Summer is officially here and for a lot of us moms, that means we're spending a good amount of time thinking about how to keep our small children entertained in blazing temperatures. Now that Nola is a toddler, she's constantly getting into things and I have to keep her busy in order to avoid boredom temper tantrums. Thankfully, she's a water baby and is happy to spend hours splashing around and playing with her pool toys.

Shep and I invested in a stock tank pool for our backyard and it was such a great idea because we get in it practically every afternoon. However, if you don't have a pool in your home or access to one, that doesn't mean your baby can have fun cooling off in water. When I don't feel like putting Nola in the pool in our backyard, I love to set up what I call her own personal waterpark.

It's nothing fancy at all! I fill a large bucket with water and add in a few of her favorite pool toys. If I'm feeling fancy I add in a little bubble bath stuff too so she has a new texture to explore. Then I'll fill up her water table and let her go back and forth between the two. I cut on her automatic bubble machine and just let her have the time of her life dunking her toys and herself in the water while I sit near by.

Now, of course any water activity that is unsupervised by an adult is unsafe but all of these toys I recommend Nola absolutely adores and I think your little one will too. If you decide to get the bucket I use for Nolie's makeshift "pool" it can also double as a cooler or a outdoor toy organizer when your baby isn't using it. An inflatable pool is fun for the whole family (including your dogs that might be too hot in the sun). The rolling cooler I recommend is amazing as well for trips to the beach or as storage for baby food when you're going on a road trip (we packed it on our recent trip to Florida).

Your baby doesn't need every single thing on my list. I would start small. Maybe a splash pad or water table and see if they're into it. From there, you can build up. Make sure to grab some sunscreen and a hat to keep them safe from the sun.

Other than that, have fun watching them run around exploring the world around them.

You got this mama!

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