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Step 1
Choose a heavy-gauge vinyl float for ocean and lake play, as the water conditions can be tough on your toy. Buy a less expensive plastic float for the pool.
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Step 2
Get a boogie board or kickboard that is rubber coated for durability and excellent "feel" in the water. The top-of-the-line brands are covered with heavy-duty PVC vinyl.
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Step 3
Shop for sporting swim toys for friendly competition. Many traditional "land" sports, such as ping-pong, basketball and golf, now have pool equivalents. These games feature floating apparatus and can be quite challenging.
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Step 4
Brighten up the pool with brilliantly colored swim toys. Look for unique options, such as the battery-operated Rainbow Reef Magic Trigger Fish. It features toy fish that really swim.
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Step 5
Go large with your swim toys to accommodate a crowd. Floats, in particular, are being made larger these days to hold multiple swimmers. For a real crowd pleaser, invest in a lake trampoline from Watertrampolines.com (see Resources below).
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Step 6
Give yourself extra support in the water with buoyant toys. The ever-popular "noodle" and its many variations are fun and inexpensive swim toys. Old-fashioned swim rings and tubes are great fun for the little ones.
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Step 7
Choose swim toys that are age appropriate. Buy water-filling toys of varying sizes and small floating toys for toddlers. Engage older children with diving sticks and items like the Uno H20 card game. Find Uno H20 at Boardgamegeek.com (see Resources below).
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Step 8
Go high tech with new electric pool toys. One popular choice is the XW-100 Water Scooter, which acts as a self-propelled boat that can be used up to 3 hours on a single charge. You can find this toy at X-tremescooters.com (see Resources below).
