Finding the Best Water Table: Tips & Tricks!

It’s a hot summer day—time to break out water fun!

We asked our parent readers for their advice and tips when it comes to water tables, those affordable toys that can provide hours of fun on a summer day. 

What we found is that the same water tables that work well for younger toddlers (most water tables are designed for kids aged 18 months and up) can bore older kids. 

Likewise, water tables for kids aged 3 to 5 may frustrate a younger toddler who can’t reach the top to pour water in, or easily scoot around the table. 

After trying out several water tables with actual kids and asking our parent readers for their tips, we learned a few key tips and tricks to buying the best water table. Here’s some advice:

• Look carefully at how the table drains. The best water tables have built-in drains with plugs that makes this easy.

• Many of these tables are taller than you might think. This is something to keep in mind if you are buying a water table for a two-year old—they may not be able to reach the top to pour in water. In this article, we separate picks for water tables for kids by age.

• How easy is the table to clean? Watch out for water table with lots of crevices and cracks, which can be hard to clean.

Here are the water tables we’d recommend:

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability. When we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money. 

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!