Set up a car wash

Dude, is it hella hot today. (I’m in California, and this is how we talk.) I let baby Scarlett engage in about three different types of water play within a four-hour span of time. She was out in the backyard, sitting in a highchair with bowls of water and spoons to splash with, and finally the bathtub.

Julian (three and three-quarters and a half years old, he’ll tell you) also loves him some water play. We had a spontaneous invention a couple of weeks ago of a car wash in our backyard. It really kept him busy, and our ride-on toys have never been cleaner.

Sources: Push and Ride car by Little Tikes; Outdoor Chairs from IKEA

The key to making it an official car wash seemed to be placing the car in a special place. In our case, it was on two outdoor IKEAÂ chairs. Probably making a fort for this specific purpose would be the most satisfying.

Make it extra fun with a spray bottle, sponge, and a bucket to dunk sponge in.

While Julian washed the “cars”, I sat in a chair and paged through catalog after catalog that had come in the mail. A mutually beneficial water play session, I’d say.

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.