slide Toy Set, £16.99
Available at: Baby Mori, Mamas & Papas
Age suitability: 12 months+ | Best for age: 12 months+ | Batteries: None | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Awards 2023
This bath toy set from Matchstick Monkey (known for it's beautifully designed teethers) includes a slide and three colourful animal rollerballs. The slide easily attaches to the bath using suction grips and is made from BPA-free silicone and ABS material, and contains BioCote Antimicrobial Protection for safe bathing (and mould prevention).
14. Bath Crayons, £5.99
Available from: Boots and Munchkin
Age suitability: 36 months + | Best for age: 36 months + | Batteries: None
These 5 colourful bath crayons can draw on tile, porcelain or other smooth surfaces and be easily washed off with a damp cloth or sponge. They're ideal for encouraging creativity and active play, and really take bath time fun to the next level.
We've got more great toys here...
Authors
Cordelia Aspinall is a Digital Writer for Immediate Media, working across brands including The Recommended, RadioTimes.com, MadeForMums and BBC Gardeners’ World. She has previously worked and written for digital publications including Condé Nast Traveller, The Evening Standard, Cosmopolitan, and several other lifestyle brands.