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19 Water Toys And Pools For Cooling Down The Kids When It Gets Hot
Shopping·Updated 1 hour ago. Posted 1 hour agoSprinklers, pool floats, blasters, and noodles that’ll keep things cool for the kiddies. Just add water.We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the…
Updated 1 hour ago. Posted 1 hour ago
Sprinklers, pool floats, blasters, and noodles that’ll keep things cool for the kiddies. Just add water.
We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
1.
An inflatable unicorn sprinkler, because as the old saying goes, “You can lead a unicorn to water and you can make them spray your kids with it from their horn.” Also comes with four ground stakes so this magical beast won’t get knocked over.
Promising review: “This unicorn sprinkler has probably been one of the best purchases I’ve made in my life. My kids absolutely love this thing and will play all day long if I let them. It’s easy to inflate, as I use an electric air pump, and stays inflated during use. It is made of a thicker plastic material that’s durable enough to withstand my toddler terror’s path of destruction. This just hooks up to my garden hose and the water sprays from the horn. I’ve not noticed a very large increase in my water bill since using so that makes me even happier.” —Belle Esprit
Get it from Amazon for $38.99+ (available in two sizes).
2.
A Melissa & Doug “Louie Lobster” claw catcher pool toy to teach the kids about the whole “catch and release” thing at an early age while helping them with their hand-to-eye coordination and dexterity.
Target
Promising review: “My 3-year-old is obsessed with this toy. LOL worth every penny!” —Jpo
Get it from Target for $12.99.
3.
A six-pack of “Max Liquidator” water blasters, because “Max Liquidator” is very much the name you would give yourself while chasing your kids around like a Terminator whose only mission is to ensure that the children of 2020 get completely soaked. Hasta la vista, babies!
Amazon
Promising review: “I got these for my kids to play in the pool with and they most certainly didn’t disappoint. The maximum range on these (around 30 feet with a little elbow grease put into it) surpasses any Super-Soaker that I’ve ever tried, and they’re extremely easy to use. Granted they have no water reservoir, so you have to use them in the pool, lake, ocean, etc. for them to be effective, but aside from that, they are a fantastic water toy. Plus, they’re brightly colored and float on the surface of the water so almost impossible to lose.” —iEspresso
Get it from Amazon for $16.50.
4.
A splash pond water table that’ll show the kids how to “make it rain” while playing with buckets, duck and froggy squirt toys, and spinning wheels.
Promising review: “This water table has the most activities and parts of ALL the water tables we looked at. It does ‘rain’ from the top, pours down into spouts and moving parts, includes a toy frog flipper, a water wheel, cups, and buckets for pouring… I don’t think there is a table my child would enjoy more. I even enjoy playing with the chain reaction and flinging the included toys. I definitely recommend this for any child who enjoys pouring and splashing and water in general, lots of fun!” —Miller Family
Get it from Amazon for $69.99.
5.
An outdoor water spray sprinkler for showing off some real “turtle power” by spraying, twirling, and whirling water up to eight-feet (depending on the water pressure). Fits all hose types thanks to an extra connector (included).
Amazon
Promising review: “Overall a great buy. Lightweight, quality constructed, and surprisingly did not leak from where It connected to the hose like so many do. It sprays water everywhere allowing kids to get sprinkled or soaked, whichever they prefer, which is nice since hose water can feel ice cold. The little hoses flail around like a ‘wacky wavy inflatable tube man,’ and the kids loved it. The only con is that the little rubber hoses can’t stand up to a toddler with a pair of scissors (don’t judge me too hard). Looks like we will be ordering another!” —Baby Toes!
Get it from Amazon for $16.97.
6.
An inflatable kiddie pool that you’re just going to have to test out yourself. You know, to make sure it’s safe and the water is just right…for the kids. Of course. Right. For the kids. Yeah.
Fits four children or two adults.
Promising review: “Great pool for kids of all ages. I have a 7-year-old and a 4-year-old and they both absolutely adore this pool. It was easy to inflate. This would be great for daily use and birthday parties. My neighbor’s kids come over to use it. Very durable. Much better size than the little pools that you can buy for toddlers. I like the fact that it’s higher on the sides. Great value for your money.” —Love my deals
Get it from Amazon for $109.99.
7.
A Little Tikes “3-In-1 Triple Splash” T-ball set (T-Ball, pop-up launcher, and splash T-ball modes), because your throwing arm is dead tired, there’s no bullpen to call in a relief pitcher, and it’s too damn hot. Comes with three balls.
Target
Promising review: “This is my 5-year-old’s favorite toy! He loves it with and without the water. Saves me from having to pitch all the time. :)” —CRM
Get it from Target for $29.99.
8.
A five-pack of classic foam pool swim noodles for fun at the pool, beach, or lake. And of course, they double as light sabers that do a minimal amount of damage (as long as they’re still used outdoors).
Amazon
Promising review: “I love using these noodles at the pool. There are so many different ways to use them but my favorite is keeping me up under my arms or sitting on it and keeping afloat. My kid likes to use them to help him swim by placing it under his arms for support. My son also loves playing with these at home with his father as swords or for building things. It’s great they come in a five-pack so enough for everyone in the family and in different colors to choose from at a great price.” —Vmuller2
Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in ten color combinations).
9.
A baby spring float with canopy to safely introduce your really little ones to the water thanks to an adjustable harness and a canopy with UPF 50+ sun protection.
Target
Promising review: “Good for baby who cannot sit up. Doesn’t get too wet in this so we splashed some water on it to keep baby cool. Seemed secure although we did not leave his side!” —Target reviewer
Get it from Target for $39.99.
10.
A pack of 420 self-sealing rapid-fill water balloons so you’ll never have to fumble with tying every single tiny balloon and bursting half of them in the process. We have now reached the height of water balloon warfare.
Amazon
Promising review: “I can’t tell you how much time and energy these save. For traditional water balloons, you spend hours and hours filling and tieing balloons only to have them smashed in two minutes. These sets of water balloons are filled in under 30 seconds! They tie as they fall to the ground or bucket so it’s perfect for adults to give their kids water balloons in seconds. The set comes with multiple colors which is great for water balloon wars or if your child wants to pick a certain color for the day! I’ll never go back to buying traditional water balloons again!” —Tori
Get it from Amazon for $16.79.
11.
A giant gator ride-on pool float that’s a summertime, water-adjacent classic. Includes a limited 30-day manufacturer’s warranty in case you think this gator is a total “croc.”
Promising review: “We’ve been using ‘Allie’ regularly for the past two years. She’s gone with us to many lakes and now lives in the backyard pool this summer. She’s been flipped, jumped on, and manhandled like crazy and yet she’s still in one piece. We’re careful about how she’s treated on land, but in the water is fair game. She’s big enough that both kids (ages 9 and 11) can fit on her together, or I can kick them off and lay on her myself! But packs up really small, so she’s easy to bring along to the lake.” —Content Buyer
Get it from Amazon for $17.20.
12.
A 360-degree floating pool basketball hoop which will require almost every shot to be “nothing but net” but will also bring much deeper meaning to the word “dunk.”
Promising review: “We’ve had multiple basketball hoops for our pool and none have been as sturdy as this one. Our prior hoop would constantly flip over when you shot the ball at it and just seemed super flimsy and broke after a few months. I really like this one. Super buoyant and doesn’t flip over when there is a lot of commotion in the pool. Easy to put together, attractive design, and works well. Highly recommend!” —Brittany
Get it from Amazon for $40.24.
13.
An inflatable Poké ball to bounce around the beach or the backyard. Maybe go for the four-pack so your kids won’t bug you with the whole “gotta catch em all” thing for the rest of the summer.
OEM Game Pieces / Etsy
OEM Game Pieces is an Etsy shop established in 2020 based in New Orleans, Louisiana that specializes in keychains, accessories as well as sneakers and Pokémon stuff.
Promising review: “My kids love the Pokéball beach balls. They are actually even bigger than I expected! They’re sturdy and good quality. Shipping was fast!” —Jennifer Reid
Get it from OEM Game Pieces on Etsy for $12.99+ (available in four styles or as a set).
14.
A three-in-one sprinkler, splash pad, and wading pool so toddler can learn their ABCs and animals while splashing about in the comfort of the backyard.
Promising review: “My kids have found a new favorite way to cool down on these hot summer days. The setup was very easy, all I had to do was take it out of the box, unfold it, connect the hose and the fun began, there is no inflation needed, the water fills up the rim around the splash pad, and then the water comes out like a sprinkler around the rim through the holes. This is small enough and easy to store, yet big enough for my 2- and 4-year-olds to play in and have enough fun for hours all while cooling down from the heat. I am hoping this splash pad will be durable enough to last through the summer.” —Danielle
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
15.
A Zuru X-Shot fast-fill water blaster that makes reloading with H2O easier than ever. Sprays water 30+ feet too!
Target
Promising review: “I don’t know why no one else thought of this design sooner, brilliant. Fills quick easy to use for both my 2-year-old and 6-year-old.” —Target reviewer
Get it from Target for $9.99.
16.
A ride-on, inflatable wave rider, because an actual Jet Ski is still many, many years and many, many arguments away. Comes with a repair patch just in case.
Promising review: “My kids love this compared to standard pool floaties like tubes or mats. The toy looks like a real Jet Ski, has two inflatable compartments, a handle on the front, and a little flag on the rear. Fun pool toy, I highly recommend it!” —TJ
Get it from Amazon for $15.20.
17.
A Little Tikes “Spiralin’ Seas Waterpark” water table to help develop some motor skills with a crank turn Ferris wheel that scoops and drops balls that look like aquatic characters and squirt water.
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Become a founding memberPromising review: “In less than 15 minutes everything was opened, assembled, and the water was in place! My 1-year-old and 2-year-old both love this water table. They were able to play with it for about 20 minutes. And that’s good for my kids! It’s pretty sturdy too, considering my 30+ pound two-year-old was able to get in it without breaking anything or tumbling out of it. It was so easy to set up, they were so excited to play with it and the different activity stations are ideal for most any toddler development. Great for social (cooperative play), physical (fine motor skills), intellectual (cause and effect)-just to name a few!” —Amazon customer
Get it from Amazon for $44.99.
18.
A beach tent and kiddie pool for potentially introducing your child to the “Jonah and the whale” story or, you know, just safely chilling in the shade poolside.
Amazon
Promising review: “We loved this baby pool/tent. It was much bigger than expected so that was a plus. My baby loved it. We use it in the yard for a swimming pool. We use it in the pool to float on. We also used it for him to nap in. It was perfect.” —W.w.
Get it from Amazon for $39.99.
19.
A Regalo extra large portable play yard with ventilated mesh walls and a nylon bottom for easy clean up which allows parents with kids of varying ages to multi-task. Toddlers can run around (and you can run after them) while the less-mobile ones can still play safely near the water.
Regalo
Promising review: “Way better than expected! This only takes a minute to set up and take down. It’s perfect for home/beach/travel. Best of all it’s big enough to actually play in! My daughter’s water table fits perfectly to keep her busy with enough room for other toys as well!” —Amanda
Get it from Amazon for $109.99.
No matter the pool or body of water, make sure your kids are safe while playing and that they learn to always ask this very important question…
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