Water Play: Splash Toys and Safety Basics

When kids are in or near water, one adult should be the designated water watcher: phone down, eyes on the kids, within arm’s reach of toddlers and weak swimmers. Trade off every 15 minutes or so with another adult so attention stays sharp. Drowning rarely looks like splashing and yelling; it is often silent. At parties and family cookouts, when everyone assumes someone else is watching, the risk goes up, so name the water watcher out loud.

The CPSC’s Pool Safely campaign has free tips on fencing, drain covers and layers of protection. If you have a pool or hot tub, a four-sided fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate is a key safeguard.

Empty a kiddie pool every time you finish, and store it upside down. A small amount of standing water is still a risk, and it also breeds mosquitoes.

Inflatable arm floats, rings and noodles are toys, not safety devices. They can slip off or tip a child face-down. For boats, lakes and open water, use a properly fitting U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket sized to your child’s weight. Check fit by lifting at the shoulders; it should not ride up past the chin.

Swim lessons and water-competency skills are an important layer of protection for many kids, and the American Academy of Pediatrics discusses timing on HealthyChildren.org. Talk with your pediatrician about readiness. Do not forget sunscreen, shade and water breaks; see the outdoor safety guide for heat basics. Hot surfaces are easy to miss, too. Plastic slides, splash mats and pool decks can get surprisingly hot in afternoon sun, so test them with your hand before little feet hit them.

For summer outing ideas, browse seasonal activities. This page is part of outdoor toys, and its sibling active play covers dry-land games.