Best Bath Toys UK 2026: Skip the Squirters, Pick Toys That Open, Seal or Drain

COMPARISON · BATH TIME

Every bath toy looks clean in the box. The trouble starts about six weeks later, when you squeeze a cheerful little fish and a puff of black flecks shoots into the water your baby is sitting in. Any toy that sucks water in through a small hole and cannot be opened will eventually grow mould inside, and you will not see it until it comes back out.

That one fact changes how you should shop for bath toys. Price, colour and character matter far less than a simple question: once this toy has been in the bath, can it dry out properly? A toy that splits open, has no holes at all, or drains completely after play will last for years. A sealed squirter is, realistically, a few months of fun before it goes in the bin.

So for this roundup we left the classic squeeze-and-squirt toys out entirely. The five picks below all answer the mould question in a different way, and they also cover different stages, from a gentle shower head for first baths to a magnetic fishing game for toddlers. We compared brand specifications, retailer listings and the feedback parents share with us, and we looked hard at the small practical details that decide whether a toy is still in the bath next year.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: Mushie Pirate Bath Play Set · 8.5/10 - every piece splits in two for scrubbing and goes in the dishwasher
• Best for First Baths: Yookidoo Elephant Baby Bath Shower · 8.0/10 - a gentle one-handed shower that keeps your other hand on baby
• Best Value: Shnuggle Stack and Sail Bath Boats · 8.0/10 - under £10 for four solid silicone boats with no holes at all
• Best for Busy Toddlers: Little Dutch Bathtub Ball Track · 7.5/10 - a wall-mounted ball run that turns bath time into a project
• Best Learning Game: Matchstick Monkey Bathtime Fishing Game · 7.5/10 - a magnetic fishing rod with antimicrobial protection built in

Quick comparison

Toy	Price	Age	How it beats mould	Rating
Yookidoo Elephant Baby Bath Shower	£19.99	From birth	Pump draws from the bath, nothing to squeeze; rinse and dry the hose
Mushie Pirate Bath Play Set	£23.95	10 months+	Each piece splits in two, dishwasher safe
Shnuggle Stack and Sail Bath Boats	£9.95	From birth	Solid silicone, no holes
Little Dutch Bathtub Ball Track	£19	10 months+	Open tracks dry on the wall; check the balls
Matchstick Monkey Bathtime Fishing Game	£16.99	12 months+	BioCote antimicrobial material, wipe clean

How we picked the 5

We started with the bath toys parents add to their BubsNest registries most often and filtered out anything we could not recommend in good conscience: sealed squirters, bundles of anonymous rubber animals, and toys with no clear age guidance. We then required each pick to come from a different brand that parents can easily find in UK shops.

For each toy we checked the official specification, the current UK retail price and stock, the stated age range, the material and the cleaning instructions. We read the feedback parents share with us and in public reviews, focusing on what happens after a few months of use rather than first impressions. Ratings reflect play value, how easy the toy is to keep clean, durability and price, in roughly that order.

What to look for in a bath toy

A way to dry out. This is the big one. The best bath toys either have no openings at all, open fully so you can see and scrub inside, or are made of a material that resists mould. If a toy has a small hole and no way to open it, assume it will grow mould. Some parents seal squirt holes with a dab of hot glue, which works, but it is easier to buy a toy that does not need it.

Safe, soft materials. Babies mouth everything in the bath. Food-grade silicone is the easiest material to live with: it is soft, flexible, free from BPA and phthalates, and most of it is dishwasher safe. Hard plastics are fine for older toddlers, but look for clear BPA-free and phthalate-free labelling.

The right stage. A newborn does not play with bath toys, they are simply held in the water, so anything for the first few months is really about making the bath calmer for you both. From around six to ten months, babies sit up and grab, and stacking, pouring and floating toys come into their own. After the first birthday, toys with a goal, such as catching, sorting or rolling, hold attention much longer.

How it attaches. Suction-cup toys are brilliant on smooth, glossy tiles and on acrylic bath panels, and useless on textured tiles, grout lines or a rough edge where the bath meets the wall. Check your bathroom before you buy anything that needs to stick.

Batteries and moving parts. Battery-powered toys add something genuinely different, like a running stream of water, but they are one more thing to dry, check and replace. Keep battery compartments tightly closed and always store the toy out of the bath.

1. Yookidoo Elephant Baby Bath Shower / 10 · Best for first baths

The Yookidoo Elephant Baby Bath Shower is the odd one out in this roundup, and the reason it earns its place. Rather than being something your baby plays with, it is a small battery-powered pump that draws water from the bath and sends it out through a handheld shower head. You start and pause the flow with one hand, which leaves your other hand free to support your baby.

For nervous first baths, that changes everything. Instead of scooping water with a jug or a cupped hand, you can rinse hair, necks and all those little folds with a gentle, steady stream. As your baby grows, the elephant becomes a toy in its own right, and toddlers love being allowed to hold the shower themselves.

What parents love

• One hand free. The single-button shower head means you never have to let go of your baby to rinse them. We hear repeatedly from parents that this is the feature they did not know they needed until their first wriggly bath.
• A calmer rinse. Babies who hate water poured over their head often tolerate a gentle stream much better. One parent told us: 'It makes a proper little shower and it's a lot of fun.'
• Grows into a toy. Once your baby is sitting up, the elephant turns into a cause-and-effect toy: press the button, water comes out. Toddlers often take over the shower head completely.
• No squeezing. Water is pumped from the bath and straight back out, so you are not squeezing water in and out of a sealed body the way you do with squirter toys.

What to know before you buy

• Needs enough water. The pump needs roughly 10cm of water in the bath or sink to draw from, so it is not much use in a very shallow newborn bath.
• Batteries and a hose. It runs on AA batteries, which are not included, and retail listings disagree on how many, so check the box. The hose and pump still hold water after use: rinse it through with clean water and leave it to dry out of the bath.
• Not the steadiest. A parent shared that it does not really stand up well on its own, so it is best laid down or held rather than left upright on the bath edge.

Best for

• Parents nervous about first baths
• Babies who cry when water is poured over their head
• Baby showers and newborn gifts
• Families who want one toy to last from birth to toddler

2. Mushie Pirate Bath Play Set / 10 · Best overall

The Mushie Pirate Bath Play Set is our top pick because it solves the mould problem in the most practical way we have seen. There are four soft silicone pieces, a pirate bear, a treasure chest, a ship and a jewel, and every one of them splits into two halves. After the bath, you pull them apart, rinse, and leave them to dry. You can see straight inside, so there is no guesswork.

The pieces are made from food-grade silicone and are dishwasher safe, which makes a proper deep clean genuinely easy. The pirate theme gives toddlers a little story to play out, and the pieces still squirt and scoop, so you get the fun of a squirter without the hidden black gunk.

What parents love

• Opens for cleaning. Every piece splits in two, so you can check, scrub and dry the inside. This is exactly the fix parents wish their old squirters had.
• Dishwasher safe. A trip through the dishwasher's top rack is the easiest deep clean there is. We hear repeatedly from parents that this is what keeps the set in rotation for years rather than months.
• Soft and mouth-friendly. Silicone is gentle on gums and new teeth, and it is free from BPA, PVC and phthalates according to the brand.
• Play with a story. A bear, a ship, a chest and a jewel give toddlers a simple game to invent, which holds attention longer than a random set of animals.

What to know before you buy

• The priciest here. At around £24 it is the most expensive set in this roundup, so it is a considered buy rather than an impulse one.
• You do have to open it. It only stays mould-free if you actually pull the pieces apart after bath time. Left closed and wet in a bath caddy, any toy will struggle.
• Not for newborns. It is recommended from 10 months, so it is a second-stage toy rather than a newborn gift.

Best for

• Families who have binned mouldy squirters before
• Toddlers who love pouring and squirting
• Parents who like to put toys through the dishwasher
• A thoughtful first birthday gift

3. Shnuggle Stack and Sail Bath Boats / 10 · Best value

The Shnuggle Stack and Sail Bath Boats are the simplest toys here and, at under £10, the cheapest. You get four soft silicone boats in complementary colours that float, stack inside each other and scoop up water. There is nothing to open because there are no holes at all.

That simplicity is the point. Solid silicone has nowhere for water to hide, so a quick rinse and an air dry are all they ever need. Babies can grab and mouth them from the very first months, and toddlers move on to stacking, sailing and pouring. They also work outside the bath, in the paddling pool or on the highchair tray.

What parents love

• No holes at all. There is simply nowhere for water to collect, so mould is not something you need to think about. Wipe them with soapy water, rinse and leave them to dry.
• Easy for tiny hands. The soft silicone is light and grippy, so younger babies can pick up a boat and bring it to their mouth long before they can manage harder toys.
• Stacks away neatly. The four boats nest together, which makes them easy to store on the side of the bath without a toy net.
• Brilliant value. Under £10 for a set that lasts from early babyhood into the toddler years. We hear repeatedly from parents that these are the toys that survive every clear-out.

What to know before you buy

• Simple play. There are no moving parts, sounds or tricks, so older toddlers may want something with more of a challenge alongside them.
• Silicone attracts fluff. Like most silicone, the boats pick up hair and fluff if they are left on a towel or the floor. A rinse sorts it.

Best for

• Babies from the early months
• Parents who want zero mould worries
• A low-cost stocking filler or add-on gift
• Taking to grandparents or on holiday

4. Little Dutch Bathtub Ball Track / 10 · Best for busy toddlers

The Little Dutch Bathtub Ball Track turns the bathroom wall into a marble run. Three tracks with suction cups stick to smooth tiles, and your toddler sends balls rolling down into the water below. Because the tracks can be arranged in different shapes, the game changes every bath.

This is a toy for the toddler who has started standing up in the bath because they are bored. It gives them a job, encourages problem-solving and practises fine motor skills, all while they stay sitting in the water. The tracks are open channels, so they dry quickly on the wall after you drain the bath.

What parents love

• A real challenge. Arranging tracks so the ball makes it all the way down is a puzzle that toddlers return to again and again. The balls roll faster with a splash of water on the track, which is half the fun.
• Keeps them sitting. A toy at wall height and a reason to watch it means fewer attempts to climb out of the bath.
• Open tracks dry fast. The tracks are open channels with nothing enclosed, so they dry on the wall between baths.

What to know before you buy

• Your wall matters. The suction cups need smooth, flat tiles or an acrylic panel. A parent shared that their bath had no smooth join between the edge and the wall, so they had to rig up a workaround before the tracks would stay put.
• Check the balls. Lift the balls out after each bath and let them dry separately. Small toys left sitting in a wet corner are where mould starts.
• Older babies only. It is recommended from 10 months, and really comes into its own after the first birthday.

Best for

• Toddlers who get bored halfway through bath time
• Bathrooms with smooth, glossy tiles
• Little ones who love marble runs and rolling things
• A bath toy for the second year

5. Matchstick Monkey Bathtime Fishing Game / 10 · Best learning game

The Matchstick Monkey Bathtime Fishing Game gives older babies and toddlers something to aim for. There is a short fishing rod with a magnet at the end and five floating magnetic animal faces. Your little one tries to catch them, which is much harder and much more absorbing than it sounds.

Matchstick Monkey has thought about the mould question too. The set is made from a bio-based material using wood pulp, with BioCote antimicrobial protection built in, which is designed to reduce the growth of mould and mildew on the surface. Cleaning is a simple wash in warm soapy water.

What parents love

• A game with a goal. Catching a floating face with a magnet takes concentration and builds hand-eye coordination. We hear repeatedly from parents that toddlers will happily fish for the whole bath.
• Antimicrobial protection. The BioCote treatment is built into the material to help limit mould and mildew, an extra layer of protection on top of good drying habits.
• Bio-based material. Made with wood pulp rather than conventional plastic, which will appeal to families trying to cut down on plastic toys.
• Short, safe rod. At around 20cm the rod is easy for small hands to control and short enough to use safely in a seated bath.

What to know before you buy

• Twelve months and up. This is a toddler toy. Younger babies will not manage the rod and will simply mouth the pieces.
• Magnets need care. Check the pieces regularly for any damage, and store the set out of reach between baths, as you would with any toy containing magnets.
• Harder to find. It is stocked by fewer retailers than the other picks, so it may sell out at busy times of year.

Best for

• Toddlers who like a challenge
• Families cutting down on plastic
• Encouraging focus and hand-eye coordination
• A bath toy with a learning angle for gifting

What about the classic rubber duck?

We left the traditional squeeze-and-squirt duck out of this roundup on purpose. It is not that ducks are bad, it is that the standard design, a hollow body with a small hole underneath, is the textbook mould trap. If you already have a few, you can make them last by sealing the hole with a dab of hot glue so no water gets in, or by squeezing them out and storing them upside down to drain after every bath. When black flecks appear in the water, it is time to let them go.

If you love the look of a classic duck, look for one made from a single solid piece or with a plug that seals completely. Otherwise, the five toys above give you all the fun without the hidden gunk.

How to choose

Yookidoo Elephant Baby Bath Shower: Choose this if you are expecting or have a newborn and want first baths to feel calmer. It is the only pick here that is really for you as much as for your baby, and it grows into a toy later.

Mushie Pirate Bath Play Set: Choose this if you want one set that does everything well and you are happy to pull the pieces apart after each bath. It is our best overall for a reason.

Shnuggle Stack and Sail Bath Boats: Choose this if you want the easiest, cheapest, most worry-free option. Solid silicone and no holes means nothing to maintain at all.

Little Dutch Bathtub Ball Track: Choose this if your toddler is bored in the bath and you have smooth tiles to stick it to. It is the most engaging toy here for the second year.

Matchstick Monkey Bathtime Fishing Game: Choose this if your toddler is over a year old and ready for a game with a goal, especially if you are trying to buy fewer conventional plastic toys.

Add it to your Nest

Building a baby list? Add your favourite bath toys to your free BubsNest registry so family and friends can see exactly what you want, from the first gentle bath shower to the toddler fishing game, and you never end up with a drawer full of mouldy squirters.