10 Summer Must-Haves for Babies and Toddlers

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*Last updated April 19, 2023* As we head into the summer months, it’s time to stock up on summer fun supplies! I don’t know about you, but I have a bad habit of waiting until the last minute to order seasonal supplies. For example, waiting until the forecast is sunny to order sunscreen to send to daycare! Enter Amazon Prime and their fabulous 2-day shipping.

Below are my family’s 10 Summer Must-Haves for Babies and Toddlers, all purchased on Amazon because I am a last-minute Mama!!

Water Shoes

Water shoes are my nemesis every year! I waste time driving around to Target, Carter’s, etc and there are never cute water shoes that have covered toes (as required by daycare and this Mama) in the right size. Or I find some that are $50…No way am I paying that for a single season of use! Maybe if we lived at a water park, but we do not.

My kids are not into Crocs or rubber shoes. I tried Natives once and they were an epic fail, the kids hated the feel of the rubber without socks. As for baby water shoes, I have a hard time finding ones that aren’t really heavy as those tend to trip my early walker.

This year I found both kids’ water shoes on Amazon! Little A has these adorable Osh Kosh water shoes. As for Baby J, I fell in LOVE with these little Octopus Water Shoes at a great price! Will they last forever, nope. But will he even still fit them once summer is over, no again! Below are links to the water shoes we have used and loved for babies, toddlers, and preschool ages.

Sun Hats

I am obsessed with these iplay sun hats by green sprouts. They are UPF 50+ and come in wide-brim, bucket, and flap hat styles. Both of my kids wore this brand from their first summers as infants, through age 4-5 years.

Iplay hats tie instead of Velcro, and I have found if I tie them to the side under those little chins the ties don’t bother the kids and they can’t just pull them off like the Velcro ones. They are reasonably priced too, some prints more than others.

I love that I can buy two hats because they are so affordable. I send one sun hat to daycare and keep one at home for each child so I don’t have to remember to bring it back and forth every day.

For babies, I recommend the iplay bucket hats because their little faces are so small. Baby J started wearing the 0-6 month one at 2 months old and it fit. There is an elastic in the back to adjust it for smaller heads.

For toddlers girls, I loved this iplay Brim hat to cover her whole face and back of the neck. The 2-4-year-old hat lasted for 3 summers, despite being worn daily at daycare. Baby J never liked this hat with the wider brim and stuck to the bucket hats.

Bonus, the iplay hats can be thrown in the washing machine! I typically air-dried my kids’ hats, but every once in a while, they ended up in the dryer and did just fine.

Sunscreen

I love Babyganics sunscreen for my kids and Amazon is a great place to purchase it. Every year I forget to buy sunscreen until there is a gorgeous sunny day in the forecast, so being able to Amazon Prime it to my house in 2 days is huge! I usually buy a two-pack of 6-ounce tubes, for home and daycare. Each summer I buy a 4-pack of the 2-ounce tubes and spread them out in our cars, the diaper bag, my purse, etc.

Swim Diapers

My absolute favorite swim diapers for any age are Huggies Little Swimmers. Amazon has the lowest price on Huggies Little Swimmers Swim Diapers that I have found. Again, I typically forget about these until we are a couple of days out from a beach day or vacation so Amazon Prime to the rescue again. Have you ever bought swim diapers at a drugstore?! They come in the smallest packages and are so expensive! I guess they figure you are in a tight spot if you are running in there to grab them!

Bike Helmet

I discovered the world of bike helmets on Amazon when I was looking for one small enough to fit Little A when she was almost two years old. She would ride in our neighbor’s little motorized car with her and it made me so nervous. I feel like if kids start wearing a helmet as soon as they have wheels to ride, it becomes a habit and that is all they know.

With hundreds of options at your fingertips, it is easy to measure your child’s head and find a helmet that will fit on Amazon. Bonus, there are also lots of adorable prints and colors to choose from and lots of notable brands.

I do not endorse the safety of any particular helmet over another. Please make that educated decision for yourself.

CamelBak Water Bottles “Eddy” Kids 12oz

We love these CamelBak Eddy Kids’ water bottles. I send them to daycare every day for both kids and we bring them everywhere in the summer. They do a decent job of staying cold if you throw some ice in them with the water. Most importantly, they don’t spill when tipped on their side or thrown!

Little A’s CamelBak is at least 3 years old, and the print hasn’t faded or chipped at all! Baby J was drinking out of his before he could do a sippy cup because he wanted to do everything just like his sister.

I love the bite valves on these. They can be boiled to sterilize them, come in a bunch of different colors, and Amazon sells replacement Bite Valve packs so you can just replace the bite valve when it gets gross or chewed on, instead of having to buy a new after bottle.

Groupon often has deals on kids’ 12oz CamelBaks, but they are very limited in prints and usually more expensive than Amazon’s CamelBaks which offer away more color/print choices! Plus, it’s all about the 2-day Prime shipping!

Water Table

Our water table arrived for Little A’s first birthday a few years ago, and has been a favorite toy ever since (going on 7 years!)! We have this Splish Splash Seas Water Table by Step 2.

We use it all the time in warm weather, and have even brought it out in the winter months to entertain the kids inside the house! It’s so easy to pull out, with no setup once it’s built. Even little ones who can’t walk yet but are able to pull to a stand or cruise can play with a water table.

Little Tikes Cars

I think these Little Tikes Cozy Coupes are the cutest toys we own! Little A has a Princess Cozy Coupe that she received as a gift when she turned 1. She still rides it since the floorboard can come out and let her drive it with her feet. Baby J just got the Dinosaur Cozy Coupe for his birthday and is loving it! My kids literally ride in these cars every night. Last night we put both floorboards in and my husband and I “raced” the kids in the driveway, they were thrilled and we got a little exercise too!

Sprinkler

Last but not least, I have to mention this adorable Sunny Patch Flower Sprinkler by Melissa & Doug that we have and love! It attaches right to the hose and both kids love it! This Mama loves it because if someone falls and hits their face on it, the flowers are soft and rounded, which seems safer than a traditional metal sprinkler. Bonus, it’s bright, cute, and perfect for warm weather!

Your Top 10 Summer Must-Haves for Babies and Toddlers

I hope these 10 Summer Must-Haves for Babies and Toddlers make your summer shopping less expensive, a little easier, and a lot faster! Please let me know what you end up purchasing for your family and share any summer must-haves for your family!