Variety is the spice of bath time. I remember years ago having a terrible time finding decent-looking bath toys that we could all agree on. As with so many things in the children's industry, design has come a long way in this regard. We've found a whole slew of toys that are not only lovely, but actually look truly fun. More

My fourteen-month old daughter loves her bath time, always has. It has been interesting to watch her bath experience evolve as she went from passive recipient to active participant, moving from sink to plastic tub and finally graduating to the big tub. But now that she is all about standing, rolling, splashing and just hanging out and looking around, my wife and I decided we needed to make a few changes. Here are five things we did to keep the tub area safe, organized and enjoyable for all. More

"SHISHY! That's my SHISHY! I wanna get shish to swim in my bath. Swimmy, swim, swim." If my two-year-old's ecstatic response is any indication, the new generation will love these reproductions of the iconic 1969 Patrick Rylands design just as much as the first. More

Splashimals

• $14.95
• Milliwik

We wrote about Splashimals last year, but we've enjoyed them so much at my house that I thought they deserved another shout out. My son has renamed them "heads and butts" and loves matching them up on the wall of the tub. They've been in use for a year and have held up great with no mildew.

We've seen and featured plenty of sweet and feminine DIY play kitchens. If you're looking for inspiration for something more masculine, check out this modern play kitchen Carla made. More

Craft foam is so suited for water play that it really should be marketed as bath tub toy raw material. It floats, when it gets wet it sticks to the tiles, and it can be easily cut into an infinite variety of shapes. Need more convincing? Just look at these amazing craft foam bath murals. More