Water Babies

School’s out for summer—well, almost. Besides, when it comes to keeping the kiddos cool and entertained, it’s never too early to start planning ahead. That said, here are three outdoor water toys we think babes will love (personally tested by our own littles, so it must be true)! —Noa Nichol

little tikes fun zone fountain factory water table. Loaded with features and ways to play, this water table ($60) has interchangeable pipes and fittings to help work toddlers’ fine motor skills, sharing competencies and imagination. It’s the right height for most two-year-olds, and we literally watched our wee one play for an hour solid (that alone is worth its weight in gold).

fisher-price bubble mower. Tired of telling her, "No, you can’t touch the big mower," we snagged this age-appropriate version ($30 at Toys"R"Us) and set her loose on the lawn. While it didn’t help finish up any yardwork, it did give her a sense of accomplishment (not to mention all the bubble-popping fun that was had).

step2 waterfall discovery wall. Sending buckets of water cascading through a series of zigzags, spinners and funnels? Sounds like good, clean, summertime fun to us! Not only can the pieces on this H2O maze ($92 at Wayfair.ca) be moved around, it’s double sided, so two kids (read: not-great-at-sharing siblings) can play at once.